Sustainable Hair Removal?

[Leta]

I have come to realize in the past month that razor refill cartridges are the single most expensive thing that we buy and rebuy. They are really gross environmentally, too, no part of them is recyclable and they are atrociously overpackaged.

DH has to shave for work, and he's a hairy !@#$%^&*!@. I shave less often, but cover more ground, and no, I can't give it up. I tried once for about six months and drove myself totally bonkers with itchiness.

So I have decided to take up threading for my eyebrows (I've never been able to pluck, the hairs are too fine to grab), and I'm going to attempt sugar waxing.

However, I will still need a razor for my underarms at least, and DH for his face, so I have been thinking about buying a safety razor, since the blades, even really nice ones, are 10c-50c each, which is a long sight better than $2.50 per cartridge.

I also am trying to order online as much as possible while still being cost effective. Having things shipped to my door saves gas and time and is good practice for the future if we move someplace out of the way.

YouTube videos abound for safety razor how tos for men, but there isn't anything out there for women. I'd really like some feedback if anyone has done this, or has any other ideas.

Thanks.

 

[Neko-chan]

-Learn to use an old fashioned cut throat straight razor (and how to keep the blade in good shape as well)

...

Sorry, that's all I came up with. Waxing= suckage. Not worth the pain IMO. You can try buying a razor with more blades. I find they dull less easily. I've had mine on the same cartridge for two years, and it still cuts cleanly. I think it's got five blades or something. Made by Venus. Same with guys. Gillette I think has a five bladed razor for men. You can splurge and buy a few refill packs, and they should last you a while. Dunno about your hubby's shaving reqs, but mine shaves maybe once a week (course, he's a warehouse storeman, and looks aren't really important.)

Me? I shave my underarms. Maybe once a week, maybe once every two weeks. I gave up shaving my legs, a while back, because it takes too long to do it in the shower, and I'm not really a bath person. Course, I'm relaxed, and tend to be more practical/down to earth/less affected by societal norms than most, and I just don't find shaving to be a key and important thing in my life. Occassionally I'll pluck my eyebrows (it's really not that bad), if I'm going somewhere formal, but those I leave alone for the most part too.

 

[abifae]

I have been thinking the same thing. If i were rich i would get laser and be done with it.

 

[Neko-chan]

I have been thinking the same thing. If i were rich i would get laser and be done with it.

Laser is not really as good as people think it is. I have a friend who got the hair lasered off his face. It took multiple trips, and he broke out every time, because they laser first the active follicles, then they wait a month or two for the inactive ones to activate and laser those too, etc. So it's not really cost effective even if you did have the money, because it's not a one time thing.

 

[abifae]

Yeh but when they were done i would never have to mess with it again. I'm horribly fuzzy

 

[moolie]

I just use the generic pink ones, and the one I'm using has been going for about a year.

That said, I have pretty fine hair so only shave my legs about once a week in bare leg season, and once a month during our 6-month winters.

Hubs has a safety razor, so I could try that some day I guess, but I've never felt the need. Even he only shaves every couple of days, he works in IT and has to dress fairly nice for work (dress pants, shirt and tie) but no one minds a little day-old shadow.

 

[Neko-chan]

So am I, but I don't have a problem with it.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Disposable razors last a really long time if the blade is kept dry between uses.
I can shave my legs with one a couple dozen times before its too dull.
We also buy the Gillette mens kind, as we have found them to last the longest and work the best over all.

You can get toothbrush holders for the shower that you can hang the razors in to keep them out of water.

 

[Wannabefree]

I go about 6 months per cartridge, and use coupons to get them near free. I can't not shave. I have no clue what's in my genetics, but my hair grows FAST! I have to shave every day to keep it off :/ Waxing is awful, been there done that..I want to try the straight razors too, but haven't gotten around to it. I also wonder how that would work with all the curves and really sensitive areas. I'd probably bleed to death Maybe that is why I haven't "gotten around to it" yet

 

[Leta]

DH is a former professional butcher with a large stable of knives that he keeps ninja sharp, but when I suggested a straight razor to him, knowing that he could keep it in good shape, he gave me the side eye and said, "Do you actually even like me at all? Did you secretly up my life insurance?" I laughed and told him that he'd seen the Color Purple too many times, but he was unswayed. "It's not like you could shave your legs with a straight razor," he pointed out, and that's true. On the other hand, he's pretty enthusiastic about trying a safety razor, and I think that I probably could use a safety razor on my legs.

Also, 15 minutes of Googling led me to realize that a straight razor is hella expensive- hundreds of dollars, plus the strop. On the other hand, a safety razor can be had for $10-$30, perhaps less if I comb through some local antique stores. There actually was a safety razor in the medicine cabinet when we moved into this house, but when we did our half @$$ed bathroom renovations, it got to somewhere and I don't know where. It may have ended up in the thrift store box, and if that's the case, this marks the first time I have ever purged something and lived to regret it.

And about sugaring- I call it sugar waxing because when someone says "sugaring", I pull out the brace and bit and get ready to tap a maple tree, and a lot of other people are completely unfamiliar with the concept of sugaring as hair removal. Waxing is a fate worse the death, I would never wear a swimsuit in public again before I ever again let hot wax near my nether regions. Yeesh. If waxing is a 10 on a pain scale, sugaring is a 3. And it's *very* cheap- you make a very thick invert sugar syrup, 2 c. sugar, 1/4 c. water, 1/4 c. lemon juice or vinegar. It's just like making candy to the "soft" stage. You also need to have some strips of muslin around, but that's a one time purchase. I have had someone else sugar me before, but have not yet attempted it on myself.

We have Venus, Mach 3, and Fusion handles all kicking around- they were all free, I think that all of them were mailed to us by the manufacturers on our birthdays. They're like drug pushers, I swear, giving you the first taste to keep you coming back for more.

So we have nice multi bladed razors, and both of us take good care of them- I actually taught DH how to take care of a razor when we first met. Rinse *very* well under hot water, dry thoroughly, sometimes this requires a QTip, and then apply a thin coating of balm (lip balm works fine, as does Crisco, and I'm sure hair conditioner or vaseline would do it, too). They really do last longer this way.

But they are still the single most expensive consumable thing we buy, both in terms of up front cost and per unit cost. We are paying more for gas now than we are paying for our mortgage, so driving around to match sales with coupons to yield razor savings is irrational. At the Family Dollar (walking distance, but we aren't going to live here forever), I can and do apply coupons to decent quality, multi-bladed Bic disposables and get them for 62c per handle. DH really hates using these as his main razor, though, and I have gotten them in the past just to keep in our always-ready travel toiletry bag.

Wow, this was a complete brain dump... who knew I could think this much about razors?