"shaving" down my plastic items

So, this morning I did a little online shopping. But, it felt like productive work because this shopping was for my personal project!  

For a while I have thought about switching out my cheap, yet expensive, crappy plastic razor for something more sustainable. Why do I say cheap, yet expensive? Well, for starters they look cheap - often made of colorful, light plastic to appeal to women buyers. (Guys, sorry I don't know what marketing ploys are used on you.) The reusable sticks of the razors easily become grimy and dirty while sitting in the shower. Also, they are cheap because they are meant to be disposable. Even those razors where you can just dispose of the blade and put on a new one, yep, the stick part is still made to be disposable. This forces you to buy a new one down the road when the "reusable" stick part is disgusting and dirty. 
But, they are expensive! I would cringe every time I had to buy razors or just razor blades because, come on: 

Razors and blades for each gender

These are some reasons I chose razors for my first non-food plastic alternative item. Lucky for me, as I mentioned in my first blog, other people have come before me in search of plastic alternatives. In fact, My Plastic Free Life has an entire blog about switching to a plastic free razor. I read the blog, where the author suggests finding a metal razor at a second hand store. That is admittedly the best option - decreases the demand for new products and thus the demand for resources to make the new product. Unfortunately, I have limited free time on my hands this semester (I know, I know, we all do), to be scouring second hand shops in search of a razor I needed, um, like a week ago. 

So, I ended up visiting a website recommended by the blog, called Classic Shaving. This website is definitely geared toward males, evidenced by their recommendation to "test out multiple razor blades to see what feels best on your face." But, you know what? A razor is a razor is a razor. It will do the job whether it's marketed to men or women. 

I searched around a little on their site. I wanted a razor similar to what I have used the last...18 years? And, I wanted a safety razor because I don't really want any blood baths.  
*Here's a tip, if you decide to check this out, do not bother with the "Sets & Kits" tab. That section is just a smidgen out of range for a student budget.

I ended up purchasing a combo razor with 10 blades for $29 with shipping & tax. According to the website, a blade used daily should last about a week. At that rate, I won't need new blades for a very long time. The blades purchased separately run about $5 for a set of 10. But, when I need more I might source other sites or stores.

My new "Classic Brand Closed-Comb DE Safety Razor - Chrome with 10-pack of blades"

I should probably address something at this point. Some of you might say, well, you could just stop shaving. And that would eliminate the waste that will still be produced by using this metal razor. 
That's true, I could stop. 
But, quite frankly, I don't want to at this time in my life (and probably never will have a desire to stop shaving). 
Perhaps if societal norms shifted, I would consider it. But beauty standards like shaving your legs aren't likely to change quickly or any time soon. 
So, until then, I believe this is a better option than the "cheap", disposable, plastic razors.  

Even more of an incentive, this razor and blades combo is about the same price as purchasing a replacement set of blades from Venus. In the picture above, one type of blades is $23. And, I would have to purchase those refillable blades potentially a few times a year. (Though in the past, I just stretched them out as looooooong as possible.) This means, I will probably save money in the long run. 

Well, unless everyone ditches their cheap, plastic razors and drives up the demand of the good old straight razor blades. 
But, you know what? The whole country moving away from the environmentally damaging plastic razors and blades would be worth the cost to me!

If any of you decide to jump on board with me in this initiative, I'd love to hear about it in the comments!  

~Katie