ad banner

How to Sharpen Razor Blades for the Long Term

Avatar for Jodie Weston Jodie Weston  |  Updated: December 16, 2020
How to Sharpen Razor Blades for the Long Term

This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Full Disclosure Here.

These days I have been doing a lot of thinking about my daily hygiene and beauty routine as it relates to a long term survival situation.  I don’t want to appear frivolous but for me, feeling clean and looking nice are an important part of feeling good about myself in general.  I do not think that my thoughts in this regard are limited to women and in fact, the Survival Husband feels much the same way, albeit without the need for a touch of lipstick and blush.

While an article on survival hygiene is long overdue, today I want to share with you a great tip for increasing the longevity of razor blades.  Anyone who shaves – and this includes men and their beards and ladies and their legs – knows two things.  One, razor blades are darn expensive and two, a dull razor blade will cut you up and result in a big bloody mess.

Sharpen Razor on Jeans

For the past few months I have been doing some research, trying to learn how to increase the longevity of the common razor blade.  One strategy that worked well was drying the blade with a hair dryer after each use.  Good to know, of course, but highly impractical in a survival situation.

I recently learned of a new technique and after testing with three separate razors, I can attest to its efficacy.

Sharpening a Razor Blade Using Blue Jeans

This method of sharpening a dull razor blade is so very simple that I am surprised more people don’t know about it.

1.  Clean your razor in a little cup of soapy water.

Let it sit for awhile so that all of the old goo and gunk float away.

Sharpen Razor on Jeans (4)

What I did was spray some of my Tea Tree Wonderful in a glass and let the razor soak for about an hour.  I could not believe the crud that came loose!

2.  Dry your razor by shaking away then excess moisture the wiping it off with a towel (or in my case, a microfiber cloth).

Sharpen Razor on Jeans (3)

These are the razors I used for testing.  All were old and dull.

3.  Going in the opposite of your normal shaving direction, run the razor across some blue jean material about 20 times.

This is called stropping. Remember, you want to run the shaver backwards!

That’s it – easy peasy.

The Testimonial

When I was done sharpening the razor blades, I handed the Survival Husband his razor and told him to give it a try.  Now let me say this: he was doubtful to say the least.

Sharpen Razor on Jeans (1)

The first words out of his mouth were “Wow, this is really sharp”.  I asked him how old the blade was and he said about a month.  It was ready for the trash any day now.

Need convincing?

As part of my research, I came across the following YouTube video.  It demonstrates the process for you and although the author refers to sharpening a disposable razor, in my tests a standard razor (not the disposable type) worked equally well.

Some Thoughts on the Budget

I like to save money just as much as the next person.  As near as I can tell, refill razor blades are expensive.  Let’s say you can get one month’s use out or each.  That would be $24 a year.  If you could double their life by sharpening the blades on a pair of blue jeans, you would save $12 right off the bat.

How many times can you re-sharpen the razor blades?  Time will tell but if you ask me, my best guess is that you can re-sharpen then at least twice, if not more.  It certainly is worth a try.

The Story Continued

What started out as a great Wednesday shortly turned into a bloody mess.  The short version of the story is that Shelly, aka the Survival Husband, decided to touch up his bald head with a dull razor blade.  What happened next was a scrape about one and a half inches long and a half inch wide.  Who would have thought that so much blood could pour out of such a small wound.

I grabbed some gauze to soak up what I could, then dabbed on some boo-boo stick followed by miracle slave.  While he held a clean piece of gauze in place, I grabbed the first aid kit and used a chunk of 1″ stretch wrap bandage aka “Vet Wrap” to hold the gauze in place.  Although he looked like a dork for the rest of the day, the bleeding stopped and we were able to remove the makeshift bandage at bedtime.

How to Avoid Nicks and Cuts by Sharpening Razor Blades | Backdoor Survival

Whether it was his great healing powers, or the essential oils in the Boo-Boo stick and salve, by the next morning, there was barely a scar.

When all was said and done, he got a harsh scolding for using a dull razor blade.  There is absolutely no excuse for that since sharpening your own razor blades only takes a minute or two and is a cinch.  All you need is scrap of old denim.

Need the recipe for Boo-Boo Stick?  You can find it here:  Make Your Own Healing Boo-Boo Stick.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Facebook which is updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or link to a free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon.  You can also follow Backdoor Survival on Pinterest.

In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Bargain Bin:  Stock up on a small supply of razor blades then sharpen them yourself!  Check out these and a few more items related to today’s article.

Gillette Sensor Excel Razor:  This is an extremely popular razor.  According to the reviewers, it is difficult these days to find it locally.  Shelly (the Survival Husband) uses this razor with the 3-blade refills.

Gillette Mach3 Men’s Razor Blade Refills 15 Count:  These are the refill blades that Shelly uses.  He has not felt the need to go beyond the 3 blade type of razor.  Can you imagine giving these the longevity of 30 or even 45 blades?

Gillette Sensor3 Smooth Shave Disposable Razor 8 Count:  Many folks prefer disposable blades but personally?  Although we use them, we like the heft of a traditional, non-disposable razor.

Soft ‘N Style Clear Spray Bottles I happen to like these smaller bottles and you can not beat the price for a set of 6.  Likewise for these Pump Dispensers.

