Of all the blogs I follow, most are written by women. Some are a joint effort by a couple, but only a few are written by men. I'm not sure what the stats are for blogs in general, but if you take a sample of blogs that interest me, about farming and homesteading, they are mostly written by women.
As the topic of sustainable shaving relates to men, I feel I should dedicate this post to four male bloggers that I follow regularly:
Most of you will have heard for Gavin from The Greening of Gavin. He gardens, keeps chooks, and makes cheese and soap (and so many other things) on a small suburban block. Gavin also has a small business selling sustainable living supplies and workshops. I signed up for his affiliate program last year to help out with advertising and I haven't got around to mentioning it yet! I'll link to some relevant soap supplies at the end of this post.
A more recent addition is Phil from House of Simple, who regularly comments here and has some really interesting posts about simple and frugal living.
Further a field, An English Homestead, written by part-time stay-at-home dad and builder Kev, is a nice mix of DIY, farming and kids.
My other favourite is The Deliberate Agrarian by Herrick, which provides a more philosophical perspective on farming, gardening and self-sufficiency.
It was Phil's post about safety razors that got me interested. Since Pete started using my shaving soap and a brush, the main expense has been the single-use razors. Sometimes we will stand in front of the razor section of the supermarket for 10 minutes trying to pick the best value razor, but the reality is these single-use razors are expensive and wasteful. I didn't know there was an alternative until I saw Phil's post. I showed it to Pete and he was keen to give it a try so I ordered a razor and a pack of blades. He's been using it for a few months now and is very happy with it.
You can buy safety razors from a number of online sites, I really don't know why the price varies so widely from $30 to over $100 for a fancy handle! I got Pete a mid-priced safety razor and some blades. The blades work out to be able $1 each and last for a week or so (5-7 shaves). I think this is actually more expensive than the cheapest of the "disposable" razors, but around the same price as the nicer ones that we used to buy, and I feel better knowing there is less waste, just a metal blade which could probably be recycled if we were organised. Next step towards sustainability is the cut throat razor which just needs to be sharpened....
Soap making with Little Green Workshops (affiliate links)
If you are just getting started, a soap making kit will have everything you need. I like the Plain and Simple soap making kit because I personally don't use any artificial colours or fragrance oils in my soap. You can also buy the oils separately here. Of course I want you to buy my soap, but if you prefer soap with bright colours and a strong fragrance, Gavin has a lovely range to chose from here. Soap making workshops are coming up in March, so you should probably book now to avoid disappointment as I know they fill up fast!
There is also a great range of yoghurt making and cheese making supplies.
Have you tried safety razors? and shaving soap? what do you think?
How to rebatch a soap disaster
Why use natural soaps and salves?
Neem oil soap and salve
Shaving soap
Soap with coffee grounds
As the topic of sustainable shaving relates to men, I feel I should dedicate this post to four male bloggers that I follow regularly:
Most of you will have heard for Gavin from The Greening of Gavin. He gardens, keeps chooks, and makes cheese and soap (and so many other things) on a small suburban block. Gavin also has a small business selling sustainable living supplies and workshops. I signed up for his affiliate program last year to help out with advertising and I haven't got around to mentioning it yet! I'll link to some relevant soap supplies at the end of this post.
A more recent addition is Phil from House of Simple, who regularly comments here and has some really interesting posts about simple and frugal living.
Further a field, An English Homestead, written by part-time stay-at-home dad and builder Kev, is a nice mix of DIY, farming and kids.
My other favourite is The Deliberate Agrarian by Herrick, which provides a more philosophical perspective on farming, gardening and self-sufficiency.
It was Phil's post about safety razors that got me interested. Since Pete started using my shaving soap and a brush, the main expense has been the single-use razors. Sometimes we will stand in front of the razor section of the supermarket for 10 minutes trying to pick the best value razor, but the reality is these single-use razors are expensive and wasteful. I didn't know there was an alternative until I saw Phil's post. I showed it to Pete and he was keen to give it a try so I ordered a razor and a pack of blades. He's been using it for a few months now and is very happy with it.
You can buy safety razors from a number of online sites, I really don't know why the price varies so widely from $30 to over $100 for a fancy handle! I got Pete a mid-priced safety razor and some blades. The blades work out to be able $1 each and last for a week or so (5-7 shaves). I think this is actually more expensive than the cheapest of the "disposable" razors, but around the same price as the nicer ones that we used to buy, and I feel better knowing there is less waste, just a metal blade which could probably be recycled if we were organised. Next step towards sustainability is the cut throat razor which just needs to be sharpened....
Soap making with Little Green Workshops (affiliate links)
If you are just getting started, a soap making kit will have everything you need. I like the Plain and Simple soap making kit because I personally don't use any artificial colours or fragrance oils in my soap. You can also buy the oils separately here. Of course I want you to buy my soap, but if you prefer soap with bright colours and a strong fragrance, Gavin has a lovely range to chose from here. Soap making workshops are coming up in March, so you should probably book now to avoid disappointment as I know they fill up fast!
There is also a great range of yoghurt making and cheese making supplies.
Have you tried safety razors? and shaving soap? what do you think?
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| This is my peppermint shaving soap (blog post here) |
How to rebatch a soap disaster
Why use natural soaps and salves?
Neem oil soap and salve
Shaving soap
Soap with coffee grounds
Hi Liz - thanks for the kind mention. A little trick I use for dramatically extending the life of safety razor blades is to pop the blade out after each shave, rinse it off and then put it in a shallow bath of olive oil (I just use a tiny spice bowl). The thing that blunts blades the most is actually the oxidizing action of open air, not the actual shaving - who knew!? My blades now last conservatively 4 times longer now. Give it a whirl.
ReplyDeleteOh good tip, thanks Phil!
ReplyDeleteLiz, Phil always has good ideas doesn't he? It is nice to see some men blogging who are interested in simple living. I have read Gavin's blog in the past especially about his soap making so must check out the other blogs you linked to as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the mention!
ReplyDeleteI used to shave with a brush and soap, I like the whole process of mixing it nice and thick and shaving it off. Although now I haven't shaved in 2 years, I doubt either of my girls would reconise me if I shaved it off! I do like that my beard is low maintenance!
Hi Liz
ReplyDeleteI'm friends with Sally
We live on the eyre peninsula South Australia, we farm and love trying our best to be self sufficient. Next project is soap making. I have my beef tallow in my freezer ready for when I get my goodies ready!
Love your blog thanks for all the info!
😀 Mary-anne
Randall got himself an electric razor which was about $80 and can be used wet or dry. It has been going strong for over 12 months so far although he does not shave every day but now that he has it he does shave more than he used to.
ReplyDelete