# Can I safely use this woman's razor to shave my face? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 22, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914 "2012-06-22T02:50:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/1 "2012-06-22T02:50:27Z")
Short back story. I have a small hobby business selling shoes on the net. I usually get my retail product from closeout outlets. For the last few weeks the online store I mainly buy from has been including [these Shick Hydro Silk razors](http://www.schick.com/us/hydro-silk-faq.shtml) in some boxes as a promotion to get you to try the razor. I now have about 20 of these things. My favored Gillette Mach 3 cartridges are very expensive, so if these are any good at shaving beards maybe I can use them and save some money. On the other hand if these shave a beard like nasty BIC disposable razors I’ll just give them away. Any man secure enough in his masculinity to have tried these? Do women’s and men’s razors shave differently? What’s the scoop? Before I test them and mangle my ruggedly handsome features I need some feedback. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/2 "2012-06-22T03:10:42Z")
I’m not a man, but I’m secure enough in my femininity to use a Mach 3 for my legs. The only difference I see between women’s and men’s razors is in the marketing. The nasty Bic disposables are nasty because they’re cheap and stiff, not because they aren’t made specifically for one area of the body. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/3 "2012-06-22T03:41:35Z")
Your ruggedly handsome features should be fine 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/4 "2012-06-22T03:41:53Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > I’m not a man, but I’m secure enough in my femininity to use a Mach 3 for my legs. The only difference I see between women’s and men’s razors is in the marketing. The nasty Bic disposables are nasty because they’re cheap and stiff, not because they aren’t made specifically for one area of the body. Don’t forget the color. Women’s razors are all pink, while men’s tend to be dark blue. That alone is reason enough to avoid women’s razors. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/5 "2012-06-22T03:47:40Z")
Enh, a lot of women’s razors, especially the cheap ones, are yellow. Just remember that, like all cheap razors, it’s pretty much a ‘use it once and throw it out’ deal. Not so much because it dulls immediately, but if you don’t dry it IMMACULATELY and immediately, it will rust before your can put it back down on the counter. ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/6 "2012-06-22T03:55:23Z")
Yes, men’s and women’s razors work exactly the same way, the only difference is the packaging/marketing. I’ve used “feminine” razors before, the only downside is that the larger head of the cartridge can make shaving slightly more difficult. Although the blade companies would have you believe that modern razor cartridges are marvels of engineering utilizing the very latest advances in materials science and quantum electrodynamics, so complex and high-tech that they actually had to develop a quantum theory of gravity just to get the moisturizer strip just right, in actuality you’re still just dragging a really sharp rock across your skin. Doesn’t really matter if you’re a man or a woman. A Mach 3 (or Venus Sexy Girly whatever) will shave your face, head, legs, chest, back, and balls equally well. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/7 "2012-06-22T03:59:01Z")
stop using if you notice breast enlargement. ---
**Author:** ![Kerrigan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/49beb7/32.png) [@Kerrigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kerrigan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/8 "2012-06-22T04:01:36Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Can I safely use this woman’s razor to shave my face? It depends on the woman. If she has a communicable infection to any part of her body that she has shaved, then the razor is highly likely to transfer that same infection to your face. I would always recommend against sharing razors. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/9 "2012-06-22T10:50:05Z")
I’ve used similar razors on my face. They will get the job done, but they have a wider plastic frame around the blades. It makes it a little harder to get a few spots on my face. ETA: Psst, don’t tell my fiancee. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/10 "2012-06-22T11:32:24Z")
> [@ExcitedIdiot](#): > > I’ve used similar razors on my face. They will get the job done, but they have a wider plastic frame around the blades. It makes it a little harder to get a few spots on my face. > > ETA: Psst, don’t tell my fiancee. 🙂 Me too. (I’m betting most married men have.) I found shaving right under my nose rather tricky with the bigger, curvier, girlier razor head. Other than that, no problems. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/11 "2012-06-22T12:14:42Z")
> [@wheresmymind](#): > > Yes, men’s and women’s razors work exactly the same way, the only difference is the packaging/marketing. The blades could be set at a different angle, given that they are designed to shave different parts of the body. But, other than a potentially different feel and the aforementioned size of the shaving head, it’s perfectly fine to use. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/12 "2012-06-22T14:16:44Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Before I test them and mangle my ruggedly handsome features I need some feedback. Your features will no longer be rugged. They will be silky smooth and sexy. Oh, and you will be required to wear panties on your head. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/13 "2012-06-22T14:55:51Z")
> [@ExcitedIdiot](#): > > ETA: Psst, don’t tell my fiancee. 🙂 If you shaved your face with it and left it on the edge of the tub for her to shave her legs with, trust me, she knows. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/14 "2012-06-22T16:06:18Z")
I have the men’s Shick Hydro and a key difference is that the lotion bar thing on the men’s can flip back to easily do the upper lip area and to get right up to the sideburns. I’ve used women’s razors in a pinch with no problem. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/15 "2012-06-22T16:42:59Z")
I’ve used a man razor (Schick something with multiple blades), and found that it worked just as well as the Schick multi-blade razor marketed for ladies. ---
**Author:** ![Arabella\_Flynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@Arabella\_Flynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arabella_Flynn)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-safely-use-this-womans-razor-to-shave-my-face/625914/16 "2012-06-23T03:20:27Z")
The actual razors are exactly the same, so far as I can tell. I’m pretty sure I found out at some point that the mounts for the replaceable blades are even identical – the difference is mainly in the angle and width of the handle. I stole a spare Mach 3 from my father when I was a teenager because I found the plastic handles of the women’s version to be too slippery. I suppose there’s a chance you’re allergic to the moisturizing solid stuff some ladies’ razors are potted in. Try it and find out. AFAIK, it’s mostly cocoa butter or something comparable.