I titled the blog post so that people who don’t want to read about me removing hair can just stop reading now. You have been warned adequately!
A while back I promised that I would be trying to find more “green” ways of hair removal. I was mainly concerned about how I’ve been using and throwing away plastic disposable razors for years.
Razors
I read about the Recycline Preserve razor which is just one of those razors with the replaceable heads, only the handle is made of recycled yogurt containers, so I bought one. I also bought 5 replacement heads. You know, it is all well and good to make the handle of recycled stuff, but I am here to tell you that if the razor part of the thing sucks, then there is really no point. The first time I used this razor, the blade dulled immediately. I had to throw away the first replacement blade after 2 uses. For the next 5 blades, the same kind of performance, so this was no fluke. While I might be throwing away smaller pieces (razor heads rather than the whole razor), this was worse than the disposables. Also, the replacements were not cheap. About twice what regular replacement heads would be, and they don’t have coupons for specialty brands like Preserve. I tried buying regular razor heads to fit the Preserve handle, but none of the drugstore brands fit. I have finally settled on a store brand razor instead, the Bic Soleil. It just shaves so cleanly and so well. Not like trying to shave with cardboard, which is how I would describe shaving with the Preserve razor.
Thumbs down for Recycline Preserve Razor.
NOTE: This review has been updated for the Preserve Triple Blade Razor, here
Sugaring
I also mentioned that I would like to try sugaring. This is like waxing only with a solution made of only sugar and water and lemon. I got the Parissa Body Sugar set from Whole Foods for only $10. It was easy to use and I don’t feel like it was really that painful at all. The cleanup was also easy. Bonus: the strips used for the removal are washable and reusable. Unfortunately, there were a lot of very small tiny hairs that could not be removed with the sugaring. I have also been struggling with ingrown hairs on my legs after sugaring (yes, I used the special oil that was supposed to prevent them – it didn’t work). My conclusion about sugaring is that it is good for some areas of the body, but not all. For me, it does not work for legs for the reasons stated above. But for other areas, I believe I will continue using it.
Thumbs up (with caveats) for body sugaring.
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i would like to mention a couple things about sugaring and ingrown hairs. first, like you mentioned, sugaring is one of the most gentle ways to remove unwanted hair. the biggest disadvantage with sugaring however is that the product may be less effective for dark, extremely short or coarser hair, particularly if you’re a regular shaver or in areas like the underarm. this is probably why you noticed the remaining hairs. some heatable waxes or other natural waxes that are wood resin based, can be much more effective for shorter or coarser hair. parissa wax strips, parissa hot wax or parissa warm wax are such products. regarding ingrown hair, unfortunately, this can be a problem with any type of hair removal. the best way to prevent ingrown hair is to regularly exfoliate and moisturize the areas that are most prone to ingrown hair. regular exfoliation and moisturizing should help considerably with this.
I’m writing from Preserve to apologize for your disappointing experience with the Preserve razor. I believe you purchased our double blades (they’re sold in 5-packs) rather than our triple blades—-which most people prefer. I encourage you to try the triple blades. I’m happy to send you a replacement set.
The Preserve Double and Triple Razors are the best selling razors in the natural channel. People love them because the handles are made from 100% recycled plastic including yogurt cups. The blade is as important as the handle and we are committed to improving our blades. The triple blade is a big improvement and you will see additional improvements from us within the next year.
In the meantime, I urge you to test some of our other products—the Preserve toothbrush is our most popular product, and we just released a new line called Preserve Kitchen. Like everything we make, these products are made from 100% recycled materials and you can return them to us for recycling if your community can’t recycle them.
If you are interested in receiving a new set of Preserve triple blades, feel free to e-mail me at info@recycline.com. Thanks for the thought you are putting into your purchases, and for spreading the word about the power of consumer consciousness.
Regards,
Elissa