22 Best Products For An Eco-Friendly Shave
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Shaving is an integral part of many people's daily routines, but the use of disposable plastic razors and other products can have a negative impact on the environment. Fortunately, there are now many eco-friendly alternatives available that can help you achieve the perfect shave without harming the planet.
Some of the best shaving products for an eco-friendly shaving routine are a stainless steel razor (which is endlessly reusable and can last for years with proper care), shave bars, and consciously crafted shaving creams.
Why should I try an eco-friendly shave?
There are many reasons why people should care about eco-friendly shaving. First and foremost, the use of disposable plastic razors and other products contributes to the ever-growing problem of plastic waste in our environment. Plus, buying new razors every few shaves can become costly. By investing in sustainable razors and shaving products, you can significantly reduce this waste and help protect our planet.
Many eco-friendly shaving products are made from sustainable materials, such as bamboo or stainless steel, and are often more durable and longer-lasting than their traditional counterparts. Additionally, using vegan shave cream can help you to avoid harsh chemicals and animal products that are often found in traditional shaving creams. And perhaps most importantly, eco-friendly shaving may give you the best shave!
Making these small changes to your shaving routine can not only make a big difference in reducing your environmental footprint and plastic consumption, but can save you money in the long run, too!
Price Reference (average price):
$ | Under $50
$$ | $50-$100
$$$ | More than $100
Stainless Steel Razors
Stainless steel razors offer a multitude of benefits for those seeking a streamlined shaving experience. Thanks to their anti-rust properties, they can maintain their sleek appearance even after years of use. This long-lasting nature ensures durability and reliability, making them a smart and zero-waste investment.
Plus, razors such as these utilize easily accessible and affordable generic refillable blades, saving users both money and hassle. In an age where environmental consciousness is trendy and essential, stainless steel razors shine as an eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastic. Not only do stainless steel razors contribute to a greener planet, but they also deliver a precise, close shave, leaving users with smooth and satisfying result, all while significantly reducing their plastic waste.
Image: Amazon
The Leaf Razor
Leaf Shave Co.
Price: $$
The Leaf Razor is a three-blade stainless steel razor with a pivoting head. It’s great for shaving all areas of your body, even the nooks and crannies that can often pose difficulty. The blades are easy to change out and the razor will last you forever—seriously.
Why We Love It: I’ve used this razor for several years, and I can’t compliment it enough. The pivoting head is hard to find in metal razors, and the razor’s weight helps for the smoothest shave.
Image: Kitsch
Perfect Glide Safety Razor
Kitsch
Price: $
Kitsch’s Safety Razor is a stainless steel option with a single-blade. You’ll want to shave slowly (especially at first) to get used to the feel of a single blade. Once you’ve got it down, you’ll have a close shave at a fraction of the cost compared to your old single-use razors.
Why We Love It: This is an affordable eco-friendly razor that will last you decades. It’s comfortable in your hand, and the silicone blade cover is great for travel or when it’s not in use.
Image: Package Free Shop
Twig Razor
Leaf Shave Co.
Price: $$
The Twig Razor is one of the best shaving products because of its size. The single-blade razor is compact, but is still able to do it all. Though it only has one blade, the razor’s head is angled so that you can still reach tough spots, like behind your knee or under your arms.
Why We Love It: We love this razor for travel because it’s about half the size of most double-edged razors.
Image: Package Free Shop
Essential Brass Safety Razor
Well Kept
Price: $$
This eco-friendly razor is made of brass. It has a single blade for a close shave, and when used with a good shaving cream, you won’t have much post-shave irritation. As long as you rinse it between uses, it’ll last you for years.
Why We Love It: It’s sleek, functional, and comes in three aesthetic colors that will coordinate with your shower shelf.
Image: Amazon
Double Edge Safety Razor
Zomchi
Price: $
This metal razor has a double-edged design, which means replacing blades is easy. The razor has 4.5 stars and over 6,000 ratings, and it comes in a dozen different colors!
Why We Love It: This razor is about a quarter of the price of others, so it’s a great option if you aren’t ready for a large investment or are unsure of how your skin will react to a straight-blade shave.
