Dollar Shave Club Review: The Ultimate Subscription Box for Men’s Grooming Products and Razors

Dollar Shave Club Review: What Are the Pros and Cons of Dollar Shave Club?

Dollar Shave Club Pros

• Razors and toiletries regularly shipped to your home or office; no need to run to the store in a stubble-induced panic
• High-quality razors come in twin, quadruple, or six blade configurations with weighted, refillable handles
• Monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly boxes are customizable to your razor refill and toiletry needs
• Trial kits send affordable travel sizes of products, easy to try without a commitment
• No hidden membership fees
• Cancel online anytime without penalty—seriously
• Large variety of toiletries, from toothpaste to deodorant to shave butter
• Way more eco-friendly than buying disposable razors
• Some of the best and most responsive customer service in the subscription box game
• All products backed by a 100% money-back guarantee
• Available to customers in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia
• Each box comes with a printed issue of MEL magazine

Dollar Shave Club Cons

• Tiered pricing model for razors, so a great deal might be for a twin blade and there’s an upsell to six blades
• Some of the toiletry scents are unusual
• Not everyone loves the quirky marketing campaigns
• If you change razor blade sizes, you need a new handle (though the handle is free)

Frequently Asked Questions About Dollar Shave Club

What Is Dollar Shave Club and How Does It Work?

Dollar Shave Club launched out of Venice, California in 2012 with a quirky video explainer that went viral so fast it temporarily shut down operations. Fortunately, things have been running along smoothly for DSC since. The idea behind Dollar Shave Club is that customers order a risk-free starter set (it can include any and all toiletries from a razor with cartridges to hair-care products to deodorant to oral care to shaving items to cologne). The travel-size (though razors are full-size) items are shipped to your home and you have two weeks to decide if you want to order full-sizes of some the products and razor refills. From there, DSC will automatically ship you refills to replenish those products every month. If that shipment frequency is too soon or too long, no worries. You’ve got total control of what ships and when, just log into your account and change the shipment to bi-monthly or quarterly. You can add and subtract toiletries as you need them, or just go on auto-pilot and not think about it. There’s a Handsome Discount that incentivizes you to buy more items for greater savings. Overall, you drive and decide. Tired of it? It’s easy to cancel online and there are no fees or penalties for doing so. Miss it? You can rejoin anytime without penalty.

What Comes in a Dollar Shave Club Monthly Box?

Whatever you want! Well, almost whatever you want if it’s grooming-related. Customers can order stand-alone razor cartridges and/or trial kits with travel-size toiletries ranging from toothpaste to cologne to lip balm. If you fall in love with something in the trial-size kit, you can upgrade to a full-size product. Check out all the Dollar Shave Club products here. For the purposes of the Dollar Shave Club review, we ordered the Starter Set, which includes a mix of shaving, shower, and oral-care products.

Dollar Shave Club Pricing: How Much Is Dollar Shave Club?

It depends on what you order. Most people (both men and women—ladies shave too, you know) dip their hairy toe into DSC by ordering the $5 shaving trial kit. It includes a four-pack of razor cartridges (each razor has six blades), a razor handle, one-ounce of shave butter, one ounce of post-shave “dew” (DSC’s cute term for their fast-absorbing hydrator), and one ounce of prep scrub. If you do nothing, you’ll receive a refill box in about a month that includes two four-packs of razor cartridges, three ounces of shave butter, 3.4 ounces of post-shave dew, and 3 ounces of prep scrub. The refill box costs $44 and you can add or subtract products via your account at any time before the box ships.

Want to branch out to other grooming products? There’s a trial kit for that. Not only are these one-ounce size products ideal for sampling products before you commit to a full-size bottle, but they’re also perfect for travel and stocking your dopp kit. If you travel a lot and hate using generic hotel soap, do yourself a favor and order a bunch of these affordably priced trial kits. That way you’ll always have a nice, portable tube of toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, face wash, shave balm, and lip balm on hand. Don’t have a dopp kit? Dollar Shave Club sells those, too.

If razors are the only grooming item you care about, there’s a service for those as well. The Executive razor subscription is $10 per month and includes 4 six-blade cartridges sent every month. If you want to go cheaper, the 4X razor subscription offers four four-blade cartridges sent every month for $7. The most affordable option is the Humble Twin razor, with five twin-blade cartridges sent each month for $4. The initial, reusable handle is free in the first box and if you switch your subscription from say, the Humble Twin to the Executive, you’ll get a free razor handle.

