Hey earth muffins! Shaving is a regular grooming activity for many individuals; but, the disposable plastic razors often used contribute to environmental waste. A much better alternative is the safety razor. With a durable, reusable design, these razors offer a sustainable and cost-effective way to achieve a close shave while minimizing waste. If you’re new to using a safety razor or looking for tips to enhance your experience, here are some helpful suggestions:
1. Pick a high quality razor and blades
Without a good razor and blades you won’t be able to get a nice shave. Safety razors come in different styles, designs, and handle lengths. In addition, you want to pick one made of a metal that will last you many years. I personally purchased this safety razor (affiliate link) back in 2018 – it is still in perfect condition! Also opt for higher quality blades (like these from Astra) as well.
Hey earth muffins! Today I will be sharing some of my opinions on body hair. 😊 As I mentioned in my “Here’s Why You Should Go Green in 2021” post, my sustainability journey (surprisingly) changed how I view social “norms”. It seems like once I mastered the art of shaving with a safety razor, I realized that it really wasn’t all that essential to shave my legs every single time I showered. I did more research (as well as some soul searching) and found that I felt much better when I didn’t shave all the time… So, I thought I would take you through my opinions on body hair standards to help you all figure out the question: is body hair “normal” to have on my body?
A Quick History on Hair and Shaving
While I’m no history expert, there is quite a bit of documentation online about shaving and body hair norms. Obviously, we all have body hair. It is something that is completely natural to humans. Throughout history, there have been waves of “leave it be” and “take it off”. Most of the time, body hair was left to do its thing. I found it interesting that Gillette had a large role in the most recent body hair removal trend (which still influences many of us today!). Surprisingly, this trend started only about 100 years ago.
When Gillette introduced its first men’s razor in 1903, the company realized that the female market was totally untapped. By 1915, Gillette had introduced its first razor specifically targeted to women. They used advertising to convince women that because women’s clothing was starting to show more skin, that skin (for some reason) couldn’t be hairy. As someone who got a business degree, I know that advertisers have a way of changing your opinions… Just look at all these shaving ads as proof! Even today, advertisements emphasize that body hair on women is “nasty” or “unclean”. But why is it not “embarrassing” or “ugly” or “unclean” on men?? And why did white men at Gillette get to decide if body hair is normal or not? And why are we still listening to these privileged white men today?
King Camp Gillette, founder of Gillette
What To Think About When You Consider Your Own Body Hair
Body hair is a personal thing. You can shave or wax or pluck; but, ultimately the choice is YOURS. Many of us were taught at young ages that we needed to make our bodies hairless in order to be accepted or “desirable” to others. It is important to realize that many of the amazing women who changed the world probably never touched a razor. If you want to shave all your hair off because you like the feeling or it gives you confidence, then awesome. Do that! But, if you don’t want to shave I highly recommend that you don’t. Because you don’t have to! If people judge you for the hair on your legs or your armpits then maybe they need to revaluate how they view others. I personally wouldn’t miss the opportunity to meet an incredible human being just because they have some hairy legs.
What Will Others Say?
Well, it depends on who you are talking to. I have friends who are totally cool with never shaving, but my mom is anti-hairy legs to the extreme. Her biggest point is “what will your boyfriend think”… Which is a fair point because my boyfriend is also anti-body hair. Regardless of what side people are on, they will have an opinion on body hair. Humans are a highly opinionated species… You can argue with someone about anything! Just like any subject, some people keep their opinions to themselves while others are quick to share it. So, you might as well be prepared for someone to mention it… And then you can say, “I’m sorry, are you in charge of my body?“.
What My Shaving & Body Hair Habits Are
After learning the history of body hair and taking time to think about what I cared about in terms of “beauty standards”, I realized that I didn’t want to shave as much. Right now, I haven’t decided to give up my safety razor permanently… But who knows – that might be in my future! I shave maybe once a month (or every two months) now; and I love it! I feel just as confident with hair than without it. I’m a huge advocate for doing what YOU want with YOUR body, so I take that to heart with my body hair routine. 😊As I mentioned above, my boyfriend doesn’t like body hair… You so might be curious as to his thoughts on my shaving habits. We have had an open conversation about why he doesn’t like hair, and it stems from the “standards” he has seen on TV, ads, etc. While he has made his opinion known to me, he also supports that it is my body and that I can do what I want with it… And that is that! Is body hair normal? YES – so treat it however you want to!