Shave Bars
Shaving bars are becoming increasingly popular as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional shaving creams and gels. Like shampoo and conditioner bars, shave bars are typically zero waste, as they come in minimal packaging and eliminate the need for single-use packaging. They are also highly convenient for travel because they take up only a fraction of the space in your toiletry bag and are solid—so you can take the whole bar through TSA.
Despite their compact size, shaving bars lather just as much as traditional shaving creams and provide a smooth, comfortable shave. These bars are easily some of the best shaving products that allow you to reduce your plastic consumption and make a positive impact on the environment while still enjoying a high-quality, full-body shaving experience at the same time.
Image: Package Free Shop
Shave Bar
Package Free
Price: $
Package Free’s shave bar is a zero-waste shaving product that will nourish your skin and complement your eco-friendly razor.
Why We Love It: The gentle lavender scent is grounding, and there’s no waste!
Image: Kitsch
Solid Shave Butter
Kitsch
Price: $
This zero-waste shave bar is cruelty-free and free of parabens, phthalates, silicones, sulfates, & artificial fragrance.
Why We Love It: It lathers well, but doesn’t clog your razor, and it’ll last the same length of time as two bottles of shaving gel.
Image: The Art of Shaving
Sandalwood Shaving Soap
The Art of Shaving
Price: $
This sandalwood shave bar has both coconut oil and glycerin in it, making for a soapy lather that rivals any cream or gel.
Why We Love It: The earthy sandalwood scent is perfect for everyone.
Image: Grove Collaborative
Moisturizing Shave Bar
Good Juju Body & Home
Price: $
This shave bar has coconut, avocado, argan, jojoba seed, and olive 0ils for a deeply hydrating shave experience. It comes in Lavender with Cedarwood & Rosemary scents.
Why We Love It: It’s a concentrate bar that will last the equivalent of five bottles of typical shaving cream.
Shaving Creams
Eco-friendly shaving creams offer a sustainable alternative to traditional shaving products. Many ethical companies offer vegan shave cream that is made from natural ingredients and without any animal testing. These cruelty-free formulas provide a gentle and effective shave, while also helping you achieve a more sustainable lifestyle. Some brands that make reliable and sustainable shaving creams are: Alaffia, Ursa Major, Dr. Bronners, Trader Joes, and Alba Botanica.
Image: Grove Collaborative
Everyday Shea Shave Cream
Alaffia
Price: $
This shave cream has Certified Fair Trade unrefined shea butter, which will help your razor glide across skin. It also has neem and sunflower oil to help it lather.
Why We Love It: We love the shea butter, which helps protect and hydrate skin, even in the winter.
Image: Grove Collaborative
Stellar Shave Cream
Ursa Major
Price: $
Ursa Major is a Certified B Corporation, so you can trust that its products are high quality and have trustworthy ingredients. This shave cream is non-lathering, but still slicks the skin to prevent nicks, cuts, and irritation.
Why We Love It: Not everyone wants a foamy shaving cream! This shave gel doesn't lather so you can see just what you’re doing.
Image: Grove Collaborative
Organic Shaving Soap
Dr.Bronner's
Price: $
This lavender shave soap is vegan, BPA-free, and from Dr. Bronners, another Certified B Corporation. It contains organic shikakai powder and fair trade, organic sugar that will leave your skin feeling soft.
Why We Love It: The soap is infused with castile soap, which helps it to lather well without clogging your razor head.
Image: Grove Collaborative
Honey Mango Shave Cream
Trader Joe’s
Price: $
A honey and mango cream shaving lotion that is paraben-free, smooth, and has an uplifting scent.
Why We Love It: It provides moisture for a smooth shaving experience, and it’s under $5!
Image: Grove Collaborative
Every Emollient Cream Shave
Alba Botanica
Price: $
Made with aloe vera, jojoba, and vitamin E, this shaving cream helps metal razors glide over the skin without causing irritation. It’s also hypoallergenic and Leaping Bunny–certified.
Why We Love It: This thick and emollient shaving cream is great for those with sensitive skin.
