Inspired by all the Instagrammers, bloggers and vloggers who have taken to social media to advocate for the future of our planet and recommend easy green swaps, I ditched disposable razors about four years ago in favour of a MÜHLE Traditional Chrome Safety Razor and now adore my Companion. It’s such an easy swap to make and the benefits are multifold, it’s also something that I’ve had many a conversation about with women who come to our London Store wanting to swap to a safety razor themselves. I wanted to write a blog to reflect these many conversations – so that more women can feel comfortable using MÜHLE tools.
The Technique
1) Water: Use warm water to help soften the skin, shaving in a warm shower or bath is ideal
2) Lather: Personally, I like to use a shaving brush and have a vegan brush at home. Shaving brushes are long-life products and generally make the shaving experience much better; you can create a great lather with a natural soap or cream by working the brush around. Massaging the lather into legs and underarms feels great and also perfectly prepares the skin and hair for shaving by lifting the hairs, moisturising the skin and allowing the razor to easily glide across the area you are shaving. If you don’t want to use a shaving brush I would definitely recommend still using a shaving soap or cream and creating a lather with your hands.
3) Shave: For a smooth shave, holding the razor at a 30-50 degree angle is best- less than this increases the risk of nicks to the skin and more than this makes it difficult to catch anything. The beauty of the Companion is that this angle is already set up for you. The rails along the sides of the razor head prohibit shaving from taking effect unless the razor is positioned within this 30-50 degree angle range. Before the Companion was available, I used the R89 which initially took a little more patience to find the perfect technique, for this (and any other closed comb razor) I would suggest gently swaying the blade closer to the skin until it starts to take hair and – voila- you have your angle position. It’s also important to remind anyone using a safety razor that you don’t need to apply any pressure- just let the weight of the razor do the work.
4) Short strokes: Do short strokes, a safety razor is also referred to as a double-edged razor, because it has two edges to shave with, use one edge then the next, quickly rinse and repeat. One big advantage to a safety razor is that you can completely open the head and blade to clean them between uses.
5) Take Care: Unlike cartridge razors safety razor heads don’t have any flex and are rigid. Take time over bony areas like ankles and knees, following their shape, pulling the skin taut also helps to avoid any nicks (shaving is a bit like ironing – you need a smooth surface). Another new advantage of the Companion is that unlike other safety razor models the blunt sides of the blade don’t protrude out of the sides of the razor head- this is to avoid unintentional scratching of the skin with the blunt sides of the blade.
6) Aftercare: Rinsing with cool water after a shave helps to calm and refresh the skin .A natural Aftershave Balm or Body Lotion will nurture and moisturise skin after shaving. Personally, I am a fan of the MÜHLE Organic Range. I also always keep an alum block or styptic pencil to hand as these are incredible for mending any small nicks obtained through shaving – they are also great for getting rid of any surface bacteria and I find they’re fantastic for reducing spots and helping the skin to heal.
Caring for your tools
The Companion is easy to care for, I rinse mine after use, give it a quick pat with a towel and hang it up to dry.
I also wash my vegan brush and hang it up on a stand to keep it in good condition.
Benefits
A safety razor can last a lifetime and longer if well cared for, which isn’t only good for the planet but also your pockets. Like most things that are built to endure the test of time they are also sophisticated and beautiful.
But selfishly, probably the biggest stand out benefit for me has been how much happier my skin is. When I was using a cartridge disposable razor I had become so used to razor burn that I stopped considering a remedy for it. That constant itching, burning sensation has completely disappeared and I have happy, dolphin smooth skin post-shaving.
I also enjoy the tactile, calming elements of the process.
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