Several years ago, I switched from Gillette razor products to Billie Razors. But it’s time to revisit!
I do! Now that I’ve concluded my laser treatment, though, I go through blades extremely slowly. When I say extremely slowly, I mean I haven’t had blades shipped to me since April 2021 I was already going through them slowly back then and had several on hand. That April 2021 shipment gave me four more and I’ve just been working off that stockpile.
A pair of influencers on TikTok (which I don’t use) and Instagram gained notoriety last fall for sharing a profound discovery: you can shave both ways! SIGH. No, you cannot.
They explain that the the blades of women’s razors are dual edged and can cut on both an up and a downstroke. So, without changing the orientation of your razor, you can just go in one direction, then reverse. They say you shave faster with this method because you’re covering the area in half the time (or less). You may also think of this as backwards and forwards, or a push motion in addition to a pull when the razor is held in such a way that you do not change its direction.
These ladies are wrong.
The conclusions some people reach astound me. It makes me wonder, “Have you ever looked at your razor?” But of course, if they had, they would not be peddling this nonsense on social media. Or maybe they would. Maybe they realize people are gullible and don’t care if they embarrass themselves for the sake of content.
The construction of a modern consumer non-safety razor won’t let you do this fake life hack. That’s whether it is disposable or the replacement-head variety, (the likes of which are sold by Billie, Gillette, Schick, Flamingo, etc). These razors are built such that the blades are secured in a housing angled so that they can only cut on a downstroke (or, perhaps, sideways if you’re unlucky and slip/slice. Ouch.)
Okay, guilty. But I’m also not wrong. Let’s look at this through a scientific lens. We’ll start by making a hypothesis that supports these ladies’ position. We will keep that hypothesis simple and focused on the part that makes their stance fall apart: that the razor can cut backwards.
If I glide my razor backwards, then it will cut hair.
It won’t, because the angle of the blades cannot possibly shave that way. It would be like writing with the end of your pen instead of the tip. You can’t. More accurately, it would be like trying to cut a steak with the blunt (non-sharpened) side of your steak knife.
Look at this razor head. This is a Gillette Venus head. Each of the three red lines terminates at a blade’s edge. They don’t just flip around, and hairs don’t come into contact with the top of that blade. That would be necessary for this claim to work.
This is a simple case of reaching the wrong conclusion. It isn’t that they aren’t experiencing a speed or efficiency gain necessarily. It’s that how they might be, if they are, is not what they think.
Instead of hair being cut on both a forward and backward pass, it has more to do with momentum and glide. The influencers who demonstrate this are moving very quickly. They don’t realize that they’re applying more of the lubricant bar’s product to their skin as they move, for one. Two, because its a constant up-down-up-down-up-down motion rather than calculated top-to-bottom (or vice-versa), reset, repeat, they are using their momentum to get the job done faster.
Science!
Look, I’m a curmudgeon these days. Okay, I’ll be honest, I was always a curmudgeon. But when I saw this not only making waves on other platforms but also making it onto blogs I otherwise trust, I had to facepalm and point this out, even if it took a while.
Suffice to say, critical thinking isn’t a bad thing. It isn’t to say that TikTok and Instagram never get things or clever little life hacks right, but this isn’t one of them.
In 2019, I started getting professional Laser Hair Removal treatments. Yes; even though I at one point purchased a Silkn Flash & Go device, I splurged on the real deal as a birthday gift to myself.
In short? I’m glad I did.
I started with underarms and brazilian laser hair removal treatment, and added lower leg about six months later.
You may experience a solid reduction in that time, but those cases are probably statistical outliers used for the benefit of marketing. Many cases do take longer going to get the results you want (significant reduction/removal) in that time.
I’ve been going for about a year and have maybe 5 active follicles remaining for my underarms. Brazilian is not quite as an aggressive reduction yet, but that can be owed to the thoroughness of the esthetician (comfort levels vary); and I get it.
If you’re considering laser hair removal, ask providers about average results and what to expect fee wise if treatment takes longer than the 5-6 that are so commonly touted. In my case, buying what equates to the cost of 5-6 treatments (‘a full course’) entitles me to however many I need over a two year period to get the job done.
It isn’t universally painless. There are many variables that contribute to discomfort that you might feel. To name a few:
“I really enjoy hair removal,” said no one – ever.
A few years ago, I purchased a Silkn Flash n Go Freedom home-use IPL hair reduction light. After some consistent use on underarms and bikini for a while, although there was a reduction, I didn’t see the level of results I wanted as fast as I wanted. As a result, my adoption and consistency-of-use plummeted. I still have it, it still works. I’m toying with the idea of using it on my legs; shaving my legs doesn’t annoy me nearly as much as underarms and bikini, so if it doesn’t yield the results I hope for, it won’t be upsetting.
I spent over a year as a client of European Wax Center. I liked it at first, but ultimately broke up with EWC.
For my birthday this year, I decided to treat myself to the real deal and get legit laser hair removal. At a med spa. By a professional. With badass professional equipment.
I opted for both underarms and brazilian treatment because I hate dealing with those the most. Legs aren’t as annoying.
I’m comfortable divulging and will if there is interest – but it varies so much depending on:
For me, buying a round of six treatments (which is the typically-stated average it takes to do the job) entitles me to endless touchups/revisits for the next two years. Six treatments was not enough to obliterate everything in my treatment areas, so – good thing my med-spa offers that program.
It’s also worth noting that most providers are calling this a laser hair reduction or permanent hair reduction now rather than removal. There is a chance that over time some growth could return, so it’s a legal/CYA thing.
Let’s break it down.
Billie RazorShaving. Many of us do it, most of us aren’t particularly in love with the process for one reason or another. Be it time, cost, irritation – whatever. Let’s face it; the drugstore heavy-hitters when it comes to razors are expensive AF. Even favoring men’s razors in an attempt to eschew the Pink Tax doesn’t always give you the results you’re looking for.
At the end of January, I placed an order for a Billie razor. They arrived promptly, and within a couple days I tried my new razor.
My Billie razor came pre-assembled. That is, the head was attached to the handle already. For fun, I popped it off to get a sense for how it behaves. Like many razors, the head detatch/disengage mechanism is a slide-latch at the neck. The head pops off relatively easily. Placing a new one on the handle, however, was a little fussier of a process than removal was. There are little lanes or tracks on the head that make it a little difficult to attach a new one without closely scrutinizing the attachment mechanism.
Basically, I can pop a new head on a Venus or Mach3 without looking. I have to look at the Billie to do it. I initially thought this was just because I was less-familiar with the hardware, but its also just that the mechanism is a little less elegant.
Recently, an ad for Billie Razors punctuated my Instagram feed. Featuring a sleek, simple handle and an aloe-encased blade cartridge, Billie doesn’t seem to be trying to sell you the world. Some ads are cute, some try to show their products realistically engaged in hair removal on women who actually have hair to remove. Quaint notion, right?
Railing against the Pink Tax and aspiring to simplify hair removal for those of us who desire it, Billie Razors follows a subscription-based business model not unlike Dollar Shave Club or Harry’s.
You sign up for a starter kit, then get a recurring shipment of replacement blades based on how you describe your shaving frequency to Billie.
Wow, talk about a nice user experience! Billie’s web team made a simple site that is responsive and pleasant to interact with in both mobile- and desktop-formats.