Most of us start shaving at a very young age, often as young as 16. When we notice our faces getting a little bit scraggly for the first time, our parents show us how to lather up with shaving cream and get rid of our excess body hair with disposable razor. Hair keeps growing, so we keep shaving. Whenever Gillette or Schick announce their latest greatest and razor with more blades than ever before, we go out and buy the new over-priced shaver once our current blades get dull only to find out it doesn’t offer a much better shave than the previous generation. It turns out that Gillette and Schick have been ripping us off and the first few packs of razor blades that we purchased could have lasted our entire life!

It turns out that razor blades do not get dull because we use them to shave! So why do razor blades get dull? It’s actually because of the moisture in the shaving cream and the water that we make use of that makes them dull. We shave with a razor, rinse it off, put it back in its case, and go on with life. Each time we use it more water collects on the razor blade, causing oxidation and thus a microscopic form of rusting which causes the blade to become dull.

It only makes sense that if we make a point to dry off our razor blades after making use of them that they will last much longer. Simply dry off your razor blade with a towel after making use of it or better yet a blow-dryer to be sure to remove all moisture. Your razor blades will go from being dull after just a few days to staying sharp for several months.

In my personal experience, I’ve found that I can usually get a razor blade to last for our five months ago while remaining reasonably usable. Consumer advocate Clark Howard once discussed how he blots his 17 cent razor blades with a towel to try them and that a single blade has lasted him for almost a year!

Don’t let Gillette and Schick keep ripping you off. By drying your razor blades after each use with a towel or a razor you can easily reduce the amount of money you pay in razor blades to $5.00 a year!