I’ve used plastic razors since I started shaving as a young teen. I didn’t buy my own, instead opting to use one of my dad’s disposable razors that he bought in bulk on the regular. I suppose I did this initially due to depending on my parents to do the shopping for the house, and then just fell into the habit of buying the same types of razors when I moved on to being responsible for myself. This went on for years. More than I would like to admit. I would love to explain away my regular choice of plastic disposable razors as a symptom of my low paying retail job, or due to being a student, but whatever the reason, I certainly felt anything else was out of budget. But in truth, when I look back now, I certainly could have saved part of one of my measly pay checks and splashed out on one of those £20.00 razors, but I was too busy prioritising the pub. Not the smart choice, but it was the one I made.
I was completely ignorant to what would happen once I threw that slightly rusty plastic razor away. I knew about landfills, knew what they looked like and that they were problematic, I knew my rubbish would end up there. I chose not to think about it. I didn’t want to know or accept that I was contributing to these awful, destructive rubbish sites. The only thing, in retrospect, that made me feel less awful about the whole thing, was that I was so stingy as a young adult, that I would use each razor until I was almost at risk of tetanus! Regardless of how long I left a razor before throwing it, it ended up in the bin.
If we zoom out a bit and begin to realise that there are huge numbers of people, like me, making the same blind choice to buy a plastic disposable razor, the issue of ‘its only a few small pieces of plastic’ becomes a very daunting thing. Statista.com has produced research which shows how large the shaving industry is. In 2017, Great Britain alone saw the sale of 104.4 million shaving products, 60.7 million units of which were razors and razor blades. Now, if we assume (confidently) that at least 50% of these sold units were plastic disposable razors, or even if we assume that only 25% of these were disposable, we are looking at tens of millions of individual razors that are being consumed and likely discarded in England alone. If we consider what that might look like in larger countries, like the United States, those are some staggering theoretical numbers, and I’m certain that they pale in comparison to the actual data. It’s definitely food for thought.
At this point, I want to mention here that I do not have any other agenda than to encourage you to choose more sustainable products. I’m also not trying to push one particular product over any other. These are all just personal, honest opinions and I’m sharing them to hopefully help you make better, more informed decisions than I did.
When I realised I wanted to make a change, I was, like many people, swayed by the adverts I saw online and I found myself buying a razor from the company Harrys, who now have a sister company, Flamingo.
I will say that the Harry’s razor I had was great, initially. The handle was great quality, with a smooth silicon cover that allowed a great grip in the shower or bath. The razors heads themselves were also great. They had a moisturising strip at the top, sharp blades and, overall, it gave a great clean shave.
So, what was the problem? Why did I not stop looking and stay loyal to a razor from Harry’s, or even Flamingo?
At the end of the day I chose to move on from them for two main reasons:
- The replacement razor heads came in a hard plastic container. Not surprising, but there was no alternative use for these containers. Built specifically to carry three replacement heads, I still am unsure how to reuse it. So it would always have to go in the bin, especially after all the heads were done and dusted.
- I am, admittedly, clumsy. Despite the handle design, I would frequently drop the razor and the heads would pop off. More than once I lost a razor head to the darkness under my bathroom cabinets.
While these points aren’t limited to sustainability, they were important factors for me.
It took me a long time, with my final Harry’s razor head barely hanging on to any semblance of sharp or sanitary, to finally take some of what I perceived to be my valuable spare time, to research what else existed on the razor market, but this time with a new determination to go plastic free.
Now, the product market for plastic free razors seems quite large upon first glance at a google search. But, it actual fact, a lot of them follow a very similar design – full metal razor with razor blade pack or a chunkier bamboo handle with a razor blade pack. You can see this trend if you look at the following three companies side by side:
There’s no real problem with this. It’s a good design and it works.
But in the end I chose to take a chance with Shoreline shaving.
Their reusable safety razors are completely plastic free, as is their packaging. Shoreline has a collection of different razors and I (getting carried away) purchased two kits: the Storm Grey Bamboo Reusable Safety Razor Shaving Kit (£34.99), which included a chunkier razor handle, extra blades and a shaving soap, and the Matte Black Reusable Safety Razor Travel Set (£24.99) which contained a slimmer razor handle, a pack of blades and a drawstring hessian travel bag to keep it all together.
When I received these items in the post I was thrilled. The quality and feel of these razors felt substantial and durable. The shaving soap lathered well and smelled great. I do have to admit that I was quite nervous for my first shave with these blades. I’d read reviews that had mentioned getting nicked by the blades the first time and I am absolutely not a fan of the sight of blood. Nonetheless, I threw myself into the task and was pleasantly surprised. I came away with an excellently close shave and only a small scrape on my knee – pretty knobbly things that never escaped a shave unscathed.
So, are these plastic free safety razors any good then? Well, I certainly never plan to go back! These razors, beyond being practical and effective are very aesthetic to look at. I’m so much more content to leave my razors out on display when I have company over than I used to be, especially as they don’t rust as quickly – it makes me cringe thinking back to my teenage years and those nasty rusty blades I would use over and over! I also really appreciate the hefty weight of the housing and handle, but this is very personal and not everyone is able to handle heavier items, so do consider this if you’re looking around at options.
Not only are the razors great quality and easy to use (once you get over the intimidation of the blade itself) but one of the main reasons I’ve chosen them over the numerous other plastic free razor brands is their strong business motivation. Their love of the ocean, explored in their ‘About‘ section on the Shoreline Shaving website, explains their passions as well as their involvement in ocean protection charities, donating portions of their profit margin to charities that aim to keep our oceans clean of plastics and sewage.
Reusable, plastic free safety razors are no-where near as immediately cost effective as a multipack of plastic disposable razors. You can get a lot more for less if you look at the cost of a pack of BIC razors, for example, and there will be people from all over that are simply not in a position to spend a chunk of money like this in one go and that’s okay, especially given the current cost of living crisis and all of its implications. But there are mid-term solutions that a little digging can bring to light to help us all find a personal balance so that we can work towards living more sustainably, while also being able to live and eat. You might be interested to know that there are biodegradable and paper disposable razors on the market – something I had no idea about until writing this!
I really want to highlight that I am not any kind of expert. I have a limited experience and made a choice of brand based on my personal morals and passions. So have a look at what’s out there! Do some research and learn about the different brands, their missions and find a company that suits you and your budget. Maybe you’re only ready to make the mid-term move to a Harry’s or Flamingo razor, or maybe you’re ready and able to fully commit to something completely plastic and silicon free – whatever choice you make, be informed and choose sustainably.
The Glass Jar 