7 Sustainable Women’s Razors For a Clean Shave & Cleaner Planet

Environmentally friendly razors, are more crucial now than ever, given that the EPA estimates those candy-colored single-use plastic razors sold at drugstores take 1000 years to decompose.

Things today are coming full circle because reusable solutions for the modern woman are actually the tried and true designs of bygone days.

In other words, women’s reusable razors aren’t antiquated and outdated; instead, they’re the OG zero waste bathroom essentials that provide a kinder and more cost-effective shaving experience.

To help smooth out our selection of the best brands, our new Brand Rating System considers 22 different criteria, from sustainable materials to product performance and durability. We’ll be updating all of our articles with the ratings shortly. For the full details, head to our explainer.

Leaf’s Women’s Reusable Razors

Price Range: $59–$143

While we don’t have any five blade razors on this list, this one comes close—just like its buttery smooth shave!

Leaf‘s triple blade razor is the perfect reusable alternative to drugstore razors like the Gillette Venus, allowing for a sleek, plastic-free shave of comfort and ease.

Instead of a disposable head, this pivoting head razor uses three standard metal blades that you can then recycle either locally or through Leaf’s mail-in blade recycling service.

The Leaf Kit includes the razor, a minimalist stand, a pack of ample replacement razor blades, and a reusable blade bank to safely store your old ones until you have enough to recycle.

We’ve been using safety razors for years, so we were curious to see how it would feel using a pivoting head design once more, and we were more than pleasantly surprised.

The spring loading in the head makes applying the perfect amount of pressure easy, and it leaves our skin feeling supple and smooth, without the razor burn. Even that pesky crook inside the armpit doesn’t stand a chance against this razor.

If you prefer a close and sturdy shave with a single-blade, fixed head safety razor, Leaf also offers one.

Both designs come in gold, silver, chrome, black, purple, and rose gold, with a chunky handle optimizing for grip and control.

About Leaf

Leaf has prevented 10 million-plus razors from entering landfills and waterways in the last year alone.

The company, whose motto is “plastic free shaving made easy,” is also now Climate Neutral certified and financially supports climate-action initiatives.

OUI the People’s Best Razor For Women

Price Range: $85–$149

It’s easy to say “oui” (“yes”) to OUI the People’s stainless steel weighted razor, which is custom-engineered to shave hair without irritating your skin, making them some of the best razors for sensitive skin.

Their uni-blade safety razors provide you with the easy, super smooth shave you want, anywhere you want (hello bikini area!), without any ingrown hairs (goodbye pubic hair!), skin sensitivity, or razor bumps.

The razor’s handle is also curved specially for a woman’s grip in hard to reach areas, making it one of the best razors for shaving pubic hair for women.

They’re available in classic chrome or rose gold, standalone or in a razor kit.

About OUI the People

It’s not only OUI the People’s brand name that’s razor sharp.

They make some of the best stainless steel safety razors for women of all skin types.

Their nickel-free and sustainable stainless steel products are designed to stop ingrown hairs, razor burn, chafing, and dry skin.

The Black and female-owned company sells a variety of planet-friendly products for women, and buck the antiquated tradition of women needing to be “flawless” and “perfect” with their “reConstitution of beauty.“

EcoRoots’ Sustainable Women’s Razors

Price Range: $40

It’s a proper eco-shave right to the root with EcoRoots’ safety razors, which come in stylish rose gold or black.

This affordable razor shaves in at half the price of many of its current competitors, and works just as well at shaving facial hair or body hair while preventing razor burn, which is why it gets our tried-and-tested vote as best safety razor for women.

Made from zinc alloy and stainless steel, it’s 100% recyclable, though we’re betting it will be an object of use for life.

It comes with five thin blades for replacement after about six uses.

Revamp your whole shaving experience in one fell swoop with their Women’s Shaving Kit, complete with one of their safety razors, blades, and an organic soap bar.

About EcoRoots

Colorado-based EcoRoots is an ethical online shopping empire. What began as a small-scale marketplace for ethical cleaning supplies became a superstar sustainable beauty brand.

They make all of their items in the US and ship in exclusively low-to-no waste packaging.

If you’re looking for more zero waste swaps than just your regular shaving experience, we highly recommend them as a resource and outlet.

They donate a portion of sales to the Ocean Conservancy through 1% For the Planet.

Shoreline Shaving’s Reusable Women’s Shavers UK

Price Range: $13–$45

Shoreline Shaving makes stainless steel and bamboo safety razors that are the perfect eco-friendly replacement for single use plastic razors, in ten eye-popping colors.

Some of the best plastic-free razors for women, they’re safe for sensitive skin and hard to reach areas, featuring a double-edge blade that reduces razor burn, tugging, pulling, and rashes.

Like one happy Etsy buyer says, “The quality is undeniable and at a price point you cannot refuse.”

We recommend trying their Women’s Shaving Kit that comes with a razor for women, shaving soap, ten replacement safety razor blades, and a hessian storage bag—all in a recycled gift box.

About Shoreline Shaving

As the moniker suggests, Shoreline Shaving is passionate about our seas.

All packaging and shipping, as with their razor, is 100% plastic-free and eco-friendly.

The family-run shop may be small, but they put their money where their mouth (or freshly-shaved mustache) is, with regular donations going to The Ocean Cleanup and Surfers Against Sewage.

Jungle Culture’s Eco-Friendly Women’s Razors

Price Range: $23–$42

The culture of the jungle is zero waste, and Jungle Culture achieves just that with their line of reusable items that includes some of the best non-disposable razors for women.

Made of a mix of bamboo and chrome, pastel painted chrome, or dyed metallic black or rose gold chrome, they’re all weighted and feature a blade cover to help those new to refillable razors.

