Short answer
How often should you change your razor blade?
Every 5–10 shaves. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says to change the blade or toss a disposable razor after 5 to 7 shaves, and Gillette says most people should change blades every 5–10 shaves. If you shave daily, that works out to a new blade about every 1–2 weeks. If it starts tugging, stinging or rusting, change it then, whatever the count.
Typical intervalEvery 5–10 shaves · 1–2 weeks if daily
How often: roughly every 5–10 shaves
Plan on a new blade every 5–10 shaves — about every 1–2 weeks if you shave daily. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends changing your blade, or throwing away a disposable razor, after 5 to 7 shaves to minimize irritation. Gillette says most people should change blades every 5–10 shaves. The same Gillette article puts its own five-blade cartridges at about 20 shaves and its three-blade cartridges at around 15, so how long a cartridge lasts depends partly on the cartridge.
Counting shaves is fiddly, so it helps to translate that into time. Gillette Venus offers this table based on how often you shave — it works just as well for faces:
| If you shave… | Change the blade about… |
|---|---|
| Daily | Every 1–2 weeks |
| Every other day | Every 2–3 weeks |
| Twice a week | Every 4–6 weeks |
If you shave every day and have coarse hair, lean toward the short end — roughly weekly. At the AAD’s 5 to 7 shaves, a daily shaver lands right around one blade a week. Gillette’s double edge blade guidance adds that blade life depends on how coarse your hair is, how often you shave, and how much moisture and buildup the blade sees.
Signs it’s time: tugging, stinging, dullness, rust
The count is a guide; how the shave feels is the rule. Gillette and Venus list these signs:
- Tugging. The blade pulls at hairs instead of cutting them cleanly.
- More irritation. Dull blades mean more irritation, razor burn and nicks.
- Roughness. Venus calls dullness the best indicator — if it drags, it’s done.
- A faded lubricating strip. Many cartridges have a colored strip that fades with use; Gillette treats it as a visual indicator of blade wear.
- Rust. Gillette says never to shave with a rusted cartridge.
Women’s razors and safety razors
Same principle: go by how often you shave, and change it when it dulls. For women’s razors, the Venus table above is the easiest guide. Change sooner if the blade pulls at the hair, feels rough, or leaves your skin more irritated than usual.
A safety razor’s double edge blade has no fixed count. Gillette says a double edge blade lasts several shaves and should be swapped as soon as it starts to feel blunt; with two cutting edges, you can use both sides in turn. If you’re not sure where to start, try the AAD’s 5 to 7 shaves and adjust from there.
Storage: rinse, dry, and keep it out of the shower
Rinse the blade, shake off the water, and store the razor somewhere dry. The AAD advises rinsing after each swipe and letting the razor dry completely between shaves to keep bacteria from growing on it — not leaving it in the shower or on a wet sink. Gillette adds:
- Pat the blades dry or let them air dry so moisture doesn’t get trapped between them.
- A razor kept in the shower collects moisture, which leads to rust and early blade wear.
- Store it upright in a dry spot, using a stand or hanger.
Don’t share razors
A razor is a personal item, even within a family. The CDC lists sharing razors, nail clippers and toothbrushes among the ways hepatitis C can spread: these items can carry blood in amounts too small to see. Small nicks are common when shaving and easy to miss. Gillette also advises against sharing, noting it wears the blade faster and creates hygiene issues.
Common mistakes
- Waiting until it hurts. By the time a shave stings, the blade has been dull for a while.
- Keeping the razor in the shower. Both the AAD and Gillette advise against it: damp blades grow bacteria, rust and dull faster.
- Sharing. It’s a hygiene risk, and the blade wears out sooner.
- Dry shaving or going against the grain. The AAD suggests wetting your skin and hair first (right after a shower is ideal) and shaving in the direction the hair grows to help prevent razor bumps and burns.
- Losing track of when the blade went on. The most common one — and how a two-week blade ends up lasting a month.
How to remember
Razor blades are a high-frequency swap — every week or two — but never on a fixed day. Some weeks you shave daily; then a trip or a long weekend breaks the rhythm, so it doesn’t fit neatly on a calendar. What usually happens is that nobody knows when the current blade went in, and it gets changed only once it starts dragging. Logging each new blade shows how many days the current one has been in use, and if one person shaves their face and another their legs, each can track their own item without mixing them up.
The same “replace it on time” logic applies to other personal items, like your toothbrush and your contact lens case. And the towel you dry your face with deserves regular washing — in a machine that gets cleaned too (see how often to clean a washing machine).
Keep track of it with Againday
A blade only lasts a week or two, and almost nobody remembers when the current one went on — so it usually gets changed when it starts dragging, a few weeks too late.
- Add a new item called “Change razor blade” and set How Often to “Every 2 weeks”.
- Give it the tag “Health” so you can filter it with related items.
- Set its reminder time to 8:00 AM. You’ll get one notification on the day it’s due.
- When it’s done, tap the cycle ring to mark it done. Forgot to log it? Add a past date from the item’s page.
- Add a note to each entry, for example: “New cartridge, rinsed the handle too”.
Againday is free for 3 items, with shared lists, widgets and reminders included. Againday Pro is one purchase, not a subscription.
Frequently asked questions
- How often should women change razor blades?
- It depends on how often you shave. Gillette Venus suggests changing the blade every 1–2 weeks if you shave daily, every 2–3 weeks if you shave every other day, and every 4–6 weeks if you shave twice a week. Change it sooner if it pulls at the hair, feels rough, or leaves your skin more irritated than usual.
- How often should I change a safety razor blade?
- There’s no fixed count — change it as soon as it starts to feel blunt. Gillette’s double edge blade guidance says a blade lasts several shaves, depending on how coarse your hair is, how often you shave, and how much moisture it’s exposed to. Each blade has two cutting edges you can use in turn. If you want a starting point, the AAD’s 5 to 7 shaves works.
- Is it OK to share a razor?
- No. The CDC lists sharing razors, nail clippers and toothbrushes among the ways hepatitis C can spread, because these items can carry amounts of blood too small to see. Gillette also advises against sharing razors, which wears the blade faster and creates hygiene issues.
- How often should I replace electric shaver heads?
- Far less often than manual blades — think in years. Braun recommends changing the foil and cutter block every 18 months, and Philips recommends replacing the heads on its Series 1000, 3000 and X3000 shavers every 2 years. Replace them sooner if the shave is less close, takes more passes, or pulls at the hair; check your manual for other models.
- Can I still use a rusty blade?
- No. Gillette says never to shave with a rusted cartridge. A razor left in the shower collects moisture that causes rust and dulls the blade early, and the AAD recommends letting your razor dry completely between shaves, away from the shower or a wet sink.
Sources
Intervals vary by product, model and situation. When the manual or a professional says otherwise, follow them.
- Hair removal: How to shave — American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
- How Often Should You Change Razor Blades — Gillette (US)
- When To Change Your Razor Blades — Gillette Venus (US)
- King C. Gillette Double Edge Razor Blades — Gillette (UK)
- Hepatitis C Prevention and Control — U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Replacement Shaver Heads and Accessories — Braun (US)
- How often should I replace Philips shaver heads, blades and cleaning accessories? — Philips (US)