We all want to get the maximum length of time with our razors. This is for usually two reasons, money & comfort during shaving. Depending on what type of razor blade you use, razor blades can be quite expensive, and usually the higher the quality of the razor blade the higher the price. The other reason is if your razor blades are getting dull your shaving experience suffers, as dull blades can tug and pull on the hair and make it quite uncomfortable. We don’t want this we want the sharpest razor that lasts the longest. I hope to present some ideas and products that will show you how to make razor blades last longer.

Thankfully there are many techniques and products that can help prolong the life of your razor blades. Some are simple but take a little extra effort once you are done shaving. I love simple and if it is simple enough I usually end up doing it.

Cleaning

Cleaning the razor blade should be the first step one should take to keep your blades lasting longer. Of course, rinsing it off is the very first step as you can dislodge some of the hair as well as skin cells off the razor. But further action is often required to get it clean. Take an old toothbrush and with some type of soap and scrub across the blade horizontally both the front and back of the razor. Be careful not to shave off the bristles of the toothbrush. Then do a final rinse with water. This should be done after every use.

Drying

Drying the razor properly will keep the razor from developing micro rust on the blade. This is what some people think is what really causes blade dullness. There are a few methods used for drying razor blades.

Hair Dryer – This is my preferred method of drying razors. First I just pat dry it on a small towel to remove the excess water. I just turn up the hairdryer to the hottest settings and point it at the blade for a minute or two and the razor is bone dry. I try to do this as soon as possible after the cleaning routine.

Dipping In Rubbing Alcohol – This is another method that has been around for a while. Simply put a small amount of rubbing alcohol into a small container then dip the razor into the container. The alcohol will help evaporate any remaining water when it is exposed to the air. As an added benefit it also sanitizes the razor blade.

Storing

Think about it for a second, what is the most humid room in the house? More than likely it is going to be the bathroom, right? For example, taking showers, flushing the toilet, and washing your hands. Lots of water adds to the humidity of the room. This humidity makes it ripe for rust to set into anything made of steel.

I like simple solutions and the simplest for me is putting the razor, once it has been thoroughly dry into a plastic resealable bag and storing it out of the way. Simple enough for me.

Products Designed To Help Make Blades Last

SteelBee Razor Saver – The Steelbee Razor Saver is a cover for beard razors that by compression stays in place around the razor when you are not using it. The two yellow cylinder plastic pieces off-gas a product called Zerust. This Zerust is used all over the oil and gas industries to keep metal parts from rusting and has been used for decades. This forms a protective layer around the razor blade(s), thereby keeping it from rusting.

The cover also offers protection from dinging your blades and also from cutting yourself if stored in a Dopp kit.

You can read more about this product here, SteelBee Razor Saver Review – Will It Keep Your Razors Sharp?

Blade Buddy Razor Blade Sharpener -The Blade Buddy Razor Sharpener is a patented ribbed silicone that is used to hone razor blades. This is very similar to stropping where you hone the razor blade edges into optimal sharpness and straightness. The razor blade edge is very fine and this device brings the sharpness back into alignment. Once you apply some type of shaving cream or soap to lubricate you simply push the razor around 15 to 20 times to get a sharper edge. This is typically used on most types of razor blades out there on the market from disposable razors to safety razor blades.

You can read a more detailed review of the product here, What Is Blade Buddy? Does It Work?

What To Do With Dull Razors Blades?

Depending on what type of razor blade you use to shave your face you need to have the proper method of disposing of those used razors. Any type of safety razor where you have an actual razor blade needs to be in the correct receptacle. A typical blade cartridge for razors can usually be thrown into the bin, but a razor blade should not ever be thrown into the bin without something done to it to render it safer.

Properly disposing of used razor blades can be a rather tricky situation. You just don’t want to dispose of the razors just by dumping them into the trash bin. This could potentially lead to someone getting cut. The best way and highly affordable way of dealing with used razor blades are to use a Blade Bank. A blade bank is simply a plastic container with a small opening on top to slide the used razors into. This holds the blades in a safe environment and the good news is they are highly affordable too. They also hold quite a few blades so they last a long time.

These types of containers go by many different names but are most often referred to as a disposal cases for razor blades.