How to get a near perfect shave in less than ₹5

Those of us who believe in the old school notion of "Simple Living, High Thinking" (or alternatively, chaadar jitni badi ho, pair utne hi failane chahiye!) are always looking for ways to curb home expenses and save as much as possible. And even otherwise, since we are currently in the midst of a world wide pandemic, it only makes sense that we live a life of frugality as much as possible.

And if you are a dude, one of the obvious expenses is your shaving expense. I've seen many people use costly brands like Gilette Mach 3, Turbo, Fusion, etc. which are nothing but a huge drain on your pockets. In this article, we will see how you can get the exact same level of near perfect and clean shave as you get from these costly brands in less than ₹5 per shave! Don't believe it? Then continue reading.

I'm obviously not including the one time expenses here like a shaving brush and metallic razor as they last for several years. For a metallic razor, you can invest in a dual-edge (for that's what our whole saving logic is based on!) such as this one which costs ₹269 on Flipkart. For brush, there is this one which costs ₹65 on Flipkart Grocery.

Anyway, now comes the real part of interest: the monthly or recurring expense! The good thing about a dual-edge shaving blade is that they don't cost much. Even if you go for one of the best Indian brands and a super platinum model, it will work out to hardly about two bucks per blade! And considering that each blade can get your four perfect shaves (two each from each sides), the cost per shave works out to be hardly 50 paise! To get huge discounts on dual edge blades, buy from Amazon. Popular ones are Supermax Platinum Double Edge, Topaz Platinum, 7'O Clock Super Platinum, etc.

They come in packs of at least 100, so if you're someone who shaves every alternate day, one of these will easily last for at least a year. Don't be overly choosy about the brands, there may be slight variation in their sharpness but they are all roughly the same and each will give you at least four shaves (two from each side).

Another running expense is that of shaving cream! Here, you can either go for one of the top running brands like Gilette, Dettol, Godrej, etc. or if you want to spend money smartly, go for one of the inexpensive brands like Vi-John or Patanjali which cost only half the amount but cream quality is the same regardless and doesn't make a big difference in your overall shaving experience.

Once you perform a shave, now comes the question of after-shave lotion. Recalling that I mentioned one time expenses earlier, consider investing in a shaving alum such as this one on Amazon or this one on Flipkart. Unlike costly after-shave solutions like Old Spice and Nivea, these are chemical-free, naturally antiseptic and last long for several years!

If you're really pressed for money, you can just apply the shaving alum and call it done. But after saving so much on shaving expenses, if you want to give yourself an occasional treat then consider applying an aloe-vera gel/balm as a second or proper after-shave post the alum. This one from Flipkart costs only ₹380 per KG and should last for years!

And oh, not to mention aloe-vera gel has tons of other benefits for your hair and skin too apart from being a natural antiseptic, so you can also make other uses of it apart from an after-shave balm.

Now coming to the cost factor, this is how the running cost works out per shave:

1. Blade (SuperMax/7O'Clock/Topaz): ₹0.5 (assuming 4 shaves per blade).
2. Shaving Cream (Vi-John):         ₹2.6 (assuming 5 grams per shave).
3. Aloe-vera Gel (Kazima):          ₹1.9 (assuming 5 grams per shave).
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TOTAL:                              ₹5.0

Assuming you are an alternate day shaver who shaves 15 times every 30 days or 1 month, your monthly shaving expense will be only ₹75 if you apply this method! Consider that costly brands like Mach 3, Fusion, etc. cost several times that for only one item such as a razor or blade.

You can probably make even more savings by using the aloe-vera gel sparingly and buying stuff in bulk to avail discounts. Your local stores may possibly sell these at even bigger discounts than Flipkart/Amazon. Check it out and let us know!