There are several factors that make your shave unique to you. Different individuals may have varying experiences with shaving, even when using the same razor. What makes your shave different?
- How do you use a razor—are you heavy-handed, light-handed, fast, slow?
- How sensitive is your skin?
- How tough is your hair?
- Do you want a buttery close shave or just enough hair removed to feel satisfied for the day?
- Where are you shaving—head, elbows, knees, and toes (knees and toes)?
There are so many more factors, and that's why we're here. We are constantly making new razors to solve real world problems for all. You may ask how we can tackle all the issues across various and diverse experiences.
We designed a razor for all: The Leaf.
We build in adjustability into all of our products wherever we can. The Leaf razor is our triple-blade, pivoting head razor. It's most loved by head and body shavers for its incredible efficiency and ability to cover a lot of ground quickly and safely.
How is the Leaf razor adjustable?
We knew that if we designed in the ability to vary how many blades were loaded and in which positions they were placed that the experience would change based on those permutations.
When we engineered the head of The Leaf razor, we made a crucial design decision to individually-guard each of the blades. What that means is that they can all stand on their own and don't require any of the other blade positions to be in place in order for the razor to work.
When we launched our Kickstarter campaign 7 years ago, this was the graph that I produced to illustrate this effect. With three blade positions you have a myriad of different setups, and they'll range from the most mild (on the left) to the most aggressive (on the right).
The two most common blade loading positions are the far-right (all three blade slots filled up) which will give the closest shave; and the third in from the left (bottom slot is empty, with blades in the middle and top slots loaded) which will give a shave that's dialed back a bit, but still effective. As you venture to the far left, top-blade only, this razor setup is typically too mild to accomplish a shave for the majority of people.
How do you use this to your advantage?
There are two main reasons someone might take advantage of the adjustability of The Leaf razor.
Reason 1: You're brand new and learning
When I help people who are just starting to shave with their Leaf razor and they express any fear of using a metal razor for the first time, I advise to use the milder setting first: load two blades in the middle and top slots, leaving the bottom slot empty. This will be a gentler razor. While they may not get as close of a shave as they'd like, they'll learn how it feels to use and get comfortable with how it operates.
If you discover you want a closer shave, then layer in the bottom blade slot and shave with all three blades.
Reason 2: You want to dial in your optimal shave
There are some places that I want a perfectly smooth shave down to the skin because my skin can handle it. There are other places where I am prone to razor bumps or ingrown hair, and I want to make sure that my shave doesn't cut the hair so close to the skin that it risks curling up underneath when it re-grows. That is a potential cause of razor bumps and post-shave irritation.
- a shave that isn't as close as you want it to be
- painful nicks or cuts from the blade(s)
The proof is in the pudding.
We were able to prove empirically in a controlled, randomized, shaving study that participants shaving with Leaf achieved shaves that better met their expectations on closeness.
The chart below shows how the Leaf razor group achieved a greater percentage of shaves at that participant's desired closeness when compared with a traditional safety razor and modern plastic cartridge groups.
The other chart below shows the safety ratings from shaves between the three study cohort groups. The Leaf razor group reported the fewest issues with nicks or cuts compared with a traditional safety razor shave and modern plastic cartridge shaves.
We're not surprised to see The Leaf razor being safer than a traditional safety razor, as its unique design is intended to deliver just this. We were very pleased to see it outperform traditional cartridge razor. Follow-up data suggested that the ability to adjust the razor to suit your specific needs led to overall safer results.
No shaving razor with a blade will ever be absolutely perfect for every body. But we strive to deliver the greatest chance of success—close, comfortable shaves that are also safe when proper caution is exercised—is by delivering tools that can adjust to suit your specific needs.
I hope that you found this interesting! Join us when you feel it's the right fit for you.
