As someone who spends most of my time traveling on a beach, I spend an awful lot of time shaving my legs – which has a huge impact on our environment. Razors are pretty much impossible to recycle. Did you know that over 2 billion disposable razors and blades are thrown away each year in the United States alone? YIKES. This doesn’t even account for the plastic packaging waste that disposable razors create. DOUBLE YIKES.

Unfortunately, the ‘au natural’ look just isn’t for me – I really love the feel and appearance of silky smooth legs in a bikini and so I’ve put up with my daily hair removal routine for 22 years. In a perfect world, I would’ve gotten laser hair removal years ago and never worried about shaving my legs again.

My first attempt to save money on hair removal and lessen my environmental impact was waxing. While the cost and environmental impact savings are worth it, it is just not my preferred method of torture.

Luckily, I have found a better solution that doesn’t break the bank, doesn’t make me want to chop off my legs, and seriously reduces my environmental impact.

Safety Razors

I’ll be honest, at first, the thought of using a safety razor terrified me. I was certain that my shower was going to end up looking like a scene out of a horror movie. I let my safety razor sit on my bathroom counter for a week before I finally built up the courage to use it.

Pro tip: don’t be like me. A safety razor definitely looks scarier and sharper than a disposable razor, but it’s really not all that hard to get used to.

The safety razor that I use is by Rockwell Razors and I absolutely love it! After my first shave with it I quickly realized that my fears were entirely unfounded and I was not going to lose any body parts to this thing. Shaving will take a bit longer at first as you have to get used to applying the right amount of pressure and holding the razor at a 30-degree angle in order to get the closet shave. (I highly recommend watching an online tutorial if you’re nervous about shaving with a safety razor.)

While you pay more upfront costs for a safety razor, the blades are much more affordable and the base should last you a lifetime! The base of the Rockwell safety razors costs between $15-$100 and a box of 100 blades only costs $12. As I said, the base should last you forever (unless of course, you lose it), and a single blade should last anywhere from 2-4 weeks.

And of course, safety razor blades are 100% recyclable! However, keep in mind that you may not be able to recycle them through your regular curbside recycling program. Double check with your town’s recycling guidelines before throwing them in your recycling bin. If your town has a separate collection site for scrap metals, collect your used blades in a safe container and once it’s full, drop it off at the local scrap metal collection site for recycling.

(Rockwell Razors actually sells its own blade safe for storing your used blades in before you recycle them.)

Switching to a safety razor has not only saved me money and minimized my impact on the environment, but it’s also given me the closest shave of my entire life. Seriously, my legs have never been silkier. This is what I like to call a win, win, win.

One last tip before I sign off here; if you are traveling with a safety razor, pack it in your checked baggage. Having the safety razor in your carry-on bag will undoubtedly set off the airport metal detectors and you run the risk of having it confiscated by a security agent.

If this post has got you inspired to take your hair removal routine zero waste, Rockwell Razors has provided me with a coupon code for my readers so that everyone can make the eco-friendly switch!

Use the code AVOCADOS to save 10% off of your purchase!

This post was brought to you in collaboration with Rockwell Razors.