Replacement Blades
Most eco-friendly razors use replacement blades made of metal or stainless steel, which offer several benefits over traditional plastic razors. These blades are not only more durable and long-lasting, but can also be recycled after use, making them a more environmentally sustainable option for shaving.
Additionally, using replacement blades is a much more cost-effective choice, since you are no longer having to buy single-use razors every month (or week). Most razors also use blades that are a standard size, so you aren’t stuck to a certain brand or site when shopping for refill packs. You’ll quickly get the hang of swapping out blades safely; just remember to snap them within the wax paper if you need to break them in two.
Image: Grove Collaborative
Pivoting Head Razor Replacement Blades
Leaf Shave Co.
Price: $
This pack of 50 blades is made of durable stainless steel.
Why We Love It: These blades are perfect for the Leaf and Twig razor, and we love that they come plastic-free.
Image: Kitsch
Razor Blade Refills
Kitsch
Price: $
If you like to purchase items from the same brand, these Kitsch blades go perfectly in the brand’s stainless steel razor. These come in packs of 5, which isn’t the best deal on our list, but is still cheaper than buying most razor cartridges.
Why We Love It: These 5-packs are perfect for having enough blades for a short trip.
Image: Amazon
Double Edge Razor Blades
Shaving Revolution
Price: $
These platinum stainless steel replacement blades will fit most single-blade razors. If you snap them in half you can also use them for the Leaf Razor, which is what I do! Flip them over and reinsert to double how many shaves you can get per blade.
Why We Love It: These state-of-the-art blades are made with stainless steel and only cost around $0.20 per blade, which is surely a cost-effective way to reduce your environmental impact.
Image: Amazon
Blade Disposal Case
QSHAVE
Price: $
This blade disposal container is made of metal and has a slit in the top, similar to a piggy bank. You can easily deposit your used blades in here to keep them from harming anyone and make it easy to recycle down the road.
Why We Love It: If you don’t have a jar or container to repurpose, get this metal blade bank for under $5.
Shaving Subscriptions & Refills
There are a growing number of shaving subscriptions, the most common of which being Flamingo and Billie. These programs will send you a razor, and then periodically send replacement blades. Keep in mind, while these are more eco-friendly than single-use razors that you toss after a few uses, they still accumulate more plastic than the stainless steel and safety razors mentioned above.
It’s also worth noting that the plastic razor heads often have aloe or moisture strips that contain a mix of materials (plastic, metal, lotion strips), so they are difficult to recycle even if they claim to be eco-friendly. However, these programs might be a step in the right direction for an affordable zero waste shaving journey if you don’t know where to begin.
Image: Flamingo
Flamingo Shaving Subscription
Price: $
Flamingo boasts the eco-friendly and affordable nature of their razor blades. The brand also offers subscriptions and bundle options for customers to save money and have a hassle-free shaving experience. Flamingo also has waxing products if that’s how you prefer your hair removal.
Why We Love It: This subscription starts at just $7 per shipment and the Dolphin Razor is an Allure Best of Beauty Award winner.
Image: Billie
Billie Shaving Subscription
Price: $
The Billie starter kit comes with a razor handle, two razor heads, and a magnetic holder for your shower or bathroom. Then, you can select how often you’d like more refill blades delivered. Billie also sells shave accessories, like whipped shave cream, wax kits, and body lotion.
Why We Love It: Billie helps make eco-friendly shaving more attainable with replacement cartridges. The brand's signature 5-blade razor is an award-winner with fans of all kinds.
Image: Amazon
Preserve Razor
Price: $
The Preserve razor is made of recycled plastic, namely yogurt cups. The five-blade razor provides a close shave and comes in several bright shades.
Why We Love It: It’s similar to shaving programs that ship replacement razor heads, but can be purchased without a subscription. Your local grocery store might even have the refill packs!
Image: Amazon
Preserve Razor Replacement Blades
Price: $
These replacement blades are a bit pricey, but they’ll still total less money overall than buying new razors every month. They have five blades and a moisture strip for a classic shave that’s one step closer to being plastic-free.
Why We Love It: These blades are available at Grove, on Amazon, and in many grocery stores, so they’re easy to pick up during your regular shopping.