There’s a good chance that you have bought something from a disruptor by now. You know the sort of thing: a mattress that came, not on a lorry from a department store, but rolled up in a box from a website selling nothing else. Maybe you no longer buy your laundry detergent from Asda, but in pods that are delivered each month, through your letterbox, while you take an exercise class on the Peloton app instead of joining a gym. These are companies using the internet to challenge the way we shop for everyday goods and services – and now they’ve gone and disrupted my legs.
But let me first say that I am made angry by razors. They are ugly, plasticky, environmentally unhelpful and make the shower look messy. And the privilege of owning one – or at least, a perennially sharp one – seems, to me, to be extortionately expensive. Enter Estrid, my new favourite thing.
This is a Swedish-designed razor for women, that works as well as a man’s razor (you know exactly what I mean), with added benefits. Made from solid steel to last a lifetime, and a little silicone for ergonomic grip, it can be reloaded in perpetuity with five-blade cartridges lubricated with vegan-friendly moisturisers. It comes in five ice-cream colours, with two cartridges and a holder that suckers up harmlessly to your tiles, for a mere £7.95. There’s also a matching dishwasher-safe silicone travel wallet (an extra £5.95) that is infinitely better than those stupid clear plastic caps that fall off normal razors in your washbag.
The whole thing is delivered in 100% recycled cardboard, with the blade cartridges automatically replenished every one, two, or three months – you choose – at £9.95 for four. It feels nicer in your hand, looks way better in your shower and is far more considerate of the planet.
Which brings me to the men. Estrid may currently be a women-focused proposition (you do have the excellent Harry’s shaving subscription service, of course), but I must give props again to Bulldog, a British grooming brand whose continuing commitment to more sustainable products makes a joke of the multinationals. Its new Glass Razor (£15) is 100% recyclable and 70% made from recycled beer bottles. It’s frosted matte to stop it slipping in your hand and there’s an optional recyclable metal stand to keep the blades dry between use. The global megabrands deserved to be scared into action.
