Quick way to save $150+ a year 3/1/2014

This is a Post from the man of my dreams about some changes to his daily routine:  Two years ago frustration mounted at the cost of replacing razor cartridges and shaving cream.   I started looking for alternatives to cut costs — after all several blade cartridges a week add up to big bucks and those cans of foamy soap don’t last long.  First came the extreme, something only attempted a time or two before — straight razors.  I went to a barber that would shave the back of my neck with a straight razor after a hair cut and it felt good.  Would it be the same on my face?

Shaving Set

I started doing research and scoured eBay and antique stores for suitable straight razors.  I bought a few and it was more intimidating than I had imagined.

Straight Razor

Taking a step back, I bought a safety razor.  This option was more manageable, but I still could not get the hang of it.  So I went back to the cartridge type razors and tried to figure out how to make them last longer.  After a brainstorming with my dad, we decided to try “stropping” the cartridge, like you do with a straight razor and a big leather strap also known as a strop.  This added life to my cartridges!

Safety Razor

After a while, I wondered if using the back of my arm would work as well as a leather strop, so I tried it.  It worked, my razors went from lasting just over a week to lasting several months! Shocker!

Do you want to double or triple the life of your razor blades? It is so simple:

Start with the razor positioned like this

Then start to push in the opposite direction you normally would

If done right, there should be direction to your arm hair. Can you see how the hair changed direction under the razor? Your razor is burr free.

Here is a little video showing the technique:
MVI_8036

Isn’t that simple? My razors last so much longer now. I would love to hear how this little tip works for you.

The next area to solve was shaving cream.  At $2 to $4 per can, it was getting pricey.  So I went old school and bought a shaving brush and cup.

Shaving brush and Cup

My wife bought a shaving bar at Hairfreeclub.com to see how I liked it, I was surprised at how it lathered and what a difference it made in shaving.  The best part was  a year later it was finally too small to use, and I had to get another — not to bad for a $3 bar of soap.

How much did I save?

Those cans cost us about $3 a can and 10 or 12 cans a year  is $3o to $36.
The cartridges  are between $3 and $4 each (depending on if my wife could  find a sale and coupon together).
This year, I used 40 less cartridges and 10 to 12 less cans of shaving cream.  $120 to $160 savings on cartridges alone!  These two small changes in my shaving routine  have easily saved us  at  least $150 this past year.