Comparing Women's Razors
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Letās talk razors. I remember beggggging my mom to let me shave my legs. She was worried that I would cut myself, so I got this electric razor that was cute, but gave me horrible razor burn. BUT WHATEVER I GOT TO SHAVE MY LEGS WAHOO. After some painful years of that, I moved the the Venus razor and it was honestly great. Not here to bash Venus! I used it up until last year when I started testing razors!
I started testing razors last fall, because I wanted to see what else was out there. I realized that Iāve used the same razor body (NOT BLADE), since 2012. It feels gross to even say. Hah! Like it still had my momās hand writing on it from when she wrote mine and my sisterās initials on them so we could tell them apart in the shower. LOL. That being said, I know I didnāt change my razor blade enough. Kind of like I didnāt change my toothbrush enoughā¦ Razor blades are expensive and annoying, so can you blame me?
Anyway, I decided to dive deep into the world of shaving and not only test options for you, but get into the nitty gritty. Enjoy!! Keep scrolling for all of the details.
Billie Razor in Dreampop | Aerie One Piece (old, similar here and similar here)
BREAKDOWN OF DISPOSABLE RAZORS:
VENUS:
Price: $10 (razor + head, 2 refills)
Type of Blade: 3 blade or 5 blade
Blade Price: $10 4 count ($2.50 per head)
Parent company: Gillette, acquired by Procter & Gamble (P&G) in January 2005
Colors: Mint, green, pink, silver (note choosing silver adds $2)
Where to buy it: Subscription model is Direct to Consumer (DTC) via their own website, but of course you can buy from Walmart, Target, etc. There are so many different options in store price-wise, but they arenāt necessarily more expensive, they are just all over the map. You can find 1 razor with 4 heads for $20, while you can also find 1 razor with 2 heads for $8, and then 4 razors with 4 heads for $6.97. They have so many different colors, types, reasons to purchase, etc.
Thoughts: I wanted to include this in the list, because it is very nostalgic. I was using my Venus razor, singing the Venus Commercial song, and using my pink Skintimate shave cream. Anyone else?! It is cool that they launched a subscription, but I wish they were more ācleanā. They were a great razor for me, but they have so many perfumes and fragrances, so that is why I started looking elsewhere. EWG has some of their blades listed as a 4 and I try to use a 1 or 2.
Side note - I know people were either a Venus or Intuition girl (they had a great song/commercial too!.) Intuition razors rate a 3 and are owned by Schick, an Edgewell Personal Care brand. I didnāt include this one in the comparison, because I didnāt use it, though I had friends who did.
FLAMINGO RAZOR:
Price: $9 (razor + head, no refills)
Blade Price: $9 4 count ($2.25 per head), $16 8 count ($2.00 per head), $30 16 count ($1.88 per head). They do offer free shipping, but only on orders over $10, so be sure to grab some of these refills in addition to the razor, so you can qualify for $0 shipping.
Type of Blade: 5 blade, hydrating strip (though I didnāt think it worked/made it harder), made in Germany
Parent company: Harryās Inc. ( the parent brand to Harryās Shaving Company)
Colors: Taro / rose gold, desert rose / silver, mint / gold, pomelo / silver (this is the color I had)
Where to buy it: Direct to Consumer (DTC) via their own website, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, etc. Note that itās the cheapest from their website and more expensive at other retailers. Not sure what they retail it for in store, but online at Walmart it is actually $18.45 for the razor + head initial set and $9.99 at Target. Walmart probably marks it up so it doesnāt compete with its exclusive Joy line. Not sure what the margin on razors are but Target probably market it up a $1 to meet its gross margin goals. Not sure!
Thoughts: This was the first ānewā razor I purchased. I bought mine from Target, because I just happened to be there and Nick grabbed on of the mens Harryās Shaving Co razors. They merchandised them together and I thought why not? I need a new one. I didnāt really like it from the very first shave. I didnāt like the handle and I didnāt like the blades. I would use it if it was the only one to use, but I probably wouldnāt buy it again. Thereās nothing really wrong with it, just not my favorite. I do love that they give 1% of sales to Exhale to Inhale and Period. The Movement. I adore when companies give back!
JOY RAZOR:
Price: $8.97 (razor + head and 1 head refill)
Blade Price: $8.97 4 count ($2.25 per head) or $15.97 8 count ($2.00 per head)
Type of Blade: 5 blade with lubrastrip
Parent company: P&G under the Gillette brand
Colors: pink (this is the one I used), teal, yellow
Where to buy it: Walmart Exclusive
Thoughts: This was the second ānewā razor I purchased! My mom actually recommended it to me. It is the Gillette brand (which is the same as Venus), so it is a brand that a lot of people trust in the razor industry. I really liked it! I immediately liked the shave better than the flamingo. You can buy them in-store or online. You only need to spend $35 for free shipping, which should be easy since Walmart has everything. You can also do free in-store pickup.
