Options. Where would we be in life without them? If you’ve landed on this page, you’re probably thinking about your shaving options, wondering what’s right for you, what will actually deliver results for your sensitive skin, and how much you should pay for the privilege.
As consumers ourselves, we know that your final choice will be solely based on what’s right for you, so we’re not here to convince you. Shocking, we know. We’re here to tell you what goes into a THE SINGLE Sensitive Skin Razor and why we’re the bomb. *cough* The bias is real.
Why so spendy?
Aka, what’s the difference between your razor and the $25 razor? There are a handful of remaining manufactures left in the world that make safety razors, I believe the last count was 5, so yeah, literally a handful. We work with one that has been specializing in this craft for over 100 years. The craftswomen and men (yep, you read that right) that make our razors have been dedicated to their work for decades in this German town. That means they earn fair wages and there is no child labor involved. That means their knowledge, time, materials, and quality craftswomanship end up in our products. That means we pay for that expertise and our access to engineers, testing, and quality control.
The Making of THE SINGLE Sensitive Skin Razor
It started in 2015, and about a year prior, I’d gone in search of a solution for decades-long suffering from ingrown hairs and razor burn. After learning this was related to the multi-blade razors I was using on my sensitive skin, I tested a safety razor. For the first time in my life, I was ingrown and irritation-free. I’m sure you know the old adage about building what you need, so built it I did. But not without help. We build all of our products with what we call our customer advisory group, real customers using every product before we refine it. We gathered their feedback on the weight, angle, balance, and handle length of the razor and worked with our engineers in Germany to perfect the OUI razor. And no, we didn’t ask them those technical questions, we gathered that from answers to a simpler question “How does it feel?” So what does the weight, angle, and handle length actually mean for your skin?
- The angle of a safety razor (aka single-blade razor) determines how gentle your shave is. There are angles that are better for beards, but there were none designed specifically for legs before we launched OUI. Our angle is what is considered “mild” in the world of safety razors, and it’s the mildest of the lot. Why? Because sensitive skin needs kinder treatment. Because although you may feel as if your bikini grows a beard, trust us, it does not.
- The weight of our razor means a great deal to the quality of your shave. Did you know that part of what’s causing your razor burn is pressing down on your skin with multi-blade razors? Or that because multi-blade razors cut the hair below the skin surface, they result in folliculitis when your hair grows back? That irritation to the follicle results in ingrown hairs when they curl back under the skin. The OUI razor weighs about 4 ounces, which may not mean much until it’s in your hand. Essentially, it does the work of any pressure you need to shave, and you, my friend, shouldn’t press down on it when you shave. In the words of one of our very smart customers, you should shave as if you were tracing a feather. She gets us.
- The balance is related to the razor’s weight. Our razors are balanced throughout with more weight distributed towards the head, contributing to that effortless shave you’re aiming for.
- We tested a few handle lengths with early customers and found a sweet spot that easily reaches everywhere from legs to armpits. Our handle length allows for ease of use while maintaining the integrity of the balance. We make no assumption that it’s perfect for everyone, both handle, and razor, but we’re happy that it’s great for most. All we can ask for really, as shaving is personal.
#Crueltyfree
We do not test any products on animals. Our razors shave human hair to test their efficacy.
Sustainable
We don’t easily adopt the term sustainable to describe our products. Let me be clear, we work really hard on each and every product to make sure that we can be gentler on the environment, and we’re incredibly proud that our razor is a sustainable choice for many. Razors are the most wasteful bathroom product and 2 billion disposable razors end up in landfills every year. The fact is that when you’re making and selling a product, sustainability is a very high bar to achieve from cradle to grave. We don’t begin at the cradle just yet (we’re not mining the iron ore for example), but we’re closer to the middle/third of that chain. After sourcing the materials, it’s our job to package them in such a way that you can make an informed choice that you feel good about. Our bottles are made of recyclable materials, they are refillable, and our razors are now packaged in 100% paperboard. We’re also using glass in products that make sense and we’ll continue to push our designers, our craftswomen & men, and our suppliers to do our best.
A safety razor is not for everyone
Right now you’re probably like “is she trying to sell me or not?”. If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years, it’s that shaving is incredibly personal. You should know that if you’re not interested in slowing down, being patient with the process, or willing to read & follow the directions, you won’t have a great experience with a safety razor and if it's not for you, that's fine we also have a handful of product we suggest to use whether you're using our razor or another. You can check them out here.
I do believe that’s the end of my TED talk my people. Thank you for reading and doing the work to find the right option for you, that is absolutely all that matters.
xo,
Karen
Founder OUI the People
