A few months ago, I, like the rest of the internet, watched the video about $1 razor blades (an instant classic) from dollar shave club. And it got me thinking, and consequently researching the best way to save money and be frugal within the realm of shaving. Let me break this down into topics for some easy-digestible-toilet-reading learning.
The Price You Pay
I’ll take the guy perspective for most of this article, but it all applies to women’s razors too, the only difference will be the price and brand names.
I would say that the single most popular razor at the moment would still be the Mach 3 from Gillette (even my girlfriend uses one), costing roughly $19.99 for 5 blades. Or around $4 for each cartridge. And if you follow the manufacturers guidelines of replacing blades every week your left with an estimated yearly bill of $208, which – let’s face it – is enough to make a man start contemplating letting his face go a bit like this:
~ He may have a more expensive razor blade bills than most
But unfortunately for our wallets , women (overall) prefer to kiss a shaved man. So “What are the other options?”, you may say. Well, I’m glad you asked (~ said a very smart narrator). Let’s deal with that now.
#1 Take Care of the Blades
Why did you follow the manufacturers recommendation of replacing the blades every week? (After all, they are selling the blades to make money right?) If you take good care of a razor blade, it can last for a good while longer than a week before you need to replace it. After researching and practicing what I preach, I now replace my blades once a month and I shave around 4 times a week (come on, who shaves on weekends anyway). So a bill can instantly go from $208/year all the way down to $52 in a heartbeat. Just by replacing the blades when they stop working (easy to tell, it hurts like hell when shaving as hairs are pulled, rather than cut).
How to take care of Razor Blades so they last longer:
Razor blades don’t actually dull from shaving your face as much as the wear and tear on the blade from the constant corrosion (oxidization) caused by the wetting and drying of the blade. To limit this corrosion, simply dry the blade thoroughly after use (don’t leave it in the shower or to air dry on the bathroom sink), blotting them (carefully) on a towel or even some toilet paper will do the job just fine in a few seconds. AskMen recommend dipping the blade in alcohol or putting it under a hand dryer (but I have yet been to a home that has a hand dryer, but it’s useful to know if you happen to stay in hotels often).
#2 Don’t Buy Brand Name Razor Blades
There are loads of non-brand named razor blades out there, like the aforementioned dollarshaveclub.com. Shopbot also has an awesome list of cheap razor blades too.
Another option is to buy a ‘cut-throat’ razor. With a sharpening kit. These beauties are a real ‘hero’s choice’.
#3 Use an Alternative to Shaving
~ Whimp!
Having never tried ANY of these I will simply list them and give some further resources if interested.
- Electronic Shaver ~ After the initial investment cost, the usage costs are relatively small
- Wax ~ how to (mostly for guy readers)
- Tweezers ~ A painful choice, and you would need 2 hours to do a complete job I think. But it will probably last a lot longer than shaving. Watch out, this process may make your personality a tad ‘hard’ after this light torture every week.
- Threading ~ Ancient hair removal technique. Two pieces of cotton are used to literally pluck the hair from the root.
- Sugaring ~ These guys say it better than I could
- Hair Removal cream ~ A 101 guide
- Hair Bleaching cream ~ Just don’t do this
- Laser Hair Removal / Electrolysis ~ Everything you need to know
#4 Coupon Stack or Bargain Hunt to Get Cheaper Blades
It’s been a while since I actually last handed over real money for a razor blade. “Why?” I hear you ask. Well, because I take advantage of every brand sample offer that comes around, and they usually offer a fair decent number of blades on each occasion.
Erin uses printable coupons to get discounted razor blades and usually stacks the coupons by waiting for the item to be on sale and even stockpiles them when the deal is awesome.