Two years ago my quest for the most eco-friendly shave led me to the Straight Razor. I bought a reconditioned 70 year old razor to give it a try, and was soon convinced of its supremacy. Although they are sometimes called “cut-throats” by people who wish to denigrate their safety, there is no better way to shave.
My 70 year old reconditioned razor, with wooden soap box and shaving brush.
I wanted to share my findings and some of the useful information that helped get me started, but thought it best to wait until I was sure that I could actually use a straight razor day after day. It didn’t take me long to decide that my straight razor was here to stay, but shaving with it became such a normal everyday activity that it hardly seemed newsworthy.
But then, on a weight-restricted cycle adventure, I temporarily switched back to disposable razors.
It was terrible. The silly plastic handle felt all flimsy in my hand. The shave was sloppy. The pathetic little blades got all clogged up after every stroke. The plastic safety frame made it difficult to trim edges, and didn’t stop the razor from cutting me regularly. On top of all this, I had to throw it into landfill after just a few shaves. The experience convinced me that straight razors certainly are worth writing about.
