Shaving is a big part of almost every adults life wether a beard or a bikini line. Back in the day razors were reusable items now of course they are plastic and throwaway. Obviously something has to done about this. Both the husband and I have trialled the razors on the market. Heres a quick synopsis of our findings:
Not shaving:
Electric reusable razor – plastic but long lasting – my preferred option.
Metal safety razor with a reusable body and a disposable metal blade – did not work for either of us:
Metal cut throat razor with a blade you can sharpen – way too scary for us:
Disposable razor – the husbands preferred options but he has found ways to extend life and reduce use:

Not Shaving…Happy Days Of Hairy Legs

Razors always gave me a horrible shaving rash so  I stopped shaving my legs. This was back in the 80’s when I was a student. In those days and social circles it was perfectly acceptable to stomp round in D.M.s, proudly sporting fuzzy legs. How I miss them. But times change and so do bodies. Now everyone is depilated to within an inch of their labia and with age my leg hair has got thicker and blacker. While I would never go for a Brazilian I did feel the pressure at work to shave my legs. And I gave in. It was that kind of job and office.

Electric Shaver

But age did not change my extreme reaction to razors so for a long time I waxed. Then one day I tried an electric razor. Wahey. No shavers rash at all. I know that an electric razor is made from plastic but my battery operated Phillips has lasted years and is still going strong. I appreciate that shaving your legs is not absolutely essential but there is a strong social pressure to do so. I think a reusable plastic shaver is plastic fairly used. What do you say?

A Dry Shave Is A Greener Shave
PLUS an electric shave is a dry shave which cuts down on your hot water use. Apparently the most carbon intensive part of your shave is the hot water used. Wet shaves are way less green. You can read more about this here.
You can read more about the plastic we use here….

Metal Safety Razor  

This has a metal body and takes double sided, disposable metal blades which you have to replace.
Husband being a tightwad he bought a rattly old thing from an Indian bazaar. he hated it. I spent ages trying to persuade him to give the metal razor another go. My argument is he bought a rubbishy, cheap thing and paid the price. His argument was TWENTY FIVE QUID FOR A RAZOR. And yes they are expensive. But that said you  save loads on the blades over time and of course cut your waste. Finally I made and executive decision and went and bought him one.

Using A Safety Razor
Well neither of us could get the hang of the safety razor. Hubby still cut himself to bits I still got a  revolting shaving rash But there are others out there who swear by them. Check this out

Reviews
After posting about our close shaves with a razor in some of my favourite zero waste groups, I got loads of positive responses. FYI   I have quoted  some below. Thank you for taking the time guys….
“I love my safety razor i use it with my homemade coconut oil soap as it lathers well. (On my legs and underarms) yes i do shave slightly slower but have never cut myself (well not so far!)”
Others say that you have “to get the angle right when shaving, and it is a difference since you don’t need to apply any pressure to the handle. I just let it glide along the skin and it works great, the one and only cut I got was when I turned the angle too sharp and pressed down by accident.”

Buy
I got  a Merkur Razor. It is a metal razors with disposable old style double-edged blades  from our local hardware (Huddersfield) shop which is wonderful.

But I could have got him a Mutiny Box Shaving Kit. These guys are ” Anti-corporate! Anti-plastic! Anti-animal testing! Vegan friendly! Carbon Neutral! Yoghurt-knitting! Lentil-weaving! Tree-hugging! Wet shavers!” 

And they sell a shaving kit which as long as you don’t mind the synthetic bristles (plastic) in the shaving brush, is almost plastic free. I haven’t used them so cannot judge the quality but I like their style.

You can also get razors, and the replacement blades, on Ebay.

Blade Plastic Spoiler

Sometimes the blades will come in a plastic box but it is possible to get them in cardboard. I quote from Facebook here: “I’ve been buying blades from http://www.shavelounge.co.uk/and they have free delivery in the uk. I bought a package of different kinds of blades since I wanted to try them out and they all came in cardboard and individually wrapped in paper.”

Straight Razor

Seems the hard-core, zero-waste find the safety razor too easy and have moved on to a straight razor which, (I think), is also known as a cut throat razor. Yes one of those Sweeney Tod things.

For the love of pies why?

Because “it gives me a closer shave and cause I don’t have to change a blade.” Rather “you just have to sharpen it every once in a while and use a strop at home before each use to align the blade.”

And not just for the gents but “a small Dovo made for women that I adore, it’s great for getting to the back of the knee and the bikini.”

Any one fancy guest posting on the straight razor? I would love to know more but I am never, ever going to try myself. I say I am clumsy is to understate. Currently got two fingers wrapped in plasters from a rather nasty paper cut! Quite frankly I would prefer to look like a monkey then return of the mummy.

Disposable Razor

Husband went back to disposable blades limited his use of them by growing a beard. So on trend!

For the few bits he still has to shave he used a Gillette  blades with the reusable handle. Being, as already stated, careful in the wallet region he hoards those heads and uses them for ever.

Read this Indestructables post on how to keep your blade sharp for months .

Or you could invest in a Razor Saver  “The Stay Sharp Razor Saver keeps your blades clean and free of hair, skin and soap buildup that lead to dull blades and uncomfortable shaves. Patented friction technology cleans and sharpens to make you feel like you’re shaving with a brand new blade, every day! Works with all men’s and women’s blades including cartridge, disposable and double edge blades, and guaranteed to extend the life of your razor up to 6 times your normal use.”

You can further cut your plastic by getting a “Beautiful, Oiled Beechwood Handle, Fits Mach3 Blades” They also do oak and olive wood.