Grandad Was Right After All – My Husband’s Review Of His Jungle Culture Bamboo Safety Razor

Overall Rating:

4.9/5

Performance = 5.0

Value For Money = 5.0

Ease Of Use = 4.7

When my wife asked me to write a review for the bamboo safety razor I’d just bought from Jungle Culture, I happily agreed.

You see, I’ve just finished my first week of shaving with it and I immediately know I’ll never go back to the ‘modern’ cartridge razors ever again. There’s just no need.

Sure it takes a little longer and there’s definitely a technique to getting a good shave. But when you do get it right, the results are supreme.

I’ll get into my experience and results in a moment, but first, allow me to rewind to the early 1990’s…

Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout The Good Old Days)

Growing up, our weekends were often spent with my grandparents. They’d take us for days out then we’d relax in front of the TV on an evening watching classics like Bullseye, Family Fortunes, and The Generation Game.

Inevitably, as an energetic child, these shows only kept me quiet for so long. Soon, I’d be demanding attention and wanting to play.

“Quieten down, or I’ll ‘snickersneeze’ you” My Grandad would say, playfully (‘snickersneeze’ is local dialect meant as a threat).

This only served to elevate the excitement as I got the attention I craved.

After a few more minutes, Grandad would get up, grab a hold of me and rub his chin stubble on my face until I collapsed into a giggling lump.

Not long after, I’d be told to go into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Perhaps because it came so soon after being ‘snickersneezed’, or perhaps because it was so different to my Dad’s electric shaver, I always remember being curious about my Grandad’s razor and shaving brush set.

It was always placed neatly alongside his Brylcreem which he used religiously to keep his combover firmly in place.

‘What’s that for?” I’d ask, pointing at the shaving brush.

“It’s for shaving, you have to work up a good lather with the shaving soap to make sure you don’t cut yourself” My Grandad would reply.

“Can I try?” I’d ask with all the naivety of youth.

“One day” Grandad said. “Once you’ve grown a beard the cat can’t lick off”.

And there the seed was planted.

Good Shaves Come To Those Who Wait

Fast forward some 30+ years and I now finally own my first shaving brush and razor.

What took me so long? I’d probably say a habitual routine and a dash of laziness.

You see, my parents bought me my first electric shaver one Christmas and it felt like the quickest and easiest way to shave. I had quite a bit of acne at the time and it helped avoid cuts and irritation.

As I got older, I started to wet shave every now and again. But, seeing the ‘manly’ TV ads for multi-blade razors packed with the latest ‘technology’ I was lured into believing the new innovations were better than anything my Grandad used.

That meant shaving soap and a brush were ‘out’, and ‘in’ were cooling shaving gel and the delicate touch of my own fingers.

But you know what? Like so many things, it turns out, the old way was the best and the new ‘improved’ ways were simply invented by marketing teams to get us spending more money.

And that is why I agreed to write this Jungle Culture Bamboo Safety Razor review.

Cartridge Razors = Environmental Nightmare

It had been a little while since my wife, Silvia, had bought her own eco-friendly safety razor from Shoreline.

I’d listened to her experiences and had begun to realise that maybe my 5-blade cartridge razor wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Every time I changed a cartridge I felt bad for the amount of plastic I was needlessly sending to landfill.

Her razor didn’t just look much nicer than mine, it was much better for the environment and seemed to perform better too.

I figured I HAD to give an old-style razor a try, but first, I had a few cartridges left to use up. So, I began by switching to shaving soap and a brush instead of shaving gel and my fingers.

WOW. What a difference it made. The brush helped me work up quite a lather and it felt like it coated my stubble much more thoroughly than I ever could using my fingers. Maybe Grandad did know best, after all?

As soon as I’d used my last cartridge, I eagerly started searching for a good quality, eco-friendly safety razor.

Buying The Jungle Culture Bamboo Safety Razor

I asked Silvia for some pointers on where to look. She suggested a couple of stores that she’d heard good things about and that stocked male shaving products.

[Silvia here: this is why I suggested Jungle Cutlure. They are a UK-based company that was started in 2018 as Jungle Straw, selling handmade plastic-free straws. Their aim was to reduce the amount of plastic waste.

But straws were only the start and now they offer a small range of plastic-free items, including their saftey razors. They work with family-run businesse and artisans in Vitenam to make their bamaboo products.

