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This question rustled some jimmies! Now that we have more information I'm rephrasing it to fit in better with the overall picture, which is shaving options for travelers without checked luggage.

When traveling with carry-on luggage only, it's not always obvious what shaving equipment we can bring on a plane. For those of us that shave with open-ended blades such as double-edged safety razors or straight razors, as opposed to disposable and cartridge razors, the problem is exacerbated by trips with multiple stops where we have to tediously acquire blades at every destination.

Naturally, the most flagrant razor blades are not permitted on a plane, but some shaving equipment is. As a not-too-frequent traveler myself I've never quite really gotten a hang on this, and I end up chasing down razor blades at a kiosk in some far away place at 2AM.

There must be a better way! I figure frequent/business travelers must have developed several best practices of dealing with shaving by now.

From the perspective of someone who most certainly cannot bring their regular razor onto the plane, what options are there for a traveler limited to carry-on luggage only?

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    "Those of us that shave" - huh? Nope, you mean "those of us that shave with an open blade or cutthroat razor" surely? I just got off a flight from New Zealand to the UK and was handed disposable razors onboard as part of the amenities kits, I went through security at two places with Gillette razors in my carry on with no issues at all. I've never had issues at an airport with a razor.
    – user29788
    Nov 14, 2017 at 10:40
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    I never had problems with my cartridge razors in myhand luggage.
    – Neusser
    Nov 14, 2017 at 10:40
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    @JonathanReez This is a route I'm sure we don't want to go down. :) Thanks for updating the title. Feel free to edit the question as appropriate.
    – Caterpillar
    Nov 14, 2017 at 11:31
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    @JonathanReez I use a safety razor, so if I don't check a bag, I mail blades ahead (you can mail a few taped down to a piece of paper, in their paper wrapping for safety, for first-class postage). Just address it to Jonathan Reez (Arriving Nov. 25), c/o Hotel Lovely, ...
    – Jim MacKenzie
    Nov 14, 2017 at 16:14
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    This is a reminder that we close duplicate questions and not answers. If a two questions have the same answer they are not necessarily duplicates.
    – JoErNanO ♦
    Nov 16, 2017 at 14:24

5 Answers 5

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Disposable/cartridge razors are universally permitted in carry-on luggage. Here's the TSA on the topic: https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2010/08/17/safety-razors-and-disposable-razors

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  • This is excellent!
    – Caterpillar
    Nov 14, 2017 at 11:20
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    That link is amazing. This gentleman is shaving with a Samurai sword. No-go! (Swords must be checked with luggage)
    – Adrian Larson
    Nov 14, 2017 at 19:36
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    The page also states that an electric razor is OK. That's what I prefer for travelling, since it doesn't require water/cleanup.
    – GentlePurpleRain
    Nov 14, 2017 at 22:24
  • @AdrianLarson: I was expecting him to hold that pose for about three seconds, and then have the top half of his head slide diagonally off.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Nov 17, 2017 at 6:30
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Another solution is to bring an electric shaver. While this won't give you the same clean shave as a proper razor blade, but in my opinion it's as least as good as those disposable ones. There are cheap (and lousy) travel shavers, but even the normal sized ones don't take up too much space in your carry-on luggage.

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I've researched this problem extensively and tried out every type of shavers out there. My current solution is to use the fantastic Philips OneBlade:

enter image description here

It can obviously be taken as carry-on, works for a long time without recharging and is very lightweight. You cannot get a close shave with it, but it's amazingly gentle and won't cause any irritation even if you have extremely sensitive skin. It costs less than 50 Euros, so it's an easy purchase even if you're skeptical. There's also a "pro" model with fancy LED indicators, but it shaves exactly the same, so not worth the investment.

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tldr:

Get the free one at your hotel

For me, good traveling generally means traveling with less stuff. The things I try to leave at home are soap, toothpaste, razors, and shave cream.

But wait - how do I stay clean? What about basic hygiene? Hotels "always" have soap, but what about toothpaste? In the US, most hotels will have "courtesy" packs. Specifically, most hotels will give you a complimentary razor, shave cream, and a toothpaste.

So call the hotel where you are traveling too, and ask them if they have complimentary razors. That will lighten your load, if just by a little bit.

If you are traveling on the cheap, like at a youth hostel, then probably skipping shaving is the way to go. I suggest continuing to brush teeth though, so bring a small tube of toothpaste.

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    "That will lighten your load, if just by a little bit." -- by about 7 grams, for a disposable twin-blade. So if you'll be gone long enough to grow a beard weighing more than 7 grams, it's worth taking the razor ;-).
    – Pont
    Nov 14, 2017 at 16:13
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    @Pont Ha! Maybe I speak to colloquially; volume, packing time, and effort are included in the statement "lighten the load." IMO, the less you bring, the easier the travel. Perhaps I should ask a SE travel question about travel with zero luggage!
    – Astor Florida
    Nov 14, 2017 at 16:37
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    In many places (most of Europe for example), the majority of hotel rooms are in budget to medium hotels with far fewer freebies. Expenses don't normally cover the ones you decsribe
    – Chris H - UK
    Nov 14, 2017 at 17:00
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    This could be a good idea in general, but anyone with eczema or other issues with skin should be careful. Often the freebies at hotels (at least in the USA) are murder on bumpy or sensitive skin. I actually tried this once, and the soap left me itchy all day because of how dry I was. Very uncomfortable when sitting with a customer in a hot office. On the way back to the hotel I stopped at a Walgreens and bought some travel-sized items I should have bought in the first place.
    – user25889
    Nov 14, 2017 at 23:08
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    +1 to Snowman. It's not just the soap that's bad quality, but the razors themselves.
    – lambshaanxy
    Nov 14, 2017 at 23:38
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Another option is applying a laser or IPL and remove your beard (semi-) permanently. I know depending on the cultures and preferences you are not willing to remove it altogether, but I'm quite satisifed with it.

You can get the treatment in a medical institute, but there is also a variety of products you can apply by yourself.

An example: SMOOTHSKIN GOLD:

enter image description here

These products don't have a razor blade attached and you can bring them safely (but once you finish it, you don't need).

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