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Suggestions for good / cheap disposable razors & soaps

If any forum can answer the question 'is there such a thing as a good disposable razor?', it's going to be Badger & Blade.

An appeal for advice. My partner is a nurse on an intensive care ward here in the UK. Through the pandemic she's worked incredibly hard to support her patients. Her workload changed from one-to-one patient care to being doubled, tripled and even quadrupled up with profoundly ill patients.

With the recent reduction in influx, she's occasionally had a little more time providing one-to-one care again, and likes to ensure all the basic jobs that can be missed at busy times get done. Since watching me take my journey into traditional shaving, she's found a real pleasure in being able to provide a good shave for her male patients who want one. She told me recently about the transformation she'd made for a long-term patient in a hospital where she went to provide cover. The gentleman had a full and very bushy beard - after washing & when she asked him how he liked it brushed, he replied he preferred to be clean shaven: she realised then he'd not been given a shave in months. He was too weak to do it himself, which is typical of the kind of patients she looks after.

After my partner completed the job, the patient was beaming; he immediately asked for his phone so he could call his wife. My partner was in the room hearing the conversation on speaker, and both man & wife were overjoyed at this small but significant act of care - he said he felt like a new man, and his wife was so happy to see him looking more his normal self. Nurse after nurse came into the room as word got about, all amazed by his appearance. And two nurses came back to my partner within the hour, asking her to come and see their patients - they'd done the same thing and there was a palpable feeling of happiness and hope on the unit. Small things matter.

Many of these patients have never had a family visit, and have been rushed in on blue lights. As such they rarely have their own shaving kit. The single-patient razors the hospital provide aren't great: she's careful with angle and pressure, but even so she finds she can produce nicks and post-shave rash at times. The 'shave cream' sachets are even worse so she makes a kind of lather with bath soap and water in her hands, and find this works OK but not great.

I want to invest a little money in some decent-quality disposable razors and shave soap samples, that my partner can keep in her work locker and use to provide the best shave possible. All the kit has to be disposable, for infection control. Can anyone comment on brands of razors and soap samples? Info would be greatly appreciated.

Luke
 

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
Personna/Edgewell makes great disposable and cartridge razors under a variety of names for various stores and even Amazon. For soap, I’d go with most anything marketed for sensitive skin. Neutrogena has a brushless cream that works very well.

After that, write them an at-home prescription for Koraat and Arko…

Editing to add: I do not know SRs beyond the one I own and only that it’s mine (a Tucmar)

And for the Edgewell razors, the best ones are the ones marketed for masculine gender identities or gender neutral. For some reason, they and Gillette have decided consumers with feminine gender identities hate efficient hair removal.
 
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linty1

My wallet cries.
I think its wonderful your partner wants to go the extra step in providing this for her patients, and I have no doubt you'll get nice suggestions. I would advise your partner to quickly run it by union or her supervisor to make sure bringing in outside tools is ok. I -know- your way is thought out/better, but reason takes a back seat sometimes to "rules are rules" and yes. Just to be sure. I would hate for something like "oh.. he got an ingrown... and it got infected... oh you used a razor we didn't prescribe?" You know what I mean?
 
I did try the Treo. It worked pretty well once I got used to shaving someone in front of me and not myself. Dad doesn’t care much for the included gel so I only use them now when he’s not coherent enough to have a preference. I think they’re a little expensive for a disposable but they do include the disposable gel. I’d think it would be worth giving it a try since everyone’s preferences are different. The folks your partner is caring for may not be as picky as Dad.

$25 USD for a case of 15 in the US Amazon store.

Since you have to go disposable I’d also recommend the Bic Metal.

Edit: one thing to add about the Treo. I struggle a bit if I let Dad’s beard go very long. It won’t mow down heavy growth.
 
Neutrogena has a brushless cream that works very well.

I use a full blown soap and brush with Dad. I know that’s not an option in the environment she’s working in.

I’d second this recommendation to pair with a disposable since she would have to worry about cross contamination. If that was an issue she could bring it into the room in a disposable pill cup or a small disposable drinking glass.

Also, I just like the Neutrogena.
 
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I'm not sure about disposables since (1) I'm not sure what is available in the UK and (2) I haven't used a disposable in over 20 years.

As for the cream, I second the recommendation of a good brushless cream. Cremo seems to be a favorite among brushless cream fans in this forum. I've never used it, but from the reviews here, I'd be comfortable recommending it.

That said, I've tried Pinaud Clubman shave butter and really liked that for a quick shave. One of the drawbacks, though, is that it might clog a razor if the latter is not frequently rinsed during a shave. On the plus side, the packaging says the shave butter can be left on the skin as an aftershave balm, too.
 
I have been shaving my dad for the last few months and I have been using the Treo off and on. I usually just use a brush and soap I have left at his place and his gold Ball End Tech but sometimes I bring something over to give him a change of pace. I always remember the smile he had when I gave him a shave using grandpa's GEM and great grandpa's scuttle.
 
Gentlemen,

Apologies to all contributors. I wanted to respond but have been a little tied up: I'm in healthcare too and have been managing an outbreak at my workplace - the fun doesn't stop does it... On the plus side, no-one here is acutely unwell.

I've read your input with interest and appreciation, and will look closely at the products ideas and issues mentioned. Massive thanks to all.

Luke
 
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