I saw a video once of how a razor blade starts getting dull after just one shave. It doesn’t seem like it should be the case if it’s literally just cutting hair.
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Firstly hair is stronger than most people think, also razor are very thin and hard which makes them kinda brittle. That being said they can last for months if you clean them well, usually the dullness has more to do with hair and skin accumulation rather than the blade itself but it varies from person to person and the amount of hair
Worked alongside the research team for a razor manufacturer while I was at university for my industrial placement. As others have said edge edges are very, very fine and even when treated (DLC coatings and the like which you hear about) your stubble is basically tough enough to chip them.
One of the things they did was assess test razors on both internal and external shave panels looking at them under a microscope to assess damage and you can see the chipping under an optical microscope. Interestingly I always had a gut feeling razors went blunt on me very quickly, checking my razor damage showed I was wearing blades at twice the rate of anyone else …
So this is a trick I’ve been using for years that helps my blades last longer.
Get a cheap leather belt or a pair of crummy jeans from a good will store. I usually cut a square or two of Jean when I throw a pair out to use.
Before shaving or wetting the blade run the razor accross the back of the belt or the fabric, rub it against the grain I.e. the opposite direction you would shave with it. I often get 2-4 months out of a razor before I need to replace it. It’s not as good as the first time you use one but it keeps them from snagging all the time and I’m a daily shaver.
From what I understand it helps pull off little slivers/hairs of metal on the blade similar to why straight razors are run along a belt before using. However it works it definitely is worth a try.
Two reasons… First, the very thin edge of a razor blade is susceptible to oxidation. Simply put, it rusts at a microscopic scale, but because the edge is so thin to begin with, it is enough to dull it. Get the blade wet and that oxidation will start the process.
Second, it is dulled by the cutting of your hair. Some of that effect is caused by the deflection of the blade edge, and can be corrected by honing the blade (similar to using a knife steel on your kitchen knife). But if the hair is relatively hard, it can also cause microscopic chips in the blade.
When I used the main brands they would dull very fast. No doubt in my mind they are designed that way. I switched to dorco who manufactures for many big brands and those things lasted forever. I originally got a razor and 5 or so blades. That was something like 6 years ago. I just had to replace it last week only because the razor broke. I hope the quality is the same.
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