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?
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.
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!
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:
![IMG_8033[1]](http://www.smallbarnfarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_80331-300x225.jpg)
Start with the razor positioned like this
![IMG_8034[1]](http://www.smallbarnfarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_80341-300x225.jpg)
Then start to push in the opposite direction you normally would
![IMG_8035[1]](http://www.smallbarnfarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/IMG_80351-300x225.jpg)
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.
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.