The best razors for women

The best women’s razor overall

The Gillette Venus Extra Smooth has five blades for a super-close shave, but the "moisture ribbon" can protect your skin from nicks, cuts, and razor burn.

Admittedly, a razor isn't a glamorous item, but the right one makes your grooming routine easier, faster, and more effective. With the Gillette Venus Extra Smooth, you get five blades for a super-close shave that won't go all stubbly on you for at least a couple of days.

It also has a pivoting head that helps glide over knees and ankles and through the contours of your underarms. The razor's "moisture ribbon" provides a little extra slip to help prevent shaving mishaps and irritations, but it's very, very thin so I find that I still need to use a shaving cream.

This is a refillable razor, so you can throw out the blade cartridge once it's dull and slip a new cartridge into the reusable handle. Depending on how often you shave and the sensitivity of your skin, that could be anywhere from three to 10 uses. The handle initially comes with two blade cartridges, but after that, you'll need to buy more. Luckily, they're not terribly pricey.

The Venus Extra Smooth's handle fits comfortably in your hand, making it easier to reach those tricky spots on the backs of the ankles or under your arms. You can also use it around your bikini line, though you should proceed with extreme caution — or better yet, try out our bikini line razor pick.

Pros: Close, smooth shave, moisture ribbon fills in for shaving cream in a pinch

Cons: A few owners complained the moisture ribbon felt gooey once wet, ribbon is also quite thin so you'll need shaving cream

The best subscription-based razor for women

If you're always out of fresh razors, subscription-based startup Billie is a great one to try. The razors are high-quality for just $9, and they look more modern than the rest.

Millennials love a good subscription box and Billie's is definitely one of our favorites because it sends us the most useful yet least frequently replaced item — the humble razor.

The quality is just as good, if not better, than our overall pick of Gillette Venus Extra Smooth, and the starting price of $9 is surprisingly low — though we're not complaining. With an easy-to-grip handle, flexible head, and more space in between the blades than other razors, ergonomically-speaking, it's a quality razor. The aesthetics are also peak millennial with both pastel and punchy hues, and sleek design.

The downside of the subscription model is that you can't just get one at the drugstore in case of an emergency, so you'll be left using a new-to-you razor that you might not like. Thankfully, most of our other picks in this list are readily available at drugstores.

Check out our full review of Billie here, as well as a comparison post with Flamingo. We liked both startups, but personally, I'm always out of fresh razors and need to have a stash waiting for me in my bathroom. — Jada Wong

Pros: Regular shipments of razors and shaving products

Cons: Shipments are sent every one, two, or three months only instead of being able to order as needed

The best razor with built-in shaving cream for women

With the Schick Intuition Sensitive Care razor, there's no need for a separate can of shaving gel because it's built right into the razor cartridge. Ingenious.

I've been using the Schick Intuition Sensitive Care razors for many years now, and despite the fact that the refill cartridges are a bit pricey, I'm sticking with this razor for my shaving needs.

This is the only razor that never seems to nick or irritate my legs, and it does give a reasonably close shave. The built-in shaving gel is a huge plus for me since I'm far too lazy to bother lathering up every time I want to get my legs smooth.

The razor cartridge has four blades surrounded by a water-activated, soap-like shaving "gel." It definitely provides enough slip for a comfortable, close shave, but on the downside, the gel wears away within just a few shaves, so I have to either replace the cartridge while the blades are still usable, or use a separate shaving gel until the blades get dull enough to justify a new cartridge.

There are many different fragrances of cartridge available and several different colored handles. I've used all of them over the years, and truthfully, find no particular difference between them, although I normally stick with the sensitive care refills.

Pros: No need for separate shaving gel

Cons: The built-in shave gel wears away fairly quickly

The best women's razor for bikini line

Shaving the bikini area with a regular razor can be tricky, but the Noxzema Bikini Shave and Trim simplifies the process with its unique shape and small size.

A shaving nick in the bikini area really sucks. But that's what you'll often get with regular, full-size razors when it's time to clean up "downstairs."

That's what's so great about the Noxzema Bikini Shave and Trim razors. They are small enough (only around half an inch wide) to shave your most intimate areas without slicing delicate skin, and they're more angled than typical razors to make the task easier. There's also a protective cover over the comb-like blade to further protect skin from damage.

The material surrounding the blade has a bit of shea butter to pamper your skin, but you'll definitely want to use separate shaving gel or lotion to prevent irritation or the dreaded shaving bumps.

These are disposable razors, so you'll have to toss the entire shaver when the blades start to dull.

Pros: Specifically designed for the bikini area, inexpensive

Cons: Too small for your legs, so you'll need to have a separate razor

The best women’s razor for travel

Despite its miniature size, the Gillette Venus Snap does just as good a job of removing hair as its full-size relatives.

Toss it in your gym bag, take it with you while traveling, or just enjoy a razor that takes up a minimum of tub-side space — the Gillette Venus Snap is a small but mighty winner.

The head of the razor is a regular-sized Venus Embrace blade, so you'll get a super-close, long-lasting, and comfortable shave on your legs, underarms, and — if you're careful — your bikini line as well.

It's the diminutive handle that makes this razor so special. It's small, but shaped ergonomically for an easy grip, so you'll have just as much control as with a full-size razor.

I've used the Venus Snap while traveling and really appreciated not only the small size, but also the convenient plastic carrying case. This is also a refillable razor, so go ahead and replace a dulled cartridge with the Venus Embrace refills.

Pros: Travel size, excellent performance

Cons: While the handle is easy to hold, you do need to angle your fingers just right for the best control

The best women's facial razor

Kiss peach fuzz, stray chin sprouts, and rogue eyebrow hairs goodbye with the Schick Silk Touch Up.

These teeny razors are a godsend for those of us blessed with more peach fuzz than we really want. They're also great for removing any hair on the chin, upper lip, and even patches of dry skin around the chin, nose, or mouth.

I've used these for years on my face. The Schick Silk Touch Up razors have a protective guard so they don't cut or irritate my skin, and there's even a little plastic cover that makes it easy to shape up eyebrows. But the best thing about them is that they leave my skin very smooth, so my foundation makeup looks much better.

The blade lasts a long time before going dull, and there's a small plastic cover to protect it when not in use.

Pros: Excellent for removing facial hair, cleaning up eyebrows, and getting rid of patches of dry skin

Cons: None in my opinion