Of late, safety razors have come back into popularity again and rightly so, because they’re an extremely efficient and high-quality tool that can make shaving much easier for everyone.
The safety razor design, which consists of a double-edged, single blade that has a protective cover, was perfected in the early 1900s by King Gilette. Back then, for a clean and close shave, going to the barbers was the only option since shaving instruments required a lot of skills to use. However, safety razors gave people a safer, easier to use yet efficient instrument, that allowed them to shave at home.
Eventually, cartridge razors came into the market, which was cheaper and required even lesser expertise and safety razors lost relevance. However, people have begun to make the shift towards safety razors once again.
In this article, we’re telling you why you should shift to safety razors as well, the types of safety razors out there, and how you can use them.
Table of Contents
Why Should You Make The Shift To Safety Razors?
- Safety razors make for a much closer and irritation-free shave. Their sharp-edged, open design allows you to slice the hair straight off from the top, unlike cartridge razors that pull out the hair from below the follicles. This can not only make for a really painful shave, but hair growth can also be more irritating. On top of that, due to the way the blades are embedded in a cartridge, razor, hair residue, lather, etc. can collect in-between them, which leads to further irritation and increases the chances of infection. But this is never a problem with safety razors, which have only one blade.
- Buying a safety razor can also help you save up as well. While safety razors tend to be slightly more expensive than the normal, disposable razor, they will last you a long time. If kept away from moisture and stored in a dry, cool place, you can easily use your safety razor for a year. If the razor is one like the Merkur 34C, which is highly durable and chrome plated, it can last even longer. The only replaceable item is the blade inside, which is very cheap and hardly costs anything. However, both cartridge razors and blades need frequent replacing, once every couple of months. This period can be even shorter, depending on how often you shave.
- Safety razors are also much safer for the environment compared to lousy disposable cartridge razors that flood the market. Safety razors are entirely made of recyclable, biodegradable metals like steel, which can be easily used to make other products once they’ve served their purpose. Even the blades that need to be changed over time are recyclable. However, cartridge razors are largely made of plastic and over two billion such razors make their way to landfills every year, consequently becoming one of the leading reasons behind land and water pollution.
What Are The Types of Shaving Razors?
Safety razors come in various styles and if you want to have a razor that suits you best, then it’s crucial to know the several types of safety razors that are available.
One-Piece or Butterfly Razors
Butterfly safety razors, which are also referred to as one-piece razors, come in exactly that – one-piece. They have no removable parts. In order to open the top, you have to twist the handle, and when it opens, the tool tends to resemble a butterfly. Hence, the unique name. Once you have opened the head, you need to insert the blade that you’ll use, and turn the top in the opposite direction to shut it close. Such razors are really convenient, as you don’t have to worry about piecing it together or the parts falling and getting damaged. They are great to carry if you are traveling, and if you make sure to take proper care of them, then they will last a long time. One-piece razors are also easy and efficient to use and tend to be safer as well since they have fewer parts to fiddle with.
Two-Piece Razors
Unlike one-piece razors, which can open only at the end, two-piece razors can be unscrewed on both the head and the handle. To insert the blade, you need to first remove the top by unscrewing it from the base of the handle. Once you have put the blade inside, you can attach the top to the base of the handle again. These razors are also really easy to use and hardly require any guesswork or fiddling around. However, they can be harder to clean and there is a greater chance that shaving residue and gunk will remain trapped between the parts. It is also important to be gentle when detaching and reattaching the parts, as there is the possibility of damage if you over-tighten.
Three-Piece Razors
There are also three-piece razors, which as you may have already guessed, have three main parts. The top and base parts of the head can be detached as well as the handle. Here, you have to unscrew the top as well as the base of the head, and then insert the blade in the middle. Once that is that you need to screw the handle back in place. Three-piece razors are really easy to clean, and like the others, if you keep them clean, dry, and away from moisture or direct sunlight, they will last you a long time. However, the risk factor with such razors is slightly more as you have to handle the blade more to place it into the device.
Things To Remember Before Buying A Safety Razor
Now that you know what a safety razor is, and what the various types are, you can head out and buy one for yourself. However, before you do so, here are some helpful tips that you can keep in mind.
- Before you place an order, make sure that you determine a budget for yourself. Like every other product in the market, safety razors are also available in a range of prices, which differ according to their features. There are affordable ones as well as expensive, luxury ones and each of them come with their own set of pros and cons. Evaluating how much you can spend will make it easier for you to shop. If you’re worried that it’ll be too high-priced, don’t worry, as most brands offer great products at affordable prices. A great example is Merkur, which offers highly durable models at great prices. As we said earlier, you can find Merkur 34C at a great price at New England Shaving Company.
- Another important thing to keep in mind is that you need to buy high-quality razor blades. You need to insert blades into a safety razor before you can use it, and they need to be durable, sharp, and high-quality if you want a good shave. While you will find them for cheap, it is best to buy higher-priced ones, as they have better quality. But given that blades are cheap anyway, even those that are expensive won’t be a stress on your pocket.
Finally, once you have bought your razor, take your time getting used to it. Using a safety razor, if you have used cartridge razors your entire life, can be a big change and it will take time for you to get used to the weight and feel of it. Don’t try to hurry or force it, as you may end up injuring yourself.