BILLIE RAZOR:
Price: $9 (razor + head and 1 head refill, magnetic holder for shower)
Blade Price: $9 4 count ($2.25 per head - ships at 1, 2, or 3 month frequency, price and 4 pack stay the same)
Type of Blade: 5 blade with charcoal shave soap lubrastrip, nickel and rust free, made in the USA
Parent company: Acquired by P&G January 2020
Colors: Dreampop (this is the one I have), coral, blush, cool blue, periwinkle
Where to buy it: Direct to Consumer (DTC) via their own website
Thoughts: Billieās marketing is ON POINT. I think I first heard about them through a Facebook ad. They had me from their cute posts, but I was kind of skeptical until I tried them. I love that they are a subscription model - free shipping included! (You can cancel any time.) I mentioned this to my mom that they are a subscription model and she said āI donāt shave enough for a subscription!ā Thatās the beauty of it though - you can have 4 new heads delivered every 1, 2, or 3 months! Right now I have it set to every 2 months, but I may shift it out to every 3. I shave 2-3 times a week and they recommend to change the razor head every 7 shaves. Another thing I really like is that it comes with this magnet for your shower, so your razor is up and away, vs on a dish or corner. Billie was made for women specifically, so although the sharpness of the razors donāt differ from a āmanāsā razor, they did round the corners/edges of the blades, to help assist with shaving in curved spaces! This is something most men donāt do, so it isnāt something other razors do / need to do. I also LOVE that they created all of their products with the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in mind. I love to use them as a resource for clean beauty, so I really appreciated this. All of their products rate a 2 or lower, which is what I strive to use! I wish they had their razor rated, but they donāt. Iād love to know what is in the ācharcoal soapā lubrastrip. As far as how well the razor works, I found that the blades dulled quickly. It could be because their blades donāt have nickel, which is great for allergies, but is a key part in sharp bladesā¦ Now I for sure didnāt change the blade every 7 shaves, so thatās also my bad on the dullness of the razor. Old habits die hard! I will say that I think I saw less razor burn / ingrown hairs though, so that is a great benefit! Billie also donates 1% of their profits to charitable causes. They shift depending on what is occurring in the world, but now it goes to local food banks across America for people affected by Coronavirus / COVID-19.
UPDATE: I purchased the Billie shaving cream and am convinced that the razor works best with the Billie shaving cream vs others. I think that I can shave less again when I use their products, which is great! I really like the shaving cream, specifically the light grapefruit scent, but even morse so, because it rates a 1 on the EWG scale, which is great!
Side note - I havenāt tried Athena Club, but it is an option too. Their prices are very similar and they have a whole wellness line like period care and vitamins.
ManiMe manicure in āWonder Whiteā - use discount code ELLEMULENOS for $5 off
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Letās take a minute to note that 3/4 of these razors are owned by P&G, a conglomerate of beauty, grooming, health care, fabric / home care, and baby / feminine /family care products. That doesnāt matter per se - just wanted to point that out! Hereās some ending thoughts and categories.
Favorite shave: Joyā¦ probably because Billie is nickel free which is great for those with allergies, but nickel helps a blade be sharp and obtain a better shave. I felt like I had to shave more frequently with Billie, but that isnāt a make or break for me. I did not really enjoy shaving with Flamingo.
Favorite handle: Billie, hands down.
Lowest price: Honestly, they are all VERY similar. Billie doesnāt have the option to buy more blades in bulk which means you donāt get a discount for purchasing more, but they do offer free shipping regardless. We are literally talking pennies of difference here, so I donāt have a ābest priceā winner. I will say comparing to Dollar Shave Club (an OG in this space), all of them are bargains. They charge $20 for the initial razor body and a set of 4 blades and then $20 for every set of 4 blades moving forward. (They claim the razor body is āfreeā). Now their razors have 6 blades and are 100% stainless steel blades, which could contribute to why they are a little more expensive.
Best EWG rating: Okay so here is a section I have beef with. None of them are rated by EWG (besides Venus, which is a 4), which annoys me. You do have to submit your product to EWG to be rated, so I get why not everyone does it, but all of Billieās other products are rated (all 2 or below out of 10, which is great!), so why not? The whole reason I started looking into new razors is because there is so much mystery about them and the lubrastrips around the blades. Just like āparfumsā and other things in the beauty industry, you donāt have to list ingredients and so on, so you donāt really know. Ideally you want to find a razor that doesnāt have petrolatum, fragrance, PEGs, Sulfates, or BHT. When you shave you are literally opening up the follicle, which allows āthingsā to get inside easier, which can cause issues you may not even realize!
