I started shaving in the fourth grade. The Italian blood in me gives me thick, dark hair that you can see from a mile away. It grows fast, it’s prickly and it’s a nightmare to maintain. For most of my life, I have used disposable razors, only good for a few shaves before pitching them. Lately, I have been trying to be more conscious of my environmental impact and the thing that has been filling my trash can for years has been my razors.
I started on the hunt to eliminate these plastic beasts from my life by buying a $25 pink electric women’s razor that boasted only having to change the blades every few months. I was excited to start my Earth-friendly shaving routine and gave the new razor a shot. It was, to say the least, horrible. The razor was loud, bulky to handle (especially around the knees) and barely cut off any of my leg hair. After looking online, I found that most electric razors do not get as close of a shave and the ones that do can put you out $75 or more. So with still hairy legs and $25 less in my pocket, I set out to find a cheaper option that was also green.
I couldn’t bring myself to try any no-hair creams after some bad reviews online and a few horror stories from friends. I also didn’t think my skin would do well with constantly chemically removing the hair from my legs. I didn’t really know what else to try that was budget and Earth-friendly that would get a girl some smooth legs. Lo and behold one Amazon search later, I found the holy grail of razors.
I stumbled upon safety razors while looking on Amazon for a green alternative. A quick Google search informed me that they were basically old fashioned men’s facial razors usually made out of metal with razor blade replacements. I dug through the reviews to see if there was any other woman out there looking for something to tackle the forest that grew on their legs, eventually finding a handful of reviews from other women claiming that this was the best razor they had ever owned. I decided to bite the bullet and buy the $28 razor to see if all the hype was worth it.
When my razor arrived, I immediately took to the shower to try it out. The men’s reviews said that you couldn’t shave without soap and that the razor had to be held at a certain angle so you didn’t cut yourself. They said I should expect it to take a few tries to get a good shave. Ladies, I stepped out of that shower smoother than a baby dolphin. I have never had softer legs and the best part was that it took almost twice as long to grow back! There was no learning curve to the razor; I did go slower the first time, but after a few months of use it is just as fast as using my old plastic razors but SO MUCH BETTER.
Vikings Blade – Chieftan Safety Razor on Amazon
Not only does this razor give me the best shave ever, but it has also saved me money. Buying razors and blade replacements time and time again are expensive. I spent $28 on the razor itself and $6 on 100 replacement blades; keep in mind, each blade lasts anywhere between 3-10 full body shaves. So for $34 I have a razor that has at a minimum 300 shaves in it. Also, if you properly dispose of the blades, it is 100% green. I keep my used blades in a small cardboard box that I can drop off at a blade bank when I run out of space. They will properly recycle them all for you.
I was looking for a razor that was environmentally friendly but I got way more than I bargained for. Girls, stop buying those overpriced pink razors and get yourself one of these. You’ll be smooth all over and your wallet (& the planet!) will thank you.