I was very hesitant to give the Billie Razor a try. I’ve tried many, many razors marketed to women in the past and hated them all. Since college, when a roommate let me in on the secret about how men’s razors were better than the ones marketed to women, I have been a devote men’s razor blade user. Every time I’ve given into women’s razor ads since then, lured in by their false claims that their razor heads are designed for a woman’s curves, I’ve regretted it. But, maybe not this time?
Some background information: I have sensitive skin and am very prone to post-razor bumps and ingrown hairs. In fact, several years ago I did a year of laser hair removal because I hated shaving so much, and it was heavenly. However, having babies un-did all that hard work and I’m stuck with shaving again until I’m done having babies and able to do laser hair removal for a second time.
My Billie Razor Review and Experience
Cost & Purchasing experience:
After seeing their marketing for years, and honestly loving their messaging, I decided to snag their intro package using an influencer’s 50% off coupon for just a little over $5 dollars altogether. While doing this you’re forced to sign up for the recurring refill subscription, which is annoying. Even though you can cancel it at any time if the razor doesn’t work out for you, you’re still stuck remembering and spending the extra time canceling.
However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the pricing wasn’t too steep. It’s $10 dollars for four replacement heads. I spent about 1.87 for the men’s razor blade replacements (cheaper with coupons). The Billie ones are 2.5 dollars a head. They both seem to last me about the same amount of time.
My shaving experience:
I was so excited to start using this razor and gleefully planned a deep shaving session that night. Was this the razor that would finally not let me down?
The thing that initially stood out to me was their generous, aloe-infused encasement. The one on the men’s razor that I’ve been using is thin and dies after about one use. This means using shaving cream with my men’s razor is pretty much a must and also ends up costing me more per shave in shaving cream costs.
I shaved pretty much every inch of my body, and this is how the razor stacked up:
-
Thick Chin Hairs (Thank you PCOS): Eh, too bulky for this small area.
First thing first, I wanted to see if it would cut through the stubble on my chin. I usually have two razors, one for my face and one for everywhere else, but since this is my first time with this razor I made sure to do my face first. Thanks to PCOS I am lucky enough to have a nice, full chin of hair. I do wax it, generally, but still shave daily to catch any stragglers. If I’m being honest, I haven’t been very on top of my waxing routine lately. Basically ever since the first quarantine started. So, there was a lot of hair to cut through. While this razor is definitely sharp enough to cut through the hair, it was too bulky to get a close face shave. So, the men’s razor will have to stick around to keep my womanly beard in check.
-
The Bikini Area: Great shave, but I ended up burned.
The next test was my bikini area. I decided to do this area second so that the razor would still be as sharp as possible and I was impressed. The wide style of the razor actually seemed to do a better job of keeping certain areas spread apart, and I got a nice, close shave. However, it was tricky to get the area where my leg meets my bikini area. I tried lots of odd-angle
I chose not to use any of my usual razor bump prevention techniques after this shave to see what would happen. Unfortunately, I did still end up with a host of razor burn afterward. However, on subsequent shaves the amount of razor burn I got decreased significantly. I think that I may have had a bad reaction to the gel around the razor head at first. I have such sensitive skin that I’m not sure if there’s a razor out there that will be able to save me from razor burn in this area, but if I ever find one, I’ll shout it from the rooftops. In the meantime, it’s back to my usual post-shave treatments and with them I’m bump-free.
-
Legs: Pass, but why was my razor head falling off
Legs were up next and I was having a great time shaving them until the razor head fell off. What? No biggie though. I snapped it back on. Started shaving again. Was confused why nothing was happening. Realized I put it on backwards. Put in on the right way, and started shaving again. Yes, my legs were smooth, but they were smooth with my other razor too. I am in love with the wide aloe-infused encasement. It’s nice not having to use extra shaving cream to help with the glide. It was a great shave, except for that one mishap in the middle.
-
Arms and Armpits: Pass, but required an extra couple of passes for my armpits.
My arms and pits were next, and it was fine. They were shaved, but I don’t feel like they were shaved any better than my previous razor did. However, it did seem to take a few more passes with the bulkier razor head to get my armpits totally clear. No biggie.
Overall, it was a good shave and because I like the company’s messaging I was willing to commit to this Billie shaving razor. Then the trouble started.
The Troubles I’ve Seen
Remember that one-time fluke I had where the head fell off as I was shaving my legs? Well, it turns out that it wasn’t so one-time after all. The more I’ve used the razor, going on a month now, the more the head has kept falling off. Yesterday while I was shaving, it fell off 7 times. I’m not even kidding. What was originally a minor annoyance is now starting to become irritating enough that I might not be able to put up with this razor after all. Every time I have to fish the head out of my bath water and put it back on, just so it can fall off a few seconds later. It’s not even falling off on particularly difficult areas to shave, it just doesn’t fit well and it seems the fit has gotten worse the longer I’ve used it.
