Shoreline Shaving (beautiful zero waste shaving kits)

Shoreline Shaving makes beautiful shaving kits for men and women, in various colours, sold in zero waste gift packaging. The kits include reusable safety razors (you just need refill blades after that) with  shaving stands, blade banks (to safely recycle blades) and vegan shaving brushes.

Do not shave on open wounds, cold sores, infections, eczema or during antibiotic treatment. For shaving soaps, avoid essential oils for pregnancy/breastfeeding (and avoid shea butter for latex allergies).

Pop Blades in a Blade Bank

One blade should last you a few shaves with a reusable razor. A blade bank only costs a few pounds, and is basically an upgraded version of making a slit in a tin can, and sealing it with adhesive paper tape, before recycling when full.

This razor blade disposal tin is made from strong tin plated steel, designed to enclose used blades to store up to 100 blades safely. It should take a year to fill, and presents the hazard of sharp blades cutting refuse workers, or birds/wildlife at landfills.

If you don’t have a blade bank, send used blades in a prepaid (free) envelope to Gillette (who will recycle them on).

How to Use a Reusable Razor

Reusable razors are used differently, but give a better result than disposable razors, which just ‘scrape your skin’:

• Insert stainless steel blades (each one lasts around 10 shaves).
• Lather with soap and vegan shaving brush (below).
• Shave in the direction of hair growth, to avoid irritation.
• Allow the weight of the razor to do the work, rocking the blade against the skin at a 30-degree angle, until it lifts the hair.
• Use minimal pressure to hold the razor, let it glide in slow short strokes.
• Pat skin dry with a soft clean cloth.
• Take apart your razor and place the blade in the protector, wiping your razor with a dry towel, to prevent it getting rusty.

Use with a Vegan Shaving Brush

Shoreline Shaving’s plastic-free vegan shaving brush uses sisal bristles, as a kinder alternative to animal hair. It creates a strong soapy lather, and also exfoliates and prepares the skin for shaving, helping to prevent irritation and ingrown hairs.

Why Choose a Reusable Safety Razor?

The average reusable razor costs £20, but then you only have to buy replacement blades, so it soon pays for itself.

As good as it is to be natural, most of us are not keen on sprouting hair from legs, underarms, bikini lines and even your face! But the plastic razor industry is causing huge harm to the planet, with landfills packed with billions of disposable razors (and blades), all sold in plastic packaging.

There is also controversy over the ‘pink tax’. In a nutshell, those pink disposable razors you see on sale for women, are the exact replicas of the same razors for men, but are priced higher. Why?

If you use an electric razor, then invest in one from an ethical brand (many major players like Braun are owned by animal-testing parent brands).