Don't reuses increase the likely hood of acne/infections?

[zetsui]

I always wonder, and can understand economically, why people reuse their blades. But from an acne/pimple/infection POV doesn't something that has touched water and allowed to stay that way for days...or weeks gonna cause acne/rashes/infections more frequently?

Water is an excellent medium for bacteria. Mildew infested showers are like that because of moisture. Take out the moisture with a fan/sun and you have no/slow buildup. Isn't it the same with blades?

 

[smalltank]

ill admit my bathroom makes alot of moisture..heater for 30 minutes helps..I wash my shower floor with water and bleach to minimize mildrew odor and discoloration.

 

[Quigg]

You can always rinse the blade with alcohol after each use. I poured a bottle of alcohol into a sealed jar and it lasts almost forever.

 

[cb91710]

With a DE blade, it's not something that is being used for weeks. Depending on the person, it's 3-5 shaves and it's in the trash.

That said... a straight razor will last a couple of lifetimes, but it also needs to be dried or the blade will not last more than a few months.

Shaving soap, after shave, alum, witch hazel... it is unlikely that anything that happens to survive 24 hours on the blade is going to survive 15 minutes on your face.

 

[Mick]

Not heard this one before.

 

[smalltank]

cb91710

but it also needs to be dried or the blade will not last more than a few months.

I thought it was a few moments....I was was told 5 tops...

 

[mhdena]

Razor blades do not cause acne

Come On Man!

 

[Go West Young Man]

You overlook the "soap and hot water " component of the shave.....

 

[cb91710]

cb91710

but it also needs to be dried or the blade will not last more than a few months.

I thought it was a few moments....I was was told 5 tops...

I'm thinking straights... not DE. They're a bit more durable, but no... even a carbon steel blade will not rust into uselessness within 5 minutes.
I shower shave and my blade is wet for a solid 15 minutes, and damp from air plus having water splashed on it for another 15.
Then another 5 while I towel off and apply Skin-Food, THEN dry and strop the straight.

 

[tango68]

I don't think you could keep a blade around long enough to get it to grow enough bacteria to be significant. Your tooth brush is probably more of a source of bacteria (and fecal matter) than your razor. besides sterilization is always temporary at best and not always what its cracked up to be. Some bacteria is good. besides your shaving your face not performing surgery.

 

[pipskicks]

I notice some rust on my blades and only from a day or two (I use my blades twice only!). Maybe it's the cheap Russian steel, I'm not sure, but the rust isn't on the actual edge.

I can also attest that my actual razor (a Gillette Slim) I just cleaned, but before yesterday looked like it had gunk collecting up everywhere (I guess I don't rinse it well enough, I'm not very OCD on keeping my razor/blade clean), and I get more acne now when I don't shave.


I will admit that since wet shaving, I have been shaving just about daily, and I've been using a ton more skincare products than I had ever before. I'm pretty sure this is the cause of it, but if I don't shave for 2 days, I'm almost guaranteed some acne...My face is just used to being exfoliated and cleaned every day, and regular face wash isn't the same as washing your face with a blade!

 

[Teddyboy]

News to me.

 

[Alpine Dad]

While I am not about to use some other person's used razor blade, I do not think there are going to be any issues re-using my own razor blade. I think most people are going to be changing their razor blade before it becomes too great a medical hazard. Opening my blade bank on the otherhand may well be a bio-hazard but I am not about to do that either.

Cheers

 

[Mandina]

By that standard, we should discard a toothbrush after each use, too.

 

[yakster]

I wipe the scum off my DE blades and spray them with alcohol after each use... not for fear of acne or infection but to clean them and keep them sharp. I throw my blades away on Monday and start fresh with a new blade and a new razor. The old razor gets sprayed with scrubbing bubbles and rinsed well to get rid of any soap scum and hard water deposits.

 

[cb91710]

Bingo.

We have an immune system for a reason.
Some people may have issues with infection, but a normal healthy person will not.

 

[Bubblehead]

I'm thinking straights... not DE. They're a bit more durable, but no... even a carbon steel blade will not rust into uselessness within 5 minutes.
I shower shave and my blade is wet for a solid 15 minutes, and damp from air plus having water splashed on it for another 15.
Then another 5 while I towel off and apply Skin-Food, THEN dry and strop the straight.

You use a straight in the shower? You are a braver man than I!

 

[cb91710]

You use a straight in the shower? You are a braver man than I!

Yup.
Summer hits and the AC gets the air too dry... shaving in front of the sink is a hassle having to constantly rehydrate the lather.

 

[Robert45]

Most bacteria need moisture to be viable. A dry blade won't be much of a safe harbor for them.

 

[cstephens]

besides your shaving your face not performing surgery.

most days this is true. This morning I looked like I belonged on a table at a M*A*S*H unit!