Thursday, July 26, 2012

Save Money: Use an Electric Razor

Summer is my favorite season! I take full advantage and wear skirts and shorts almost every day.

Learn how I made an Anthropologie knock off skirt from a tablecloth here 

 That means my legs are on display and are in need of occasional deforestation. 

Up until now, I’ve taken care of the fuzz with a disposable razor even though I’m not a great fan of throwaway disposables. Preserve sells a disposable razor they take back for recycling but I haven't tried it.

 Beth of My Plastic Free Life uses a metal safety razor with recyclable blades but I am chicken. I have a gift for nicking the crap out of my ankles and knees with just about every razor I use including the disposable razors that are supposed to be nick free.



Photobucket 
I still have nightmares about using Flicker - and scars. 

 So far, I’ve tried:
  • Using a hair removing cream. It removed the hair but I had to goop so much on it burned my skin. I walked around with my arms outstretched like Frankenstein for a week because my armpits hurt. 
  • Low waste non-paraffin home wax. It made a crazy mess in my bathroom and I had to use a paint scraper to remove the hardened wax from the bathroom floor. Home waxing worked. It also left little bruises around the hair follicles on my legs. Try explaining to people (and your family doctor) that the little purple polka dots peppering your legs are from waxing, not something nefarious. *sigh* 
  • Not shaving is the greenest solution but no, nay, never! Sorry Mother Earth. My vanity gets in the way. Also, I hate the feeling of fuzzy legs when wear I jeans. 
 My One Small Green Change for July is to switch and shave with a reusable electric razor. Given my history with shaving snafus, I wanted a low cost option in case it (most likely) didn’t work out. 

I used Google Search for Swagbucks (you earn points when you do normal Google searches and redeem the Swagbucks for gift cards. You can sign up for Swagbucks here.)

 I redeemed the Swagbucks for an Amazon gift card and used it to buy the Panasonic Close Curves Wet/Dry Ladies Shaver  from Amazon. With a little time, I earned enough Swagbucks to get the electric razor for free. Cool, huh?  

 It is not a perfect green solution because my razor uses electricity to charge the battery every so many weeks and for those of you who do not like plastic items, the housing is plastic. I’m fine with it because it is one more thing I don't have to buy or throw away. The plastic housing means I can shave in the shower. 

 How does it work? The shave isn’t as close as a disposable razor, which means I have to shave more often. The first time I used it under my tender underarms, was a little painful although it helps to shave when the hair is shorter and not longer. I like that I don’t have to worry the ingredients in or running out of shaving cream (actually, I usually use hair conditioner) or razors for that matter. 

 What about you? What do you do? 

Did you enjoy this post? Get more like it by subscribing to the Condo Blues RSS Feed or to Condo Blues by Email.

No comments:

Post a Comment

I love comments and read them all! If you’re shy and don’t want your opinions made public, you can always email me at condoblues [at] gmail [dot] com.