A little about me
Hi, I’m Brooke. I joined the Leaf Shave team late last year. Before that, I’d never touched a safety razor. And now? I’m a convert.
I had been using a Gillette Venus razor for roughly 10 years. Just this week, I ran the numbers, and was shocked at how many of them I’ve thrown away. That’s not just plastic, that’s hundreds and hundreds of dollars in the waste bin.
I’m so proud to join this company, we make seriously great products. Especially if you’re ready to make a more sustainable swap, and if you’re ready to make the upfront investment. After just a year, that investment will pay dividends. As we note on our site: If every shaver in America went plastic free, over $3 billion would be saved annually
Let’s meet my new razor
Right away, I had my eye on The Leaf razor in the Gold finish. It’s a 3 blade pivoting head safety razor, and is our best seller. We also have a single-blade precision safety razor called The Twig.
The idea behind a safety razor is to invest up-front in a well made, all-metal handle, and save on the backend when buying replacement blades. Leaf safety razor blades are about 1/10th the cost of my old Venus blades. With the lifetime warranty behind it, the goal truly is for this to be the last razor I’ll ever buy. Refill packs are 50 blades for $12, or 100 for $19. 100 blades will last me years.
About that packaging
Everything we ship out at Leaf comes plastic-free, including the packaging. Even our packing tape. We use something called ‘gummed paper tape’ which is simply a paper-based tape with water-activated adhesive. So, the whole packaging set from shipper down to product packaging can be curbside recycled with paper.
Opening my new Leaf was night and day. I flashed-back to tearing apart a hard-plastic, tamper-proof shell just to get at my old plastic razor. Not only are those old razor cartridges plastic, but they’re stored in a four-count plastic blade holder, wrapped in plastic packaging. Seriously, it makes me cringe thinking about the sad state of my garbage can, half-full of crunchy, torn-open plastic stuff.
We may not all see these pounds of plastic piling up, but it is real and it is not slowing down. We estimate that if every shaver in the US went plastic-free, over 25 thousand TONS of packaging waste would be eliminated every year.
Onto the shave
The quality of shave matters. I'm looking at comfort throughout and after shaving; and how close or smooth the shave is. I’ll be honest, I was scared at first, bringing a metal razor to my skin. I’ve only been used to shaving with cheap plastic handles.
However, after a few strokes, I was so pleased with how it worked! That fear gave way to empowerment. The Leaf is truly a quality tool, and the shave matches the look. It was comfortable and smooth, and the unique pivoting head allowed the razor to spring back in place against my skin like I was used to with my plastic razors. I didn’t have to go over the same spot more than once, it is a very efficient shave.
My shave routine
Before I shave I prepare my skin. That means after showering I exfoliate with a nice sugar scrub. Exfoliating the skin before shaving is important to remove surface impurities so that you can get the best results from your shave. I use a Tree Hut Sugar Scrub or a Beauty by Earth Scrub.
After exfoliation, I lather up with the Leaf Shave Soap Bar, making sure to coat my hair and skin completely.
Loading the razor is super easy, I use all three blades for the closest shave (though when I shave more sensitive areas, I take out the bottom blade to make the razor less aggressive). I make sure to use warm water as I shave, this helps keep the skin’s pores open and hair softened.
The weight of the razor does a lot of the work, it’s really important to remember not to press hard like many are used to with plastic razors! By following these simple steps my skin does not feel irritated, and I can get an easy, smooth shave with a single-pass. Shaving up and around my knees is super easy because of how flexible the razor head is.
When I’m done, I immediately apply a moisturizer (I use Jergens lotion because it leaves my skin nourished and soft). After my first shave, I felt so happy that I did not see any signs of razor burn and I for real felt as smooth as a dolphin. 🐬
It is safe to say that I will never go back to using plastic razors or disposable cartridges. I’ve started realizing that what I buy has an impact. I’m all in for a sustainable shave, and I hope that sharing my experience helps you make the leap to Leaf as well.
I’m proud to work at Leaf Shave and proud to use our razors.
