Sustainable Shaving

I distinctly remember wondering why razors were called “disposable” razors, because specifying “disposable” would imply that there was some sort of alternative–right? But there’s not–right?

There is. Safety razors, emphasis on the “safety” as opposed to traditional straight blade razors, are the alternative.

We recently bought Jeremy a vintage safety razor on e-bay–though you can actually buy contemporary models. But on e-bay they are cheaper–and the truth is–they were meant to last–so they are still around.

The only part of this razor that is disposable is the blade. But they are significantly less waste than the entire disposable razors, and it’s way cheaper to pay for replacement blades rather than replacement razors.

Jeremy’s is a travel razor that disassembles, so his handle is a bit shorter than other models you’ll find.

We also bought him a badger hair shaving brush. Sources say you can buy a couple-dollar shaving brush from the big box store, but the natural badger hair bristles will get you the best lather.

(My homemade shaving soap in a mug.)

All of this research of course comes from our internet sources, which we consulted to learn about how our grandpa shaved, and how do you use a shaving brush and safety razor anyway?

I was happy to see that my homemade shaving soap made a decent lather.

For our first trial run everything turned out pretty well. There is a learning curve for using a new type of razor. Jeremy did feel like his second shave was cleaner than his first, but he also did his second one straight from the shower–which is recommended.

I guess the next step is for me to give it a try. I’ll admit–I happily let Jeremy be the guinea pig on this experiment. But we’ve got a whole batch of cold-process shaving soap so I guess I’d better get myself a safety razor.

 

Home Soap Making

I don’t know why I keep making soap. I probably have over a years’ supply now. I’ve got one bar left from my original plain batch last summer, and plenty from my lavender and oatmeal beeswax batches.  But it’s just such a fascinating process. There’s different recipes and techniques to try and my brain is just always scheming about “next batch”.

 

Most recently I tried a recipe for shaving soap. I made some rounds, to go in a shaving mug or bowl, and some bars.

Some home-production projects take a lot of effort for only a little return. (For example–my skill-level of knitting.) But soap-making is a different story. I didn’t find the process to be too difficult to master. So easily in one venture I could spend an hour and my family would be set with soap for a whole year. And soap is soap. Many people use their homemade soap as shampoo, or grate it up and make homemade laundry and dish soap, and with a few special additives I have a soap perfect for replacing shaving cream.

So maybe that’s why I can’t stop.  In life we try a lot of things–creating five-year plans, housekeeping routines, parenting techniques, diet plans– and so few things actually turn out how we want them to.  Maybe that’s why I’m enjoying making soap–it’s predictable and turns out like I want it to.

Give it a try.  .  .  maybe it will turn out for you too.