Extending the Life of Your Expensive Manual Razor Blades

Everybody hates how much razor blades cost, so here is a simple way to extend the life of each and every blade. The trick is to keep the blade clean and free of corrosion between shaves. I personally do not razor shave everyday. I usually electric shave 3-4 times a week and razor shave on my off days. What I found is that I could only get about 1-2 weeks out of the blade before it left me with a powerful case of razor burn and it was time to for a new one. At $3-$5 a blade this gets expensive quick.

To extend the blade's life I knew I had to keep it dry to prevent rust on the blade edge. Stainless steel, as most people know will corrode, just not as quickly as ordinary steal. The fix is simple, keep the blade submersed in mineral oil between shaves.

After I am done shaving, I rinse the blade clean, dry with a towel and drop it in a 1/2 inch of mineral oil in a coffee cup. You only need enough to cover the blade head, so a bottle of it will easily last for years. After doing this I was able to get 6-8 weeks of use before having the replace it. Right now I am in my 9th week with the same blade! I found the oil has no effect on the "moisturizing" strip either. The only affect at all is a longer lasting blade.

Mineral oil can be had for less than the cost of single blade and rinses away easily. I have not tested other types of oils like vegetable or olive oils but in theory they should work also.