Our favorite razor for women is the Bamboo Safety Razor, featuring Earth’s most sustainable material: bamboo.

If you’re an avid traveler, each razor comes with an all-natural organic cotton or sustainably harvested jute travel bag to protect the blade in your sustainable luggage.

About Jungle Culture

What began as a single reusable bamboo straw transformed into a brand ethically creating and selling zero waste shaving cream, cutlery, and much more.

Jungle Culture provides the UK (and world) with all kinds of eco-friendly alternatives, all the while supporting farmers and artisans with liveable wages and a supportive community (for example, building local bamboo houses).

Jungle Culture is 100% plastic-free and a 1% For The Planet member.

Bambaw’s Best Women’s Reusable Razor

Price Range: $30

If you’re looking for a beautiful object that is more efficient, less expensive and better for the planet, look no further than Bambaw’s reusable safety razor for women.

Choose between colorful stainless steel or a mix of stainless steel and bamboo.

The latter is especially good for beginners thanks to the chunky bamboo handle that delivers excellent control over the double-edge recyclable blades.

But all options provide a clean shave, stop razor bumps or razor burn, and prevent irritation on the dreaded bikini line.

About Bambaw

Bambaw is passionate about making products that are reusable or biodegradable.

Their advocacy and fundraising work for issues surrounding waste is called Heroes of Zero, and they also partner with 5 Gyres and the Plastic Soup Foundation to tackle the plastic crisis.

All purchases are delivered carbon-neutral.

ZWS Essentials’ Best Stainless Steel Razors For Women

Price Range: $25

Do safety razors look intimidating to you?

Fear not, you’ll quickly get comfortable as you experience a gentle and close shave, smoother glide, easily replaceable blade, and a razor for women that lasts decades.

Because more razor blades doesn’t mean better!

ZWS Essentials’ 100% stainless steel razor is designed to last a lifetime and replacement blades (sold separately) cost less than $0.40 per blade.

That means a whole lot of s(h)avings and a whole lot less body hair in those hard to reach sensitive areas… win-win.

This is another one we’ve tested out and appreciate not only its solid shaving performance, but how the simple, elegant silver looks in our bathroom.

About Zero Waste Essentials

ZWS Essentials is the in-house brand of one of our favorite zero waste online stores,: ZeroWasteStore.com (imagine that!).

ZeroWasteStore.com has a massive selection of zero waste products, like organic shampoo bars, cleaning supplies, and so much more—both from their in-house brand and other sustainable partners.

All products are reusable or compostable, as well as cruelty-free, natural or organic, palm oil-free, and mostly vegan.

They’re also Climate Neutral, ship plastic-free, and support various environmental causes through 1% For the Planet.

This may cut deep, but there’s no other way to slice it: single use plastic razors are a hairy mess for the environment.

Not only are drugstore razors non-recyclable and a significant contributor to landfill waste, but they likewise cause damage by leaching toxic chemicals into our waterways.

It’s far from hair-larious to learn 2 billion disposable razors are discarded annually in the US. That’s more than 63 razors per second.

An estimated 158.1 million Americans used disposable razors in 2020, and it’s expected to increase to 160.16 million by 2024.

If that doesn’t make your skin crawl, the long-term impact of single-use plastic razors should.

Because they’re made of non-renewable resources with limited recyclability that take hundreds (perhaps thousands) of years to decompose, this means a whole lot of microplastics are continuously released into our waterways, our seas, and our drinking water.

While companies like BIC have unsuccessfully tried to start recycling programs, others like Gillette are fortunately now recyclable through Terracycle.

The downside, though, is that there are only 200 recycling centers and the cost to ship old razors is on the consumer.

One shave at a time, we can make a difference thanks to sustainable alternatives, which are reusable razors made of stainless steel, bamboo, metal, or brass.

Tips For Sustainable Women’s Razors

We promise that with a bit of practice, safety razors won’t get under your skin.

In fact, much like leg hair, they’ll grow on you by following three pro-tips:

1. Keep it wet: It’s called wet shaving and it’s better for your skin, reducing razor burns and ingrown hairs when done the right way. Use ample shaving cream or organic body wash, and lather up with a lotion after.
2. Keep it light: You don’t need to add much pressure. These razors are precision-engineered to work best under the weight of their own heads, so simply hold it at 45-degrees.
3. Keep it slow: Holding it lightly against your skin, the blade should glide slowly across your skin, removing the hair in one fell swoop. No need to go over and over the same area, although you can re-lather with shaving soap and go a second time against the grain.

Pivoting Head Vs Safety Razor

While we only feature one pivoting head option with multiple thin blades here, it’s important to distinguish this type of razor from your standard safety razor.

If a razor is going to have multiple blades, the moving head helps with the angle at which the blades meet the skin.

Plus, with the moving head, you can choose whether you want the closest shave with three blades, a close shave with two blades, or use only one blade with the moving head, which is best for those with sensitive skin.

As for the safety razor, in spite of what its name suggests, its bare blades and zero skin guards can seem anything but safe.

Instead of a multi-blade moving head, the safety razor features a single stationed replaceable blade that is double-sided and requires just a small learning curve.

Safety razors come recommended because they’re environmentally friendly, kinder to your skin, and more hygienic, since they don’t end up dragging the residue of soap, hair, and dead cells across your skin.

Recycling Women’s Razor Blades

The best reusable razor (women’s or men’s!) means one without any waste, so we still need to consider what to do when the blades get dull.

Since they’re sharp and hazardous, women’s razor blades aren’t accepted with the rest of your curbside recycling.

You’ll need to check with your city council to learn where your community collects scrap metal.

Scrap metal recycling locations aren’t the easiest to locate in the US, but many pharmacies and drug stores will also accept them.

Alternatively, you can always mail your safety razor blades of any brand to Leaf.