This Simple Tip Will Make your Disposable Razors Last for Months
Not only are disposable razor blades expensive, their disposable nature makes them bad for the environment. Typically you get a few good shaves and then you either buy new razors or replacement cartridges that easily cost between $2.00 – $3.00 each. If you are lucky and not very hairy the more expensive cartridges might last for 8-12 shaves. The costs of disposable razors and replacement cartridges adds up very quickly and every time I toss one away, my heart bleeds a little bit for the environment.
When I found this super simple, but genius trick to make disposable razor blades last for months I admit to doing a little happy dance. This trick isn’t new, basically you treat your disposable razor like it isn’t disposable and clean and sharpen the blades after each use. I have been using this trick on my current cartridge for more than four months and my shave today was as good as the first day.
Sharpening disposable razor blades
Disposable razors don’t work well when the blades get dull and clogged up with hair. So you’ll want to sharpen and clean the blades after each use. To clean and sharpen your razor all you need is some water, your shaver and a pair of jeans. It doesn’t matter if you use old jeans or the pair you wear every day, I just don’t recommend that you wear the jeans while sharpening your razor. You can even use a piece of denim.
Place jeans on a smooth flat surface and pointing the razor away from you quickly run the the razor down the pant leg 10-15 times. Then move to a different part of the jeans and do it another 10-15 times. Always keep the top of the razor pointed away from you and push it firmly. In other words, don’t shave your jeans ;) Once you have finished sharpening and cleaning the blades, give the razor a good rinse with hot water, shake off the excess water and store the razor, blades up to dry completely.
This works because the denim removes hair, small particles of dirt and sharpens the blades. By keeping the blades clean and sharp you can keep using your razors without irritating your skin while still getting a close shave. As I mentioned above, you can do this for several months without problems. Eventually you’ll want to retire the razor if you can’t get the blades sharp or if the blades begin to rust.
History of sharpening razors
As cool as this trick is, it is far from new. Over the years with the popularity and convenience disposable cartridges it has been mostly forgotten. Before disposable razors people used straight razors to shave. Traditionally people sharpened their straight razors using razor strops made of leather or canvas, as the metal in disposable blades isn’t as hard as a straight razor denim works just fine:
Even today, razor strops are used to sharpen blades, knives and scissors. But many people find shaving with a straight razor intimidating which is partly why disposable razors have become so popular.
This old technique works with modern disposable razor blades, easily saves you $70-$100 a year and reduces our impact on the environment.
Have you tried this trick? How long do your blades last?
ONly shave immediately after shower when skin is most malleable and heated promotes a comfortable shaving experience for a very long time without changing the blade or doing any cleaning and/or sharpening. Am interested in trying this sharpening technique though – sounds interesting
I love this tips! I have also heard that putting a little oil on the blades helps him last longer also.
+ weekend set still in use since sept 2020
+ further test with two sets, so every second day, since Sept 2021
+ disposable blades used at 6 blade versions from Aldi Australia
+ blades are dry honed with 20+ strokes between shaves
+ both blades are cleaned monthly in ultrasound machine
+ shaving gel used also Aldi brand
+ shaving technique as per normal; with the hair grain, stretch skin taut with other hand
+ pre shaved skin washed with mild soap before each shave with cold water
+ hot water used for shaving
+ 50’s year old skin :)
I find that the most simple process of stropping is with your thumb nail in reverse of shaving direction. This process doesn’t sharpen. What this does is bend the sharp edges inward to stop the blade from grabbing my face. I’ll do this straight out of the box with my schick 5 blade razers from new. Being right handed, each stroke I strop down left to right about 5 or 6 times. Don’t slide side to side across the blade, as it will cut your nail and damage the blade. With shaving every day I will get approximately a month. The lube strip is usually mostly gone by then. My face has a medium to strong stubble as I can grow a thick beard. With this I’ll shave down wards particularly under the nose and side burn trimming , re-lather and shave upward in the shower, with the exhaust fan running. I’ll rinse the shaver out, as these rinse very well and shake out the water. So my shower remains dry and so does my razor along with no mould. My wife uses it from time to time as my razor stays good, outlasting hers. The handle is about 4yrs old.
I just tried a very fine sharpening stone on a single edge razor blade (not for shaving but for crafts). It didn’t sharpen at all, wouldn’t cut an edge of paper. I tried again, sharpening 30 strokes on each side, 1st with coarse stone then with fine. Still didn’t work; just as dull as ever.
I’m very good sharpening knives with these stones; they cut the edges of paper excellently.
Along similar lines, I have found that shaving in the shower so that the razor is always wet, makes a cheap razor last for months.
I’ve found I could use a twin blade disposable razor for a couple of months as long as I cleaned the blades of hair after each use and flicked it dry after washing. I use a needle to clean out the hair. Seems like the bits of hair act like a sponge and the blades get dull in a week otherwise.
I’ve been using the same disposable razor for over 2 years now, and I shave every day. I’ve never even sharpened it. I wonder if that will make it last even longer. Was just curious if anyone else has ever had one last like this one?
Similarly, using an old toothbrush to “push out” the hair stubble also helps to prolong blade life. With the blade always in one hand, keep the toothbrush in the other hand and whenever you rinse the blade with water, use the toothbrush to flick out hair (with the blade, not against or across it). You’ll even use less water since the toothbrush does most of the removal work
I don’t understand what do you mean strop
It’s explained here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razor_strop
Stroping does not ‘sharpen’ rather it strops, that is re-aligns the feathered edge of the blade. Note, one may also use ones own arm. I have been using the same twin blade Schick disposable for more than one year. I strop it 40 strokes along my forearm then shave. Still like new. I bought this pack of 10 more than ten yeares ago this is the last in this pack. Still, I have 4 more 10 packs left. And the packs were only $2.99 U.S.
Worked , I’m so happy. Blades for disposable are far more $ then even just buying entire set again. I mean razor is 13.99 new blades 20.00 for 3-5 new blades . How messed up is that ??? So thank you so very much for sharpening trick.
Glad we were able to help! Thanks for your nice feedback. :-)
Why do you think that’s messed up? Razorblade cartridges are probably just more complex and harder to produce than a stick of plastic.
For the past 24 months I have been ‘sharpening’ my disposable blades and on average have increased their life from advertised 11 days to 35 days at which juncture the shave becomes tuggy and shows a heavy stubble next morning. I was very pleased with myself till I read this post! I use a new blade till it feels blunt at about 15 shaves then commence stropping (eight strops) before each ongoing shave. After about 20 shaves the blade does not respond to stropping – so just over 1 months shaving per blade. This does not compare well with the 4 months+ mentioned in the article. The only difference I can see is the number of strops per shave, my 8 compared to your 20 to 30. Guess what I will be trying next! All I can add to this post is that I found that using supermarket own-brand shaving foam does not give as smooth a shave as a manufacturers shaving gel. Your post is much appreciated and more power to your elbow and good luck in the future .
what if you use a ultra fine sharpening stone or sandpaper after it has gone dull ? wouldn’t you maybe be able to sharpen it forever until there is no steel left ? that would be the ideal ;)