How Wet Shaving Can (Help) Save the Planet

Wet shaving with a double edge razor is a great way to help reduce your carbon footprint.

The razor itself is usually metal and made to last a lifetime. Double edge blades are steel. After use, they can be recycled or even if disposed of, will rust in short order.

The blades are quite often packaged in simple cardboard boxes, each blade wrapped in paper (all recyclable).

The vast majority of shave soaps and creams are made from pure, natural ingredients. You can feel confident that what is washing down the drain will quickly degrade. No need to worry about introducing chemical or detergent waste into the environment here.

Even the use of hot water, an essential part of wet shaving or at least the pre-shave when the beard is softening, can be minimized to save energy. The steps involved in pre-shaving are for another post, but the gist is that just enough water is used to soak a washcloth or hand towel that is then applied to the face. I use a hand towel as it covers more area and does a better job of holding the heat. During the shave, some people fill the sink or a bowl to rinse the razor. Others use a quick stream of water (which doesn’t have to be a full-strength blast). Rinsing is best done with cool water to close the pores.

Compare this to modern cartridge blade shaving. The handle is plastic. The cartridges are plastic. They come encased in a plastic box.

How many cans of shave foam and gel are thrown away every year? Wet shaving soap bowls are refillable. The creams are often in plastic, but a tube or tub of it goes a long, long way. Only about an almond-sized dollop is used for the typical shave.

Lots of guys like to shave in the shower using their Fusions. It’s convenient, and a hot shower feels good, but it does use a lot of energy. If you shave in the sink, do you leave the hot water running during the shave? This is something wet shavers can look at as well.

Among the many benefits of wet shaving is the fact that you can feel good about helping to keep the planet green by significantly reducing product waste and energy consumption.

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Bay Lime Shaving Cream