For a while, I thought it was me and tried to shave better and even tried a quick Google to make sure I wasn’t doing something dumb when putting the razor head on. I wasn’t.
I tried to not press too hard and to cater to my flakey razor. Then I realized that was stupid and that I shouldn’t have to baby my razor. I should be able to shave with all the pressure and gusto that I want and not have to worry about the head falling off every two seconds. I didn’t have to worry about this with my last razor.
So, while the Billie razor is still giving me a smooth shave, I’m having to decide if it’s worth the annoyance and extra time spent shaving as I’m constantly having to put the head back on.
Perhaps I got a fluky handle or razor head? I’m reaching out to support as a last-ditch effort to see if I can get this razor working for me. Because I am really enjoying the smooth shave.
Update: My Experience With Support
I reached out to support, and within a couple of hours, I received an email stating that they were sending me a replacement razor head. Great! They didn’t make me jump through any hoops, just immediately apologized for the issues I’d been experiencing and sent me a replacement.
I received the replacement a few days later, and right out of the box, it seemed different. And not just the color, which was a lighter pink than my original razor. It seemed like the entire razor was a little thinner, and like the three dots on the handle weren’t as prominent. Maybe it’s in my head. However, what wasn’t in my head was how tight the fit of this razor was. I was a little taken about when switching out the head because I had to push the head on a little for a tight fit. So far the new razor handle hasn’t had the head fall off, but I’m curious to see if it loosens up after a little while like my last one did. If it does, I’ll let you know.
So for right now, I’m planning to continue using the Billie razor. Although, and this is entirely a problem with my OCD and not with the functionality of the razor, they only send a replacement handle and not a replacement magnetic holder. Since the new razor is lighter than my original one, I now have a mismatched set. It’s driving me crazy. I’m thinking about buying a new set just so It’ll match again, but then I’m worried I’ll end up with another flukey razor. Hmm . . .
Stay tuned for an update.
**Update 3/5**
After about a few weeks, my replacement razor started failing too. The head of razor blades will not stay on the razor. This is very annoying to me as I also don’t feel like I am a particularly aggressive shaver. So, while there were many things about this razor that I still like, I will be continuing to try other razor brands to find a razor that shaves just as well without the annoying problem of losing the razor head multiple times a shave. So, I don’t currently recommend this razor because of all the problems I’ve had with it. Maybe they’ll have a product update in the future that fixes this problem and I’d be willing to give it another try.
In Summary Should You Buy a Billie Razor:
Pros of the Billie Razor:
- Great marketing messaging. I just love everything about the ads and the mission statement.
- Pretty good shave everywhere but my face, bikini area, and armpits. (aka. too bulky for smaller areas)
- Less irritating than I usually get, however, I got quite a bit of irritation my first shave.
- Fantastic, quick customer support.
- Convenient. It’s nice to have new razor heads just show up at your door.
- The magnetic holder. I need things to have a place, so things like this are super nice for me.
- Their blades don’t use nickel, which is great for people with allergies.
Cons of the Billie Razor:
- Too bulky for shaving my face, and bikini area, and even seems a little too bulky for my armpits.
- The razors on the blade seem to dull very quickly.
- I may have had a slight allergic reaction to the gel on my first shave. Not sure why the first time I shaved I had such a worse reaction than the other times. If you have super sensitive skin you may have some issues too.
- There are some faulty razors out there (or maybe they all get loose over time?). Having the razor head constantly falling off is definitely not something I’m willing to deal with for the rest of my life.
- They don’t have black, white, or really any neutral colors to choose from. You must pick a colorful color. There’s also inconsistency in the colors they have. The replacement pink I received was still supposed to be the same pink, but it’s far lighter than my first one. So if you ever need to replace the magnetic holder or razor blade, you probably need to get a whole new kit if you want to ensure the colors match.
So buy it or pass on it?
While I don’t feel like I can recommend this razor anymore, there are plenty of people out there who love it. So, if you’re curious, it’s worth giving it a try. If they come out with another version of this product, I’d still be interested in trying it. I felt like this product was so close to being something I could love, but just didn’t quite hit the mark.
I don’t have a code or anything I can give you, because this isn’t a sponsored post. However, if you look around you should be able to find a 50% off deal from someone like I did.
So, what do you think? Are you a Billie razor user or do you have another razor you think is better?
Let me know in the comments below.
Happy shopping,
The Empowered Shopper
