The cheap and environmentally friendly way to shave

Posted on 11. Aug, 2008 by Forest in General Articles, General News, Health, Saving Money & Finances

You have to admit the whole shaving products fiasco is getting completely out of control. With Razor’s sporting a gazillion blades these days and the cost of such products rising at an unbelievable rate the lure of boycotting shaving all together is getting closer and closer.

Shaving has become more about having the latest razor to be fashionable rather than worry about the actual job of shaving the silly fluff from the sides of your face or back of your legs!

Many people forget that people have been shaving successfully for a very long time.

Do you ever remember seeing James Dean or Marlon Brando with a patchy uneven shave?

marlon brando clean shave It’s very likely that these Hollywood greats, as well as your faithful old Daddy used the old school method of shaving with a cut throat or safety razor…… They never had a major problem! So surely we can see that it was probably a problem that did not need to be fixed.

I am scared witless of the cut throat razor. I used to sit in the barber chair in fear that the old Greek man cutting my hair would sneeze and slice right through the back of my neck! But the safety razor seems like a viable option….

Cost Comparison – Gillette Fusion vs Safety Razor

Amazon currently sells Gillette’s latest fashion razor the Fusion for $11.47 with a blade storage case and one battery to power the vibration system.

Ebay has a variety of Safety Razor Handles, starting from around $6, half the price of Gillette’s fashion piece. You can see current New Safety Razor listings Right Now On eBay.com!

Then onto the the blades!

Amazon currently sells a pack of 8 Gillette Fusion replacement cartridges for $24.95.

Ebay has packs of 100 double edged razor blades starting from around $10.

Find Safety Razor Blade listings Right Now On eBay.com!

That is an awesome saving of around 310% if you compare a blade to a cartridge!

As you can see you will save an unbelievable amount of money. Even if you used two double edged blades for every cartridge you would still make huge savings.

Most people I know report safety razors to be comfortable and easy to change blades. The blades give a good shave and if used with a good soap will not cause burns.

So how do these Cheap Razors help the environment?

The latest fashion razors are absolutely filled with un-needed plastic components and plastic packaging. Even cartridge you through away includes 5 blades and a platic case. Each pack of blades comes with a plastic holder.

Safety Razors come in a simple cardboard or plastic pack. The blades then often come paper wrapped in a small cardboard box. You only throw away the metal blade so there is a huge saving on waste.

I wish I could find the figures but if everyone switched to safety razors the savings of plastic would be huge.

Thanks for reading…. please let me know your feelings on using Safety Razors.

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Original Content by FrugalZeitgeist.com

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8 Responses to “The cheap and environmentally friendly way to shave”

Z-man

11. Aug, 2008

I love my 1969 gillette super adjustable. The key is also to get a shaving brush and some quality shaving soap or cream. Check the line available at Crabtree and Evelyn.

Reply to this comment
Forest

12. Aug, 2008

Hey Z-man… the vintage ones look great. I am sure my Dad has a few laying around, so I should ask him to send me some.

Thanks very much for taking the time to comment… if you like what you read why not sign up to my mailing list

…Also how much do you pay for your razor blades. I didn’t want to list my local prices as I live in Montreal.

Reply to this comment
Jay

14. Aug, 2008

Nothing like saving money AND going green!

I shave with a Bowie knife.

I’m going to try the Safety razors though! You have a TON of great frugal tips on here now, Froest! It’s hard to keep up!

Reply to this comment
Forest

14. Aug, 2008

Ha!! That’s the way to go… scrap the safety razor, i’m heading down to my hunting store! Cheers for stopping by…

Reply to this comment
Mark @ dovo straight razor

18. Feb, 2010

Safety razors are nice, and not to mention green. Any way you slice it, if you eliminate the disposable aspect of your shaving ritual you’re saving money in the long run.

Even though disposable razors are considered cheap…pennies do add up to dollars.
Mark @ dovo straight razor´s last blog ..Natural Papa finds Vegan Shaving Cream

Reply to this comment
Forest

18. Feb, 2010

Hey Mark, thanks for your comment… I agree completely.

Reply to this comment
Zelka

24. Feb, 2010

This is great, also check out straight razor (cut throat razor). They range from cheap Chinese knockoff to German precision brilliance!

The type I am referring to specifically are the original models (the ones that DONT have replaceable blades). These are relatively expensive in the short term, but if you take care of the blade and don’t break it, then it works out MUCH cheaper. Also there is absolutely NO waste.

Other advantages are shaving like in the old days and a genuinely better shave!

Zelka

Reply to this comment
- Forest
  
  25. Feb, 2010
  
  Hey Zelka, These blades are an excellent choice too…. Maybe I will write a post about them.
  
  Thanks for your comment.
  
  Reply to this comment