UPDATE (12/15/14): It appears that Schick is no longer cruelty free. Schick is owned by Energizer who “tests where required by law”. This may mean that Schick is not cruelty free. This is their response to my questions:

“Playtex Manufacturing Inc. / Schick does not test on animals, unless we are required to do so by the Food and Drug Administration (the agency which regulates our products). Nevertheless, it is the obligation of all companies to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of any product before it is sold. We always obtain test data without the use of animal testing whenever possible. Sometime in the future, the government may require data for which there is no reliable agency approved alternative. Though this has not happened recently, it potentially could and in these rare circumstances, such animal tests would become unavoidable.

We understand and share your concern for the use of animals in product safety testing and will continue to raise this issue with the Federal Regulatory Agencies to help eliminate their requirements for animal testing whenever possible. Thank you for contacting us regarding this subject. It is our hope that animal testing alternatives be validated and accepted by the Federal Government and the scientific community, more quickly. When they are, we will use them.

While we continually evaluate alternatives to animal-derived ingredients where possible, currently our Hydro Shave Gel contains stearic acid which is animally-derived. However, the palmitic acid in our Hydro shave gels is derived from vegetables.”

See my more recent review for guaranteed vegan and cruelty free razors. – Jen

Everyone needs to buy razors (well, unless you spend a lot of time at laser hair removal centers). For a long time, I honestly wasn’t sure which razor brands were considered cruelty free. I assumed they were all owned by big brands that test on animals (like P&G). Well, I was wrong! Schick razors are cruelty free and not tested on animals!

I recently tried the Schick Intuition Naturals Sensitive Care razor. It has four blades and a “skin conditioning solid” which basically means you don’t need to use shaving gel, soap or cream with it. The skin conditioner has Vitamin E and aloe to soothe skin and prevent nicks. It lathers up a little and it’s clear, so you can see where you’re shaving.

I think it’s perfect for legs (or arms if you shave those), but because the head is so big, it’s a little tricky to get a precise shave for underarms and bikini. It’s great to use all over when you’re in a hurry – you can skip the lathering step and just go for it.

Schick has also come out with a more Earth-friendly package design. The former all-plastic package is now made with recycled paperboard, recycled plastic window and VOC-free inks. The whole shebang is also recyclable.

For those trickier areas, I prefer the Schick Quattro Trimstyle. This razor is one of those “why didn’t we have this already?” kind of products. It has a regular Schick razor on one end and a trimmer on the other (for that um…landing strip…or whatever you have going on down there). Guys can (and should) use it (or the Men’s Quattro razors) too. No one wants to see a jungle down there! 😉

Bonus: My tips on getting a good shave without razor bumps!