While I prefer sustainable products being made closer to home, Jungle Culture supports Vietnamese communities, rather than big corporations. And they ensure that working condtions are at a high standard and only use materials from onganic farming.

Given their ethos, Jungle Culture is the type of business we want to suppport here are Eco HomeLife. Hence why I reccommended them to my husband.]

I looked at both and settled on Jungle Culture, partly because their prices were competitive, but mostly because I fell in love with their bamboo razor range.

More precisely, I fell in love with their ‘Thin Dark’ bamboo razor. With its darkened metal head and base and deep brown bamboo handle it looks sleek, modern and premium.

I immediately added it to my cart and also opted for the matching stand (also Bamboo), a couple of bars of shaving soap, and a pack of disposable razor blades since the item description said my razor didn’t include them.

The order process was simple and I soon received my tracking details so I knew when my order would arrive.

Plastic-Free Packaging & Speedy Delivery

A few days later and there was a ‘rat-a-tat-tat’ on the door. The day was upon us – my Jungle Culture bamboo safety razor had arrived!

The package was relatively small and 100% plastic-free which was good to see. Too often firms boast of being environmentally-friendly but then send you oversized packages stuffed with plastic.

I carefully took everything out of the box and was immediately taken by how nicely everything was boxed.

I carefully lifted out the razor and opened its box, there it sat in all its glory looking absolutely stunning as it glistened in the morning light.

Now, I have to be honest with you here. The colour of the handle was a little lighter than I expected from the photos, and the matching stand… well it didn’t match quite as closely as I would have liked. It seemed to be much redder in colour than the razor handle.

However, it was still a work of art and is one of the trade-offs you get when buying truly natural products – the colour consistency will never be as good as plastic.

I don’t know about you, but that’s something I can put up with if it helps save the planet.

It’s also worth noting my bamboo safety razor did also come with blades included (despite the description saying they weren’t) so I didn’t need to buy the extra pack. Still, that’s not a problem as they are pretty cheap and will still come in handy.

From The First Shave (My Real-Life Experience)

Do you know what my first regret was? My razor arrived AFTER I’d already shaved that day!

That meant I had to wait to use it for the first time, but you know what? The wait was worth it.

Before my order had arrived, Jungle Culture had sent me a free shaving guide that contained tips on how to get the best shave from a safety razor. I’d also watched a couple of videos to understand the technique.

In short, you lather up and do one pass following the direction of your facial hair growth (hint – it doesn’t all grow in the same direction). Then, lather up again and do a second pass this time at a 90 degree angle to the growth direction.

Each time you need to avoid putting too much pressure on the skin (a light pass is all that’s needed) and making short strokes is usually more comfortable.

You’ll also need to keep your skin taught and hold the razor at a 45 degree angle to your skin. Try and avoid shaving in the opposite direction to the growth as this can cause cuts and irritation.

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous the first time. I’d heard it was easier to cut yourself with this style of razor and so I was ultra-careful. However, the handle of the razor is weighted which helps give you more control.

By following the technique carefully, I avoided any cuts and immediately noticed my skin felt much calmer than usual.

After rinsing off and checking my results I was really impressed. My skin felt different. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was. It was a closer shave, that’s for sure, but there was something else too and it felt good.

No Going Back

I’ve now been using my razor for a few weeks and, quite honestly, I can’t see any situation where I’d ever go back to cartridge razors.

Shaving for me has now become an experience. Yes it takes a little longer and there’s a definite technique to learn. But there’s something enjoyable about the whole process and the results are simply unbeatable.

I still use my electric shaver on days where I have less time, but I try to use my Jungle Culture razor at least 2-3 times per week. I love it.

So, to conclude my Jungle Culture Bamboo Safety Razor review, I’d 100% recommend it to anyone who wants to experience a closer shave while saving the planet too.

Here’s To You, Grandad

Unfortunately my Grandad is no longer with us, but I know he’d approve of my switch to the Jungle Culture bamboo safety razor.

The fact it’s better for the environment is almost a secondary benefit, it’s simply a better alternative to the newer cartridge-style razors.

It’s cheaper (something else my Grandad would approve of!), it gives a much better shave, and it’s better for the environment too. It’s win, win, win.

I’m yet to be convinced by the Brylcreem and combover though, Grandad!