When you’re traveling, you must carry all your toiletries with you. But with the strict transportation security administration rules, carrying everything that you require is not possible.
According to the transportation security administration. There are certain limitations and restrictions on some everyday objects that can be used as ‘dangerous weapons’.
One of those objects is Razor which is a necessity when you’re going on a business meeting or a long tour. The question ‘can you bring a razor on a plane?’ comes in every person’s mind who is taking a flight.
The answer is a YES but it comes with various limitations. Read till the end to know everything about carrying a razor during your flight to avoid last time issues!
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What type of razors can we carry on a plane?
Disposable razors and their cartridges are one of the most convenient razors that are permitted on a plane. Razor type blades such as utility knives, safety razor blades and box cutters are strictly restricted.
These kinds of blades can be used as weapons. The blade of most safety razors can be easily removed and misused and therefore transportation security administration has restricted them during travel.
There is nothing more convenient and smaller than a disposable razor with detachable heads. It gives you the convenience to shave anywhere at any time.
Let’s say you have to directly join your colleagues for a meeting after your flight and due to your busy schedule you don’t have any time to trim your outgrown beard.
The disposable razor will come to your rescue at this time. You can use it and then throw away the used head. Disposable razors are more reliable and safe than a safety razor and most importantly, it is allowed to be carried on planes according to the TSA guidelines.
Just to suggest a few names, you can buy Cartridge Razors like the Gillette Fusion, Schick Hydro or any other similar razor where the blade is mounted in the head and cannot be taken out easily.
You can even carry spare blades for the same razors and keep them in your carry-on luggage.
On the other hand, Safety razors, like Double Edge Razors and straight razors where the blade is not embedded in the head and can be removed easily are not something good to carry with you.
Although these razors are also accepted by TSA, as long as it doesn’t contain a blade. It is always safe to stay away from all the complications as it can cost you a lot of time during the safety check.
Next thing that comes in your mind is the electric razors or trimmers. Let’s see what the case with electric razors is.
Are electric razors allowed on a plane?
If we go along with the TSA guidelines, electric razors are definitely allowed on a plane. They don’t come under the ‘sharp objects’ list and are even easy to carry around.
The only thing that can create trouble is their batteries or charger. But thanks to our transportation security administration, they’re fine with the batteries and charger of your electric razor.
You can pack your electric razor in your carry-on luggage and also in your checked luggage, whatever you find more convenient for you. Electric razors are an excellent alternative to disposable razors due to their lack of sharpened edges and reliability.
Braun M90 Mobile Shaver, Philips Norelco, Panasonic Arc4 and Shavetech USB Electric Razor are some good names for travel electric razors as they are light weight and most accessible to travel with.
Can we carry a straight razor on a flight?
Straight razors as a big NO-GO in a plane. They directly fall under the rule ‘don’t carry sharpened objects inside the airplane’ and is strictly not permitted inside the plane as mentioned in the TSA rules.
You can pack them in your checked luggage but you have to take various precautions such as the blades should be properly sheathed so they can’t accidentally cut through your luggage and injure a baggage handler.
It is suggested to avoid carrying a straight razor during your flight as it can create complications and you’ll have to waste a lot of time giving them valid reasons of its presence even in your checked luggage.
Straight razors are very cheap and you can buy them at your destination also but if you require a particular type of straight razor, you can also consider shipping it to your hotel or wherever you are staying.
What is the right way to pack your razor?
Now that you are well aware of what kinds of razor you can carry with you and whatnot. Let’s learn about another important thing to take care of razors that is their packing.
You can carry disposable razors and electric shavers in your carry-on luggage but razors with removable blades have to be packed inside your checked luggage. You can pack safety razors in your carry-on luggage but only without the blade.
There is no strict rule to pack your razor but you have to follow certain guidelines. Pack your disposable razor in plastic, look through, quart-sized bag with other toiletries.
You can pack extra cartridges with your disposable razor but there’s only one condition. All of them should be safely sealed wither with a plastic cap or kept inside a small-sized box so that an agent won’t cut themselves while inspecting your carry on.
It is also for your own safety. If you’ll keep the razor in your carry-on without sealing its blades with a plastic cover, you might cut your fingers while searching for something inside your bag.
Let’s come to electric razors now, which can also be packed inside your carry-on. Make sure you pack a lightweight; battery-operated electric razor for your own convenience.
Your razor should be completely turned off, and there should be no way it can accidentally turn on during the flight. If there is anyone button feature as a safety stop on it, make sure that it’s turned on.
Also, put a plastic cap on the head of your electric razor. This is more for your benefit than for the sake of the TSA’s guidelines as it will protect the head of your razor from getting damaged in the transit.
TSA also restricts certain types of batteries inside the plane, but this mostly applies for the spare batteries. As long as the batteries are inside your razor, it will not create any fuss.
If you’re packing a razor with a cord, make sure you wrap the cord tightly around its body to prevent it from tangling during the journey.
This was all for the razors and precautions while traveling with them on a plane. Another important aspect of shaving is the shaving gels and foams. Let’s find out what are the restrictions applied to them.
What about shaving gels, foams, and liquids?
Yes, you can also bring shaving gels and foams in a plane but as they fall under the category of liquids, you have to follow the standard rules to pack liquid for your travel set by the Department of Homeland Security and by virtue, the TSA.
According to the TSA guidelines you can only carry 3.4 ounces or 100ml of one liquid in your carry-on. The container in which you’re packing the liquid should also measure less than or equal to 3.4 ounces.
Containers more than this size limit can get rejected at the security check. Keep your container in a look through plastic bag to quickly get through the TSA checkpoints.
You can keep larger quantities of the liquids in your checked luggage, but it is suggested to carry the shaving foam in your own bag in case it leaks in transit due to changing the air pressure.
You can also consider buying small packs of shaving foams, gels or aftershave balms that are specifically made for air travel and does not violate any TSA guidelines.
So, don’t forget to carry your disposable Razor next time when you’re going on a long tour! If you’ve any more queries related to your luggage, what to carry and whatnot, let us know by leaving a message in the comment box and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
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