How often should you change your razor blade: The Board of Dermatology says every 5-7 shavesā¦Do I do that? No. (lol) And what does that even mean? Days I shave my armpits AND legs does that mean 1 shave? Or 2 shaves because it is 2 different areas? Or even 4 shaves, because it 4 separate spots? What constitutes a shave?! Apparently blades grow dull after 2 - 4 weeks, but that depends on how often you shave and how course your hair is. I think the main point is that we all probably donāt change our blades enough. Loop that into the circle of toothbrush changes and bra washes. Hah!
Nontoxic Shaving Cream: Nick and I both use Ursa Major Stella Shave Cream. It rates a 2 on EWG. I havenāt used Billieās Shaving Cream before, but it rates a 1, so I would for consider trying it in the future! Flamingo actually has a shaving cream too, but it rates a 4, so I donāt have plans to try it. For the record, Skintimate (which I grew up using) rates a 4 as well.
MY PICK
Knowing all of the above, I think my #1 choice is Billie. The convenience aspect is really great, plus I would like to think that their razor rates well with EWG, considering their non-razor products do. The hype is real! Joy is a close second though!
NON-PLASTIC RAZORS:
To be honest, I wanted to test all of these for you too, but I just didnāt have the budget to do that. I love the idea of using something other than plastic, but letās face it, that is more expensive. A lot of sustainable options are! Hereās a breakdown on some cool non-plastic razors that reduce consumption, waste, and just might save you money in the long run! Also note that most are 1 blade razors (or have the option to be 1 bladed), which is shown to drastically reduce ingrown hairs and razor burn.
OUI the People
Price: $75 (razor + 10 blades)
Blade Price: $11 10 pack ($1.10 per head)
Type of Blade: 1 blade, stainless steel, nickel free, made in Germany
Parent company: N/A
Colors: Rose gold, limited edition matte black
Where to buy it: Direct to Consumer (DTC) via their own website
Thoughts: Letās be real. I was drawn towards this one because it was pretty. That rose gold razor looks like it was made for royalty! It is also allergy friendly, since it doesnāt have nickel in its blades. Oui is more expensive than your average razor, so it is cool that they have AfterPay, which breaks the sum into smaller, more doable payments.
LEAF RAZOR
Price: $79 (razor + 20 heads) or $109 (razor + 50 heads, blade disposal tin)
Blade Price: $9 20 count ($0.45) or $14 50 count ($0.28)
Type of Blade: Ability to choose between adding 1, 2, or 3 blades
Parent company: N/A
Colors: Silver
Where to buy it: Direct to Consumer (DTC) via their own website
Thoughts: It looks cool, so Iāll give it that! It is also nice that you can decide how many blades you like to use. You know I love versatility!
SUPPLY RAZOR
Price: Alloy $75 or Stainless steel $145 (razor + blade head)
Blade Price: $6 8 count ($0.75 per head)
Type of Blade: 1 blade, plus you can adjust blade exposer to 3 different levels - sensitive, Comfortable, and Ultra Close, made in the USA
Parent company: N/A, though it was on Shark Tank and did a deal with Robert Herjavec
Colors: Alloy: classic matte, mirror polish, matte black, jet black - Stainless Steel: classic
Where to buy it: Direct to Consumer (DTC) via their own website
Thoughts: I heard about this razor through Shark Tank! They are based in Fort Worth, which you know this Texas girl loves. On their website, they include a great comparison. A plastic razor is usually around $9 + $9 blades monthly = $108+ every year; however, with Supply, obviously the razor is more expensive, but after that purchase it is only $6 for blades every 3 months, which is only $24 a year. For reference, they say each blade lasts every 5 - 10 shaves. They also have a shop now, pay later with Klarna, so you can break up the payments too.
What do you think? Do you have a favorite razor that I didnāt mention? I LOVE researching stuff like this. It is so fun for me. Iāve had this post in mind for a while and am so excited to finally get it published. I know that shaving is probably the last thing on everyoneās minds right now in quarantine, but I still wanted to publish it, because it has so much good information. I really enjoy learning and even I learned something while researching for this post! Did you know that nickel can cause redness and bumps after shaving? Nick has this issue when he shaves his neck and I think he might have a nickel allergy. Iād love for him to try the matte black Oui for this very reason! My heart is drawn to the Supply razor since it is a Texas brand, but I canāt find out if their blades have nickel or not. Regardless, there are so many good options, so I hope you find one you love!
Want to HEAR me talk about razors? I made a video talking about them all, though more details are in the blog post. Enjoy! It was fun for me to make.
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