Is There a Sign-Up Fee for Dollar Shave Club?
It’s completely free to sign up for Dollar Shave Club. You only pay the monthly subscription fee and for any additional products you order. Razor subscriptions start at $4 a month, and the trial kits range from $5 to $8. Shipping is also free. Pinkie swear, no gimmicks with these guys.

Can I Get Toiletries Other Than Razors?

Yes! Though DSC started as a razor subscription service, it has since branched out to other grooming products. You can order shower stuff, skin-care products, hair-care goop, cologne, oral care, lip balm, hand cream, a manicure kit—even a dopp kit for storing all your manly goodies. Essentially, almost every grooming product you’d want to get ready for work or a date is available with Dollar Shave Club.

Can I Order Women’s Toiletries From Dollar Shave Club?

All of DSC’s products are technically unisex. The razor handles and razors are especially popular with women—we’ve read many reports from women stating they signed up for their own subscription after borrowing a razor from their partner. As for the toiletries like body cleanser, deodorant, and scalp and hair wash—the scents are often quite masculine. There is a Lady Members’ Favorites trial kit with five travel sizes of shave butter, face cleanser, body cleanser, prep scrub, and toothpaste. These are the same products men receive, but DSC states they’re the most popular toiletries with women subscribers. If you’re looking for a subscription box of women’s products like makeup, haircare, and fragrances (but no razors), then sign up for a competitor subscription service, like Birchbox.

Does Dollar Shave Club Have Brick and Mortar Stores?

Nope. DSC has experimented with pop-up shops in the past, but the direct-to-consumer online model is what keeps prices on razors and grooming products low.

How Do I Get Free Stuff From Dollar Shave Club?

The Dollar Shave Club referral program lets you earn up to $15 in DSC credit for anyone signs up for a membership using your referral link.

What Happens Once the Box Is Delivered?

You start showering and shaving! If you ordered a trial kit, now is the time to test out your travel-size products so you can decide if you want to upgrade to a bigger bottle. If you really dislike something, you can send it back for a refund. If you really love something, sign up for a subscription-style refill box or order one-off full-size products. It’s up to you! For the Dollar Shave Club review, we received a box a few weeks after it was ordered online.

How Often Do I Get a Dollar Shave Club Box?

You decide. DSC automatically ships you refills to replenish products every month. If that shipment frequency it too soon or too long, no worries. You’ve got total control of what ships and when, just log into your account to change the shipping to every two or four months. You can also add and subtract toiletries and grooming products as you need them, or just go on auto-pilot and know your box is coming. It’s completely customizable to your specific desires and needs. Need razors more often than shaving balm? Not a problem, just make the change in your account.

Can I Change How Often I Get a Dollar Shave Club Box?

Absolutely. Just adjust the shipment date on your account before your next box ships.

What Is the “Handsome Discount”?

As an incentive to try and buy more full-size products, the Handsome Discount automatically drops prices as you add more items to your next box. Throw in two or three items, get 5% off, four to five items earns 10% off, and six or more items gets you a whopping 15% off the box total. Note that starter sets, product bundles, gift samples, and free razor handles do not count towards item totals.

What If I Don’t Like Something? Will Dollar Shave Club Give Me My Money Back?

How Do You Cancel Dollar Shave Club?

Some subscription services have given subscription services a bad rap by making it way too difficult to cancel. Dollar Shave Club is the exception to the rule. Canceling is really only a matter of logging into your account and clicking on the cancel button once, and then the quit button after that. Voila, you’re unsubscribed.

Can You Re-Join Dollar Shave Club After You Quit?

Dollar Shave Club makes it simple to re-join after you quit. Simply log back into your account, and reactivate it with one click. You’re good to start ordering razors and grooming products again, without a penalty or additional fee. Easy peasy.

Our Dollar Shave Club Review for Travel

What We Received In Our Dollar Shave Club Box

We were more than intrigued about DSC, thanks to the viral videos, fun Instagram account, and rock bottom prices on razors and toiletries delivered via a subscription service. To try it out and write the Dollar Shave Club Review, we ordered The Starter Set, which comes with trials-sizes of shampoo, face wash, body wash, toothpaste, shave butter, prep scrub, post-shave dew, a full toothbrush, two six-blade razor cartridges, and a weighted razor handle. There were lots of other trial kits to choose from, but this option seemed like the best way to sample popular products and stock a dopp kit. Plus, the price point of $15 (free shipping) was a crazy good deal.  We divvied the goodies up among three men and asked for their honest feedback on the products. This is their Dollar Shave Club review. Ready, set, shower and shave!

