Disposable to Deluxe: Why Safety Razors are the way to go

I came across the safety razor 5 years ago when I tried implementing Zero Waste swaps in various parts of my life. It's been 5 years on and I can honestly say it was one of my most sustainable and favourite zero waste swaps.

What is a safety razor...

Before disposable razors existed, most people used a safety razor. It's usually made of some form or metal and therefore lasts longer than their disposable counterparts. The blades can be swapped out once they are dulled, but since the blades are made of metal as well, they can be recycled. Safety razors require a little maintenance in the sense that you need to dissemble, clean and reassemble them after use, however I would argue the benefits outweigh any inconvenience.

How does it work...

Once it has been assembled, you can choose to either use shaving cream, soap or nothing at all. You simply place it on your skin at an angle and move it upwards. I find it more comfortable to go up and down in a jagged motion to get all the little hairs, but it does a decent job and works on any part of the body. I would say that in my opinion this does provide a closer and cleaner shave.

Cost analysis

I bought mine in 2018 for about 30 euros. It's been 5 years and I still havent finished using the pack of replacement blades. So in total it's cost me about 6 euros per year. It is a bit of an investment up front, but since I never have to worry about 'running out' since it's always available, not to mention the less plastic I'm buying and throwing away, this really is a no brainer.

My safety razor is from Bareaya (https://en.bareaya.com/) which at the time was a relatively small brand but has now expanded and ships across multiple regions.

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