Quit Getting Ripped Off by Gillette, Shave the Smart Way

There comes a time in every young person's life when unwanted hair shows up, whether it's one's face, legs, or armpits, it's time to begin shaving. Most of us get one lesson from our parents how to shave, and that's about it. After we move out on our own and start having to buy our own razors and shaving cream, things get a bit confusing. What brand do I buy? Is gel better than cream? Should I plop over the money for something name-brand? Here's how to shave without spending too much money and still having a nice sharp blade to shave with.

Let's start out with the razor. There are so many options in the marketplace to choose from, from the inexpensive ones that are sold in bulk for a few bucks here and there, all the way up to the over-the-top Gillette Fusion that has 6 blades! Don't be fooled by all the hype or cheap prices of other razors, I use a classic safety razor based on the recommendation of a couple of other personal finance writers that do the same thing. A good safety razor, such as something similar to the Merkur Classic, will be a bit costlier to get started with, but from then on out, will save you a ton of money.

You'll spend about $25.00 on the actual razor, but a good one will last you an entire life-time. After you've bought the razor, you can buy replacement blades in bulk for under 50 cents a piece. I usually end up buying 30 blades for $14.79 on Amazon, and since they're double sided, they last twice as long as a normal blade. Each blade (using both sides) will last about two weeks in my experience. I could probably get away with using them for longer, but I enjoy a nice sharp blade.

When it comes to shaving cream, you really don't need anything fancy. The classic Colgate aerosol stuff works just fine. You can get a decent sized amount of it for $1.00 too. There's no reason to waste a bunch of money on some fancy shaving gel, when the basic stuff works just fine. Try to minimize the amount that you spray on your hand, you can waste a lot of shaving cream by giving yourself too much to put on your face.

You don't need to spend a lot of money on shaving to get the job done well. Use a good old classic safety razor and some inexpensive shaving cream, and your face (or legs for you ladies) will look as smooth as silk.