Stretch Bandage Wrap, 1” 30 rolls: I first learned about self-adhesive bandages when my dog came home from the vet such a bandage wrapped around his leg.  A light went off telling me I needed to add some to my first-aid kit.  And so I did.  This is a fantastic price and rivals the price at the farm supply.  I rarely use old-fashioned band aids any more.  You are going to love this stuff.

Mylar bags & Oxygen Absorbers: What I love about Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers is they protect against every single one of the food storage enemies. Prices do vary but for the most part, they are inexpensive and easy to keep on hand. And while you can seal them up with a FoodSaver, some tubing and a common clothes iron, I find it infinitely easier with a cheap hair straightening iron that you can pick up for very cheap.

Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth, (Pack of 36): No list of DIY cleaning supplies would be complete without these wonderful microfiber cloths. They will last you for years and will allow you to replace paper towels forever. Truly. I color code using blue for glass and windows and the other colors for everything else. I love these. They are not as “fuzzy” as the Z-wipes.  I have both types.

Spark Naturals Essential 4 Pack:  This 4 pack includes some of the most popular essential oils for everyday use, including lavender, peppermint, melaleuca (tea tree), and lemon.  Another option is the “Health and Wellness” kit that comes  packaged in a tin and includes a brochure with suggested uses for each of the oils.  As kits, these oils are already discounted but as an added bonus, you get an additional 10% off with discount code BACKDOORSURVIVAL at checkout.

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps Pure-Castile Soap: Of all of the Dr. Bronner’s castile soaps, tea tree is my favorite.  I prefer to purchase the versions are already infused with essential oils since it does save me a step when concocting my own cleaners. A little goes a long way with a favorite use being DIY Foaming Hand Soap.

Color Me Calm: 100 Coloring Templates for Meditation and Relaxation:  Those of you that follow Backdoor Survival on Facebook know that I have become a coloring maniac.  This book is my latest splurge and what a fantastic adult coloring book it is!  This is another one of my favorites:  Balance (Angie’s Extreme Stress Menders Volume 1) Yes, I am totally addicted.  Why color?  Read Nine Reasons Why Adult Coloring is Important to Preppers.

Colored Pencils 36-color Art Drawing Pencils: This is the first set of pencils I purchased and they have served me well.  I can also recommend this set of 72 colors from Prismacolor.  More expensive, yes.  But really worth it for coloring scenes where you want to do a lot of shading.

I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin yourAmazon shopping experience here.

The Amazon Top Ten Most Wanted Survival and Outdoor Items
Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every family should have at least one Tote-able Toilet.  I have priced purchasing the bucket and toilet seat lid separately and found that it was more economical to pick up this kit.  I have filled my portable potty with sanitation supplies plus, of course, plenty of TP.

Emergency Essentials carries a wide variety of equipment and supplies – all at competitive prices.

Aff | Emergency Survival Blanket

[DEAL] Emergency Survival Blanket

Pocket-size survival blanket could save a life - throw in your bag or car.

Get Cheap Security
Aff | Tactical Pen
[DEAL] Ultimate Concealed Weapon Stay Protected

66 Responses to “How to Sharpen Razor Blades for the Long Term”

  1. This was one of your most useful tips you’ve ever posted, Gaye. In the past few months, I have probably saved at least $40 because I haven’t had to buy replacement blades for my razors. I certainly can use that money for more useful things. Thank you!

  2. It’s great idea, and I use something very similar, the inside of my left arm. I strop the razor in the same manner 4 to 6 times before shaving and have had great success. Mine is a double bladed thing with a teflon guide. After about 4 months the teflon things wear out and fall off which doesn’t effect anything. One addition step is to ALWAYS clean and rinse the blade in the shower head or faucet to remove any hair and soap to prevent corrosion of the blade. After rinsing blow the water out of the blade, rinse and blow it out again from both directions.

  3. Thank you for the tip.
    Any money we can save is appreciated.
    In an emergency we may not be able to get blades so saving what we have
    is also appreciated.
    If you have more tips stashed away like this please recycle.
    Thanks again
    EAH

  4. Another alternative is a straight razor. There is a bit of upfront cost but essentially, you get a great shave and one razor could/should last forever. Plus, it’s old school….you don’t have all that useless packaging to throw away etc. An intermediate step is a safety razor and one can use the same stropping technique, I just use a hand towel, that is documented in this article. I can easily shave for a month on a single double-edged blade. And, if you use the four pass method (down/l to r/r to l/up) the shave will be so close you will not have to shave every day. You will never get that close a shave with an electric or a cartridge razor. Anyway, good article…..lots of good, old-fashioned ideas.

  5. Exactly. The multi-blade razors cost so much because they are multi-blade razors. The double edge blades are cheap, and you get a much better shave with it.

  6. One thing you might consider is to buy a straight razor, a hone, and a strop. Its going to be a lot cleaner than a multi-bladed thing that will collect skin and whiskers, and that can only be sharpened only so much.

    A straight razor provides a much better shave, and its something you can keep sharp forever with only just a couple things. Your grandson will be using the same razor, hone, and strop.

    For those who don’t want to use a straight, you could also consider a double edge razor. The single blades for it cost less than 5 cents, and they stay sharp longer.

Leave a Reply