Safety Razor Blades: Which to Choose, When to Change Them and How to Handle Them Without Cutting Yourself

Traditional shaving · Ippos Beard

A safety razor blade should be changed every 3 to 7 shaves, as soon as it starts to pull instead of glide. To start out, pick a blade with a medium edge, always hold it by the short sides and drop used blades into a closed container. The rest is just habit.

A safety razor has one huge advantage over cartridge razors: the blade costs a few cents and you can find it anywhere. But that is also what worries people at first. Which blade should you buy, when should you change it, how do you handle it without cutting yourself? Here is everything we explain to our customers when they receive their first razor, in the order the questions usually come up.

01Understanding the double edge blade

All safety razor blades share the same format: a thin rectangular steel plate, sharpened on both long sides, with a cutout in the middle that fits onto the razor head. It is a worldwide standard. Any blade of this type fits any safety razor, including yours. You are never locked into one brand or one system.

The differences come down to the steel and the coating. Most blades are stainless steel, sometimes covered with a very thin layer that helps them glide. Some blades are extremely sharp and unforgiving, others are milder and more tolerant. Two blades with the exact same shape can give a very different shave, and that is normal.

02Which blade to choose as a beginner

The smart move is not to buy a hundred blades at once. Get a small sampler of several different blades, five of each, and test them one at a time over two or three weeks. Simply note how each one feels: glide, tugging, redness. After a month you will know which blade suits you, and you can buy a big pack without guessing.

For your first shaves, avoid blades known for being very sharp. They are excellent in experienced hands, but they do not forgive too much pressure. A medium blade is easier to tame. If you have sensitive skin, look for a mild blade with a coating that helps it glide. If your beard is coarse and dense, you will probably move to a sharper blade after a few weeks.

One last point: how a shave feels depends as much on the razor as on the blade. A mild head with a sharp blade is often a good balance to start with. That is what we aimed for with our engraved olive wood safety razor, 89.99 €, designed for a close shave without aggression, with an olive wood handle engraved by hand in our workshop in France. More on it below.

03When to change the blade

The simple rule: between 3 and 7 shaves per blade. The range is wide because it depends on how dense your beard is, how hard your water is and how well you prepare your skin. A three day beard that has been properly softened wears a blade down far less than a dry beard shaved in a hurry.

Above all, trust the signs. The blade pulls instead of gliding. You have to go over the same spot twice. You feel a slight burn after shaving even though your technique has not changed. You spot rust on the edge. In all of these cases, change the blade, even if you have only used it three times. A blade costs a few cents, irritation stays with you all day.

04Changing the blade without cutting yourself, step by step

First, lay a towel over the sink. If the blade falls, it will not slide down the drain or bounce off the porcelain. Wash your hands and dry them well, a wet blade slips between the fingers.

On a three piece razor, unscrew the handle, remove the base plate and then the cap. The old blade stays on the cap: pick it up by the two short sides, never by the long sides, which are the cutting edges. On a butterfly razor, turn the knob at the end of the handle: the two doors open and the blade lifts out. Same move, you take it by the ends.

With the new blade, keep the paper wrapper on for as long as possible. Open it, lay the blade on the cap by lining up the pins, then close the razor. Check that the blade sticks out evenly on both sides: if it sits crooked, the shave will be uneven. Tighten without forcing. The whole thing takes thirty seconds once you have done it twice.

If you are new to traditional shaving, our guide on how to use a safety razor then walks you through the whole shave, angle, pressure and passes.

05Caring for the blade and the razor between shaves

After each shave, rinse the razor under hot water, with the head open if possible, to flush out soap and hair. Shake it, then let it air dry, standing up, out of the shower tray. Never wipe the blade with a towel: you would damage the edge and risk cutting yourself. Do not leave it soaking in a glass of water either, that is the fastest way to make it rust.

Once a week, take the razor fully apart and clean the head with an old toothbrush and a little soap, especially if your water is hard. If the handle is wooden, as on our olive wood razor, dry it after each use and rub in a drop of neutral oil from time to time. The wood keeps its grain and the engraving stays crisp for years.

06Disposing of used blades safely

A used blade is still sharp. Never throw it loose into the bathroom bin: whoever changes the bag can get hurt, and a child could find it. The classic solution is a blade bank, a small metal box with a slot that you fill for months before throwing it away closed. An empty tin can with a slot cut into the lid works just as well.

07Classic mistakes with blades

The first mistake is pressing. With a cartridge, you make up for a tired blade by pressing harder. With a safety razor, that ends in a cut. The weight of the razor is enough, the hand only guides. The second is keeping a blade too long to save money. It is not worth it, as we have seen. The third is switching blades every day without ever giving your skin time to adjust. Give each blade at least three shaves before judging it.

08If you want to go further

Once changing a blade has become automatic, some men want to follow the logic all the way and move to a straight razor, where there is no blade to change at all: you hone and maintain it yourself. Our engraved straight razor, 49.99 €, is engraved by hand in our workshop in France, like all our personalized beard accessories. It also makes a gift that stands out: we talk about it in our article on engraved gifts for men.