Gillette Venus review: Best razor for hair removal

In my post on the products I use in the shower, I had mentioned that the Gillette Venus shaving razor and Satin Care Skin Soothing shaving gel were essentials for me. I've been seeing both Venus razors and cartridges and Satin Care gel in outlets nearby for at least two or three years now - I thought I would share the story of my body hair removal methods and my thoughts on Venus.

Although I've inherited my features, nerdiness, voice and several other traits from my maternal side, I took after my paternal side of the family as far as body hair is concerned (thankfully, hair on my head and brows as well - grows all over the place the very day after a trim). I spent years ruing evolution for leaving me behind, and finally went in for laser/IPL hair removal. Five painless sessions completely eradicated hair from my underarms. This was more than two years ago and it hasn't come back since.

But I've had only two sessions on my legs and forearms, and the hair is now reduced to half of what it used to be and it grows back only once in two or three weeks. My dermatologist has advised me to avoid depilatory creams, waxing and other methods and stick to shaving alone to deal with hair growth between laser sessions. You can see the full growth of hair on my forearm in the picture above and the post-Venus-shave picture below.

Gillette Venus is a three-blade razor and has protective cushions on either side. The body is an aqua blue and has a rubberised grip at the lower end. The shape of the razor is contoured to fit within the curves of the palm nicely. With the razor head, the whole thing measures just under 15cm or 6''. The best part is that the blades are replaceable, which means you don't throw away the entire lot of plastic; just the razor-head. And, you get cartridges in boxes of four.

You can use the Venus razor on wet or dry skin and with and without shaving gel, but I like it best with Satin Care (fragrance-free, for my sensitive skin). It gives me the closest and smoothest shave of all the razors I've ever tried. The only razor I like better than the Venus Original is the Venus Embrace, from the same family, but it is out of stock here more often than not.

I need only one stroke with this razor, and the hair doesn't grow back to its fullest for at least 18-20 days. And I don't get ingrowth with Venus. The best thing about the design of the razor blades is that I can't nick myself with this razor - and I'm the klutz of the century.

The blade is pivoted, so you can get the right angle to shave, without applying any pressure. And my skin feels very soft afterwards. Gillette advises showering or bathing before shaving, so the skin is nicely hydrated.

Another thing I love about this razor is that there is a blue indicator strip just below the protective cushion on top. The blue colour here will fade when the blade isn't performing optimally anymore, so you know when it's time to change the cartridge.

It is a myth that shaving will lead to coarser and thicker hair - the rough stubble that appears after a shave is the sharper-tipped hair (since you shaved off the top portion earlier). Once it grows out, you'll know that the thickness of the hair hasn't changed one bit (unless you've done IPL/laser, which reduces it).

The cartridges come in sealed capsules of their own, so you won't cut yourself while changing the blade either. I change the blade once the indicator fades, which takes me ages. I clean my razor with warm water, Johnson's Baby Shampoo and a few drops of Dettol after each use. As long as it's clean and still very sharp, I don't think the head needs replacement, unless the indicator fades. To those who haven't tried Venus or any razor from this family before, I recommend this as it will surpass all expectations.
Will I repurchase? I've hoarded this razor and cartridges to see me through wartime scarcity already, so, yes!