Whether you shave with the double edge razor blade in your safety razor or the modern high-tech multi-blade blades from Gillette , Wilkinson or Raz*War, at some point they become blunt. After days or weeks of faithful shaving service, you throw the razor in the trash. But when should you stop using the blade?
Why do razor blades become dull?
The edge of each knife is super sharp, wafer-thin and therefore vulnerable. Every shave is an attack on the blade. The blade must split cracking beard stubble. In addition, a lot of dirt, soap residue and limescale sticks to the wafer-thin metal. This makes it blunter and blunter after each shave. When the blade is no longer sharp depends on the following factors:
- the quality or hardness of the metal alloy and coatings;
- how often the blade is used;
- the degree of hardness of the water;
- the degree of hardness of the beard hairs;
- whether or not shaving foam or shaving soap is used.
In the case of the multi-blade razor blades, you see that a lot of junk gets stuck between the blades. It is becoming increasingly difficult to clean this.
When should you stop using the razor?
In the beginning, the blade effortlessly cuts the beard hair in half. Scraping lightly, it glides smoothly over the skin. Provided you have properly protected your skin with shaving foam, you will not feel anything at all. You also only need to shave over the same area of skin a few times for a smooth shave. How often you have to shave back and forth depends of course on the type of beard. The blade comfortably shaves your skin smoothly.
What we often see with our customers is that they continue to use the same blade too often. Especially in the case of the expensive Gillette cartridge blades, people continue to shave for too long against their better judgment. At some point, shaving becomes a daily morning torture. Not nice and unnecessary. After a few shaves you will feel that the blade does not cut but starts to pull more on the beard hairs. This does not feel pleasant around the sideburns and neck area. You also need to shave back and forth more often and push more for a close shave. There is also an increased risk of razor burns and razor burns, such as a burning sensation and red spots.
But when should you stop? According to Gillette, you can shave for a month with the same blade. Unfortunately, it is not stated how often. Our experience is that you can use a multi-blade knife an average of 8 times. After that, shaving becomes less and less pleasant. We regularly speak to customers who say that they throw away the Gillette or Wilkinson blade after just 3 shaves. There are also men who indicate that they can easily shave an entire month with one blade. Depending on the quality of the double edge razor blades, you can shave 2 to 7 times. The most affordable blades last 2 shaves. The expensive and better quality blades only become blunt after 7 shaves.
A long time ago I kept track of how often you could shave with a double edge blade. The list below of the different brands is of course my personal experience:
- Timor: 3
- Dovo Merkur: 5
- Mühle: 5
- Personna: 6
- Feather: 8
What should you do to keep shaving with a razor blade for as long as possible?
The question is of course how can you keep a pleasant and smooth shave for as long as possible with one blade? Below are some tips:
- only use sharp blades;
- shower first and then shave;
- use a pre-shave before shaving;
- Before shaving, thoroughly wet your face with lukewarm water;
- Apply a good shaving soap or shaving cream to the skin with warm water and a shaving brush for at least 1 minute and foam it up;
- rinse the razor thoroughly during use;
- After use, rinse the blade thoroughly and rub it dry on a towel;
- hang the razor in a holder;
- Protect the blade with a plastic protective cap.
With the help of the Razorpit (a Danish invention by smart commercial guys) you can maintain the sharpness of the multi-blade cartridge blade for longer. After each shave, rub the blade over the rubber of the Razorpit. This will clean the edge and keep the blade sharp for longer. You can compare it to polishing the straight razor over the leather of the ironing belt.
You can also rub the blade back and forth on your palm a few times after use. Be careful not to rub it off. Otherwise the sharp blade will 'bite' into your skin.
Shaving tip
How do you keep track of how many times you have shaved with 1 blade? Use a regular dice (I did not come up with this trick myself, but it comes from a very valued customer of ours) to keep track of how often you have used the blade. For example, after #3 or #6, change the blade. Or use a fixed day for changing the blade, for example Monday or the 1st of the month.
