Switching to a Stainless Steel Safety Razor + Razor Use and Aftercare

Your Guide to Switching to a Stainless Steel Safety Razor: We are so excited to introduce the Albatross safety Razors to the natural Things Online offering. Razors are one of the easiest and most obvious ways to reduce waste in your household and these are designed to last a lifetime if you look after them well.

Shop our range of safety razors and blades online here >

Why are Reusable Safety Razors so Great?

zero waste

Our metal safety razors are 100% plastic free. They each have a genuine brass frame and are plated in chrome.

The replaceable razor blades can be recycled too! So every part of the razor is truly zero waste.

The chrome plating means it will last well and is resistant to rust and corrosion but it does need to be looked after and serviced well to keep it in the best condition possible.

save money

A good quality stainless steel razor is truly a  one-purchase-lifetime-product so you can save hundreds of dollars a year and reduce your bathroom waste significantly! Win Win!

Have a think about the current cost of your disposable razors? This one time purchase razor pays for itself in two months and replaceable blades are cheap too – that’s the great thing about reusable, zero-waste products.

they’re better for your body

The lubricating strip , a common feature of your regular disposable razor is generally made from a substance called polyethylene oxide.

Although manufactures claim these are non toxic there are a few warnings that make us believe otherwise!

Polyethylene oxide Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) carries several warnings:

1. After contact with skin, wash immediately with plenty of water.
2. Not for use in Food, Drugs or Cosmetics.
3. May cause skin irritation.
4. May be harmful if absorbed through the skin.

We recommend lubricating with a natural soap or oil instead.

Additionally, the single blade reduces inflammation and reduces the occurrence of ingrown hairs as its causes less drag and irritation.

Take time and care to practice using your new safety razor, the feel and shave is worth it in the long run!

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How to Use Your Safety Razor

While everyone’s shaving needs are different, here’s a set of steps to get you started.

how to prepare for your first shave

Twist the bottom of the shaver handle to open the wings of the blade holder.  Simply place a blade (be careful it's sharp!) on the platform and twist the bottom in the opposite direction to tighten the blade holder wings over the blade. You're all set to go!

To load blade in a 3-piece style handle:   Unscrew the handle from the two blade holding plates.  Place blade between the blade holding plates and screw in handle.  You're ready to shave!

how to shave with a safety razor

The best time to shave is during a hot shower but if you prefer not to uou can warm up your skin with a moistened warm towel instead.

Lather up your skin with your favourite natural soap or try something like our Eco Tan shower gel full of natural ingredients that will help keep your skin nourished,

Warm up the blade under warm water.

There are a few tricks to start with that will make all the difference, practice these and you’ll be away laughing.

Be gentle! Use only a little pressure these blades are effective and sharp, let the blade cut the hairs not the pressure of “dragging” if you need to hold at the end of the handle to stop you from pressing to harsh.

Angle the blade as far from your skin as possible. As you’re using a singular blade and the razor head doesn’t pivot or automatically contour to your skin, you need to do the contouring yourself. A trick for this is holding the razor parallel to the floor, putting the razor head onto your skin, and slowly tilting the head down until the blade starts cutting the hair. Then stop – you’ve found the right angle. People usually recommend holding the razor at a 30-degree angle, but everyone’s different, so we recommend finding your own angle too.

As always shave with the grain. Shaving against the grain can cause irritation and result in nasty in grown hairs. Go over the same area softly a few times if you need to if you skin is particularly sensitive.

Try t a few times and you will soon get the hang of it!

Don’t forget – rise and dry your razor and keep it out of the shower as the steam can cause it to erode more quickly.

Moisturise with your favourite natural cream or oil as usual.

Aftercare for your Razor

To get the most use out of your razor make sure you look after it!

Twist the handle and open the razor head. Gently take out the blade by the short, non-sharp sides, and rinse both the blade and the razor to remove suds and hair.

Completely dry the razor and blade, close it all back up, and store it in a dry place for next time. Although the chrome plating means little likelihood of corrosion from water, keeping something in a warm and wet place is never a good idea if you want to make it last.

If you want to clean it further, you can wipe the razor and blade with the rubbing alcohol and let it dry before popping it away.

the blades

Use your blade until it becomes dull or rusty, you’ll see this happening when it takes a few goes to get the hair off.

At this point, you can either store the blade for recycling or sharpen it for further use. Please ensure you recycle and dispose of the blades safely