"We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world." - Howard Zinn
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| Shaving Setup |
Disposable razors used to be a very economical option. Buy a cheap razor, cheap blades, you're all set. Those same, not so great razors and blades which used to cost $1 a month have since morphed into a steep $8 to $25 a month recurring cost for a not so great shave that feels like you're hacking your skin off. There is another way with a much better shave!
Enter the Double Edge Safety Razor Blade (queue the heavenly, majestic music)
The razor has weight, feels solid, contains a sharp blade with two edges that lasts for a handful of shaves that actually cuts smoothly! When the blade inevitably starts getting dull after about five shaves, you simply pop the metal blade out and pop in a fresh one.
The handle is more expensive initially but theoretically should last for 20 or 30 years. The blades are very cheap, can easily be bought in bulk (50 or 100 at a time) and you'll be set for quite a few years. Even with having to front more money up front than a disposable setup, after a year you should be even.
Plus you're not having to have something constantly mailed to you and there's a whole lot less plastic involved; which cuts down on environmental impacts in the long run and since it's reusable instead of disposable there's less waste being put into the landfill too.
Conversely you do have to buy more up front, which results in more being shipped to you initially.
So which is truly better when all factors are considered?
Who knows.
All I know for sure is that the Double Edge Safety Razor offers a much better, more enjoyable, closer, spa-esque experience and once you get the hang of letting the weight of the razor do the shaving and that you're not accidentally going to slice your carotid artery, it's very relaxing and makes shaving... dare I say... FUN! No way!
Here's the setup I've been using for a while now that I thoroughly enjoy:
Here's a How to Video on How to Shave:
How to Shave Like Your Grandpa (with a name like that you've gotta watch it)
Written Instructions / Tips / Tricks:
-Let the weight of the handle do the shaving, your hand is just guiding.
-Do not press the handle / blade into your skin, just let it glide, the blades are extremely sharp, they will cut just fine without any pressure.
-Be sure to use lots of shaving soap, if you're going to shave an area again, put more shaving soap on the area first, otherwise you're going to burn your skin, the blades are extremely sharp.
It's common to get caught up in the minutia of if I order all of this at once, spend more money up front and have more shipped to me initially, is that really better than the disposable blades that weigh a lot less and go straight into the trash after a single shave?
Who knows, I'm not a scientist.
But I do know that it does save you money in the long run. Say you're spending $10 / month on disposable blades. That's $120 a year.
The setup above costs about $100. A single blade stays sharp for about 5 good shaves. 50 blades = 250 shaves. The soap lasts an incredibly long time. Which you'll still have to buy occasionally along with the balm. But you won't have a monthly cost going out anymore. Instead you'll have quality products and quality shaves with minimal recurring expenses that you'd have anyways along with less waste going in the trash, less plastic for manufacturing and less gas being used for shipping each month.
This also insulates you from the inevitable rising costs of any monthly subscription service while controlling which companies your money goes to.
With mega corporations being the ones who really need to make changes will one person making a small change like this make any sizable dent in the world? No, quite simply, no, but we don't have any control over that, we only have control over what we do, the choices we make, the companies we put our money into. Everything we see in our world is made up of atoms, your computer, everything. When you zoom in on those atoms there’s a bunch of blank space in-between all the atoms. Does any one, seemingly insignificant, individual atom matter when compared to the computer as a whole? Yes, yes it does. Because that individual atom is part of what makes the computer whole and what it does can affect the atoms around it and the computer as a whole. It may not seem like an individual atom matters, but it does. Your choices matter and while it would be far more ideal and more impactful for large corporations to change their ways, you don’t control that, but you can choose to make more sustainable choices, you can choose to direct your money to companies working towards a better future (vote with your dollars). Make no mistake, those choices do matter in the long run. Just as if every single person voted or voiced their opinion to their elected officials we could have a remarkably different political environment. If you want a more sustainable future then start with making one small change right now, not tomorrow, right now. Then the next day, make another, etc. Don't worry about what you don’t control.
It's not about being perfect, it's about taking small steps every day towards making your life easier, more enjoyable and trying to help keep the earth habitable in the long run.
People are a lot like corporations, most everyone likes the idea of being more environmentally friendly but the action only usually happens when it's mutually beneficial to the pocket book.
Save money, get a better shave, throw less in the trash and feel like an old person!
Note: There is no affiliation with any products mentioned here, they have simply been a game changer for me in a very positive way and have made shaving fun again!
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