Author: KateM

Shavers have been using straight and safety razors and shaving brushes for hundreds of years; disposable and drug store cartridge razors and canned shave foam are the new kids on the block.  Wet shaving with brushes and straight or safety razors is tried and tested and is in the middle of a revival.  People just like you are sick of paying top dollar for cheaply made disposable razors that end up in the landfill and leave them razor burnt.  Our brushes are custom turned by Brad and always one of a kind.  There is nothing like choosing your very own quality shave soap, luxurious lathering brush and the razor that’s perfect for you.  Now that’s a shave. And yes, people use these.

There are a lot of razors out there, let’s clear up the mystery.  A straight razor is the oldest and most notorious razor out there.  Sometimes referred to as a straight edge or knife, the straight razor has been given a bad rap thanks to horror movies like Sweeney Todd.  This type of razor consists of a single, permanent blade that folds down into its scales, or handle.  A straight razor is sharpened using stones once every 60 or so shaves and is then stropped on a piece of leather, or strop, each time it is used.   The younger brother of the straight razor is referred to as the Safety Razor, deemed such since it is in fact safer than a straight razor.  The 2 main types of Safety razors are double edged and single edged (DE’s and SE’s).  Both types take single replaceable blades and are shaped more like the razors common today, like a T.  Single edged razors have one cutting edge on the side of the head while double edged razors have 2 cutting edges – one on each side of the razor head.  SE and DE safety razors are fairly similar in operation, but DE’s are more common.  There are more divisions and varieties of razors, but these are the basic classifications.

The answer to this question varies.  There are few questions to think about:  First of all, how much area are you shaving?  2 legs include a lot more area than 1 face, and therefore most women will wear out a blade sooner than a man.  Second, how coarse and dense is your hair?  Some people are lucky enough to have soft, spaced out hair while others have stubble that grows in fast, dense and thick like bamboo!  Coarse stubble will dull a blade faster than soft hair.  Third, how often to you shave?  If you let your hair grow for weeks at a time, a blade will have to do more work than if you shave every day or 2.  Fourth, which blade are you using?  While almost every double edged blade will fit your razor, they are all a little bit different.  Blades are made from different metals and have various coatings and angles.  It will take a few shaves to figure out which blade is optimal for your skin and hair.  It’s all part of the wet shaving adventure!  But to answer your question, we find that for women a blade lasts about 4 shaves, for men about 6.  And since we can see you doing the math in your head, that’s an average of 5 shaves per blade or 25 shaves per pack of blades.  A pack of blades is 2 bucks.  That’s 8 cents a shave.  Can your cartridge razor do that?

It’s not really a question, just something we hear all the time.  Women regularly come to us and comment on what an excellent gift our shave sets would be for their husbands/brothers/fathers etc.  While it often comes off as the most masculine of daily routines, wet shaving is not just for men.  Ladies, you have a lot of area to cover, you might as well do it right!  Legs are the same as faces; they deserve a close, smooth, razor burn-free shave.  All of our soaps, brushes and razors are suitable for legs and we are even working on our own women’s line of shave soaps, scrubs and aftershaves.  So ladies, never underestimate the fun you can have lathering up in the tub!

Not if you respect your razor and pay attention. Any type of shaving involves pulling a sharp blade along your skin, so there is always potential for a nick.  The common disposable drugstore razor has dull blades; this means you rarely cut yourself, but it also means you get razor burn, ingrown hairs and have to buy a new razor every couple of shaves.  Our razors use sharp, individual blades.  They cut hair cleanly without dragging on skin.  It is important to learn the weight and length of your razor and respect that it can cut you if you don’t take the time to learn what you are doing. Wet shaving is an art form and skill.  It’s not difficult to learn, but it is important to know what you’re doing.

Well I guess…. but why?  Next time you’re at the drugstore read the ingredient label of a can of foam…. gross.  Could you pronounce any of those “ingredients”?  Canned foam consists largely of chemicals and air and doesn’t properly protect the skin, often leaving it itchy and red.  Our Copper Hat shave soap is all-natural and amazing for your skin.  We formulated it and test it ourselves to make sure it lathers just right while moisturizing and protecting skin.

Shaving brushes are traditionally made from badger hair which is used because it is very soft and water absorbent.  Our badger hair comes from China, where badgers exist in large numbers and are considered pests because they burrow in farmers fields and can injure livestock (kind of like gophers on the prairies).  Farmers sell badger pelts and some of the pelts are made into shaving brush heads.  In addition to badger hair, we also make horse hair brushes.  Horse hair is not as soft as badger hair, but it lathers soap quickly and makes an excellent brush for those without skin sensitivities or for lathering legs.  The horse hair used in shaving brushes is trimmed from the mane and tail of a live horse.

No way, that’s good soap in there!  Just put it back on the counter and let it dry out.  The leftover lather will reconstitute into soap that you can use next time!  It is, however, a good idea to rinse out your shaving brush with warm water. 

Do the Math. Safety razors take blades that cost $2 for 5, or 40 cents a blade.  If each blade lasts 5 shaves that’s 8 cents a shave.  How much was your last drugstore razor and blade purchase?

Watch what you are Throwing Out. Drugstore cartridges are composed of a number of different plastics and metals that cannot be separated and recycled. Disposable razors are even worse.  Our safety razors take individual blades that are recyclable (check with your community recycling program on how to recycle sharps)!

The Brush Makes all the Difference. Canned shave foam is full of chemical ingredients and can contribute to razor burn and ingrown hairs.  Our all-natural shave soap is formulated to moisturize your skin while the shaving brush distributes lather evenly and helps raise hairs for a closer shave. A brush exfoliates skin, removing dead cells and leaving skin properly prepared for your shave.

Quantity Does Not Equal Quality. As you draw a 5 blade cartridge over your skin, the first blade acts as a snowplough, dragging your shaving cream with it. Now, multiple blades are shaving unprotected skin; that is like dry shaving over and over again every time you use that razor! The result: irritated skin smeared with a gooey substance deposited by your cartridge to camouflage razor burn.

It is an Art. Wet shaving is all about slowing down enough to get a quality shave that you enjoy rather than rush through. It allows you to customize a shave routine that suits you perfectly.  And man oh man does it ever look cool.