I swapped to Harry's a few years back as they're one of the few vegan brands. But this shit is frustrating. Those little rubber side pieces are load bearing and made thin enough that they're gonna break after a while.
I literally can't remember the leftist word for a product that's designed to break after some time.
No shame directed at the bearded comrades, but damn shaving helps get a tight seal with N95s.
I literally can't remember the leftist word for a product that's designed to break after some time.
it's designed obsolescence
Planned obsolescence is more common in my experience
oh i've heard both, i probably just thought of designed because i saw the word designed lmao
Damn what age does to a person
that's what god was doing when he made us age and die so we'd feel compelled to reproduce
I recommend all hairy comrades buy an actual double edged safety razor and some razor blades. There's a bit of a learning curve and an upfront cost, but you will get a better shave, for much cheaper, without a ton of disposable plastic waste.
I bought a razor and a decent brush over ten years ago and the only shaving supplies I buy now are the blades which are definitely vegan and cost almost nothing
I can also recommend not getting a cutthroat razor. Should have gone safety a long time ago.
Cutthroat straight razor pros:
Vegan (unless you're a weirdo who wants ivory handle or leather grips or something)
Environmentally friendly (very little if any plastic, no need for replacement razors)
Cheap in the long run (probably decades) due to not requiring replacement blades
Cutthroat straight razor cons:
Upfront cost
Maintenance (manual sharpening requires a whetstone, which you may not already have. As a cook I owned one for work anyway)
Danger (I did lose a fair amount of blood because I sneezed while shaving drunk before a shift, took ages to stop bleeding due to thin blood. Didn't scar because it was very sharp though)
Time (sharpening takes time, stropping takes time esp if you're using an old faux leather jacket as a strop)
Don't do this unless you inherit an old straight razor and are dextrous enough to not cut yourself regularly.
Yeah, I looked into straight razors when I first started wet shaving and my conclusion is that it's more of a hobby than a practical way of shaving. It's easy to see why people immediately switched to safety razors as soon as they were invented. Also, as you imply above, most of the ones you can buy today are mass produced trash
My razor is all metal, lasts forever (over ten years at this point), and razor blades cost practically nothing. Straight edge razors are cool though and will give you a a really good shave if you have a quality blade and are skilled with them
Why anyone doesn't just use a double edge safety razor is beyond me. You're just throwing money away.
Have you tried switching to a single-blade safety razor?
I have actually. Maybe I'm doing it wrong or I got a bad brand, but I couldn't get a close shave.
It might be that you have the wrong blade. You can buy sampler packs of different brands to see which works best. Also, I find it works best to screw and unscrew it a couple times to get the blade seated in the right place.
OK, I'll try that. Thank you.
Completely agree with the sampler pack. Different blades work best on different hair types.
I spend maybe $10 every 1-2 years on razor blades. It’s much cheaper and less wasteful of plastic.
I will warn you that I only get about 10 uses out of a blade, but they're like 5 cents each. And despite the name, it's very easy to slice yourself with a safety razor.
It’s “safe” in comparison to a straight razor lmao
I use a single blade safety razor, I get a really close shave by shaving with the grain, across the grain, and against the grain with plenty of soap each time
So just throwing this out as a possibility. Depending on the type of handle you buy, it's very possible to put the blade housing together incorrectly when you load a blade in. I actually did that myself when I first switched and couldn't figure out why it wasn't shaving well. I looked up an online tutorial and immediately realized what I did wrong. Depending on your facial hair, you might have to take an extra pass or two with a safety razor. It is a bit slower of a process. I have to shave against the grain to get close no matter what type of razor I use.
But they were made in a german factory!
Anyway this is your sign to get a safety razor.
I am perpetually vindicated in keeping a beard and using a straight razor to trim its edges.
Seconding this. Much cheaper (the blades are dirt cheap and last well) and I used to get a closer shave too with less irritation. I have a beard these days, so I’m not shaving, but before for work I needed to shave daily for n99/ffp3 masks and the irritation (or lack of) mattered for my sensitive skin.
Buy a decent handle like an Edwin Jagger or a Merkur and it will be good for your lifetime and probably your grandkids life too, then buy a pack of decent DE safety razor blades, like Feather or something, and you’re good to go. No plastic waste from all the heads or handles. No bullshit marketing. No subscritions. No chemical lubricants that may or may not work (or contain animals). Just recyclable metal.
Vegan razors? Why would a razor not be vegan?
The shaving cream stuff sometimes isn't
What the fuck. It never even occurred to me that razors could be not vegan. Looks like I'm switching brands.
Ya I literally had the same reaction when somebody told me.
It feels like veganism comes in stages. Like one day I learn that zoos are bad. Then leather. Then honey. Oh and then a friend tells me that my soap isn't vegan 😤
I have a Harry's razor for traveling and from my experience the blades are dull well before 40 uses.
I'm weird and will use razors when dull. They still work. But no shame if you don't like dull razors.
Sounds painful but you do you
Honestly it isn't. But I have mates that swear they need to change blades every few days. Who am I to tell them that they're lived experience is wrong?
Do you never get razor burn? Little bumps or rashes of itchy red skin?
No, for some reason. But I know people who do.
Lucky
Why would a razor not be vegan? It's metal
The lubricants often come from leftovers from pig and cattle carcasses. Major brands will use that because it's nearly free. I think it's related to gelatin but I'm too lazy to look it up.
glad I switched to clippers years ago
Lanolin in the little lubricant strips.
My sensitive face is screaming from the thought of using a razor to shave... I tried even straight razor, but notjing gets the job done without a week of suffering afterwards... What am I doing wrong comrades :(
Milder razor, smoother blades, better shaving technique, shaving only with the grain, better cream, better lathering technique, proper skin preparation and care, etc.
There’s tons of stuff you can do to keep irritations to a minimum but it takes time and practice to figure out what routine your skin really needs.
Hot water was the solution for me. Only shaving after a hot shower and using hot water to warm up my blade
If you go to a barber and they put a hot towel on your face and use a soothing shaving gel (as opposed to shaving foam) and a mostoisturizing aftershave, it can apparently make a huge difference, but that's not an economically sound solution.
You can recreate some of this at home but it's also not practical to have a hot steamed towel esp if you're running late.
Some people have a bad reaction to shaving in general. If I recall correctly, black people have a stronger predisposition to having that issue, but I have no idea the mechanism behind it. I assume it's something with the hair being different since head hair is often texturally different from what white people have. I'm not familiar with it happening in other ethnic groups, but I don't know much about it, so it's possible.
For anything shaving related, The Gentleman's Gazette has the best and most straightforward series I've seen on Youtube, so I hope their videos can help you.
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yeah that damned ageing