Are Safety Razors Good?

Are safety razors good? Well, we love them!

Here, we’ll be breaking down, without bias, the pros and cons of safety razors.

What Actually are Safety Razors?

Safety razors are not really a modern invention, they’ve actually been around since the early 1900s and were invented by King Gilette, an American businessman.

Safety razors were the vogue shaving accessory for the best part of a century. They replaced cut-throat razors, which are notoriously hard to use, not to mention potentially dangerous!

The purpose of a safety razor is to house a standard razor blade in an ergonomic handle that is easy to manoeuvre. This keeps the blade fixed in an excellent position for cutting hairs at the surface of the skin whilst making minimal contact with the skin itself.

Safety Razors vs Modern Razors

Most modern razors come in two forms:

1. Disposable razors
2. Cartridge razors

Disposable razors are just that – razors that you discard after use.

Cartridge razors instead feature a reusable handle that you simply load razor cartridges into. Of course, we do also have different types of electric razors but it is generally considered that manual shaving is better in 90% of cases.

The main feature of modern razors is that they feature many blades. Some even have 6 or more blades! Whilst brands boast that these extra blades enhance the shaving experience, all these extra blades mean is greater contact and friction between the razor and the face. Excessive blades mean excessive contact between the razor and your face. That just leads to more irritation and redness.

In reality, you just don’t need this many blades to cut tiny hairs.

Why You Only Need One Blade

One blade is easily as good as more than one. Razors are super-sharp – they’re designed to cut much thicker things than hair.

Safety razors use just one blade.

This results in less contact and abrasion between the razor and the skin. It can dramatically reduce the chances of redness, ingrown hairs and irritation.

An Authentic Wet-Shaving Experience

Safety razors provide an authentic wet shaving experience that is somewhat similar to a cut-throat razor, without the cut-throat!

Wet shaving requires the use of shaving products, e.g. shaving soap and creams. It’s the traditional way to shave and it has a certain ritualistic quality. People love it simply because of this. The link between the safety razor and the skin is more personal – you have greater control to craft and shape your facial hair.

It is true that safety razors require a bit of practice, but it really isn’t that difficult. After all, we’ve only been using modern razors for the last 20 to 30 or so years.

Getting the Most out of Your Safety Razor

Safety razors are best when combined with good quality shaving soap or creams as well as a shaving brush. This will help you greatly in whipping up a great lather whilst prepping the skin for shaving.

Once you’re armed with an awesome safety razor and all the right tools and ingredients for the job, you’re well on your way to a mindblowing authentic wet-shaving experience!