A Brief Guide To Shaving With An Electric Razor

Tips For Switching To An Electric Razor

Shaving with an electric razor can come in handy when you’re in a hurry or you’re feeling particularly lazy or angry that you have to shave yet again. Unless you’re a daredevil using a buzzsaw, you’ll spare yourself some nicks and look more put together than if you let the scruff continue to grow. That said, it pays to read and know basic instruction when it comes to using them. So here ya go …

How To Choose The Best Electric Razor For Your Face
Three factors to take into consideration:

1) The shape of your face.
2) Knowing whether you prefer wet or dry shaving.
3) Tallying up the attachments you require (i.e. do you need the facial hair trimmer, etc.).

After that, you’ll want to choose between a rotary or foil design. Rotary devices use a spinning blade assembly and are designed to follow the contours of your face. As you move the shaver in a circular motion, hairs slip into the openings in the heads and are cut off by the razors.

With a foil razor, there is no rotary motor. Instead, a thin layer of metal covers the blades as they move back and forth. This makes for a more gentle shave (perfect if you have sensitive skin). These types of razors can deliver a more precise “finish” when shaving straight edges. Usually, foil shavers deliver a closer shave than rotary devices. The downside: they can be pricier, too.

Basically, you’ll want to use a rotary when you have thick or coarse hair and don’t shave every day, don’t want to clean your shaver as often, and don’t need a very close shave. Use a foil if you have fine hair, have straight hair growth, and want a really close shave.



braun shaverWet versus Dry Shaving
Wet shaving might prevent cuts, but it’s not foolproof. Wet shaving also tends to produce less razor burn and skin irritation. Some razors use a gel that is worked into your skin before you shave, so they simulate a wet shave without you having to use water. Other razors are fully waterproof, like the Braun Series 5 550cc Shaver System ($110 @ Amazon.com).









 

 

Shaving With Acne
One of the reasons people switch to an electric razor is acne. Unfortunately, it’s a condition that many individuals, especially teenagers, deal with. Until you can get your skin situation sorted out, an electric razor may be your best route to avoiding further skin irritation. (Also, if you have back acne, here’s how to get rid of it: How To Get Rid Of Back Acne.)



Keeping Your Razor Clean
The cleaner you keep the blade the longer it’ll last. Clean it after every shave. Brushing it out after every use will keep the razors free of debris, reduce snagging, and keep the blades sharper, longer. Is it a pain in the ass? Yes. Too bad. You have to do it.

Most cleaning kits for electric razors come with at least one brush and lubricating oil. Use the oil after every use. It will keep the blade temperature down, reduce razor burn (the blades will glide and catch less), and make for a closer shave. You can use water with some razors, but use caution; not all razors have sealed razor compartments. So, if you run it under water, you may short out the motor. The protective blade screen can usually be submerged in water since there’s no moving parts on the top. Just make sure you dry it off before reattaching it.



#5. Replacing Blades
The blades should last years. More good news: blade replacement is typically simple. If you’ve thrown away the warranty card and — and who doesn’t? — go online and check with the manufacturer (or hop onto a style-themed forum). You can also plug in the model of your razor into Google and it should populate blade replacements. It’s much smarter to do this than to purchase a new electric shaving device simply because the blades need to be replaced.