Shop The Starter Set $15

Hydrating Hair & Scalp Shampoo (Sage & Black Pepper)

“Though it sounds like a spice combo for roasted potatoes, it’s actually a mish-mash of natural scents including lemon balm, nettle, and black walnut with some other fragrances. It’s vaguely masculine like a well-ventilated woodshop on a spring day—a little musk, a little fresh, and mildly foody. The shampoo itself works fine, and doesn’t leave a feeling of the hair being stripped or overly processed.”—David Hart, Media Producer

Hydrating Daily Face Cleanser (Citrus & Hawaiian Ginger)

“The strong aroma of citrus and the zing of ginger makes for a mildly overwhelming effect. There’s a good amount of lather with a bite, maybe from the smell. It didn’t seem to overly dry or hydrate, and maybe after a few days you’d get used to the scent.”—David Hart, Media Producer

Hydrating Body Cleanser (Calming Amber & lavender)

“A slightly floral smell without being sickly sweet (maybe from the coconut and other more solid ingredients), the cleanser suds up well and seems to not fully rinse away, leaving some sense of hydration.”—David Hart, Media Producer

Superba Peppermint Kick Toothpaste and Black Toothbrush

“The bristles are angled and densely packed, so they give a much more thorough cleaning than your average manual toothbrush. Plus the neck contours in a way that makes it easier to reach the kind of areas usually reserved for dental hygienists. The little cover that comes with the toothbrush makes it great for traveling—you can throw it in your bag or leave it on a hotel bathroom countertop and not worry about it getting all grubby. The toothpaste is perfectly fine for leaving in my dopp kit, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression. The taste is fresh and minty but it seems fairly basic.”—Brandon Phillips, Web Developer

Next up was the shave itself. The razor, to my surprise, was sturdy and ready for the job—not a single part of it felt at all junky or cheap. I assumed the Shave Butter would smell as refreshing as the Prep Scrub but it was definitely an average scent, which I didn’t mind. Since these were trial sizes, I was worried that the amount in the bottle wouldn’t be enough for my whole head. I used a light coating overall and hoped for the best. The razor glided right over my scalp to the point that I thought it didn’t work, but to my surprise—my hair was fully gone in one go—no need to swipe over the area twice. The shave was a breeze, even with the minimal use of the Shave Butter. I finished my entire head in five minutes—the fastest I’ve shaved my head in my life.

I was nervous about the Post Shave Dew. I didn’t want my head to stay all wet or look gleamingly shiny, so I was skeptical, but for me it really did neither. The second I applied it on my head it instantly dried, leaving my head feeling fresh and soft.

In conclusion, I want to be honest: I threw out my other razor. Dollar Shave Club’s shaving products and razors really got me. Every YouTuber I’d been ignoring for the past year was right. The shaving products and razors are more than worth the price and blew my expectations out of the water. I definitely WILL buy razors and shaving products from DSC again. And again. And again.”—Tyler Schoeber, Production Specialist at Jetsetter

How We Canceled Our Dollar Shave Club Membership

For the purposes of research and writing the Dollar Shave Club review, I had to cancel (though I’ll be signing up again). Canceling Dollar Shave Club was honestly effortless. I logged into my account, clicked “Manage Your Membership” and was immediately brought to an obvious large box labeled, “Cancel Your Membership.” I clicked that and was brought to a page asking if I wanted to talk to a Club Pro instead of canceling (probably to offer incentives to stay if I agreed to chat with a customer rep) but I clicked on the “Quit” response instead and my account was immediately canceled. I received an instant email confirmation of my cancelation as well. Honestly, it’s taken me longer to decide whether I want to order oat or almond milk with my coffee. Easy doesn’t begin to describe how simple it is to quit Dollar Shave Club membership.

Finally: Is Dollar Shave Club Worth It?

For sure. After going through all the steps to research for the Dollar Shave Club review, we’re absolutely sold on the razors and shaving products. As for the rest? Sign up for an affordable trial kit and see if you like the fragrances and lather. You’ve really got nothing to lose and a whole bathroom of affordable and high quality shaving and grooming products to gain.

Sign Up For Dollar Shave Club

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