The Do’s And Don’ts Of Using An Electric Shaver

Properly using your electric shaver is important, and it might not be as straight-forward as you might think at first. It’s important to not only use it properly, but to maintain it as well. The reasons for this are twofold: first, you’ll get a much cleaner and closer shave, and second of all, your shaver will last much longer.

If you’re new to using electric shavers, here are some hints and tips that will make it much easier for you when you begin to use it. Away we go!

Change the Blades When Necessary

I was surprised to find that this is something that not every guy does. It’s extremely important to change your shaver blades on a regular basis. This won’t be the same for every guy and for every shaver, so your best bet is to read the user’s manual for their recommendations. In general, you should be able to tell yourself when it starts to work worse than it used to. That usually means that it’s time to get new blades!

Hopefully your blades should last about a year at least, but some will last a shorter amount of time and some will last longer. Again, it depends on a lot of different factors.

Clean and Lube the Shaver After Every Use

Adequately cleaning and lubricating your shaver blades is vital

This is probably obvious, but you should clean the shaver every time you use it. Different shavers will have different methods for cleaning, so again, you’ll need to read the manual to find out exactly how to clean it properly. It should usually be pretty straight forward, though. It’s important to always clean your shaver to make sure that it’s working at top performance; hair and other debris can definitely make it function a lot worse than it should be, and that’s never good.

You should also lubricate your shaver every so often with special lubricant. Your shaver might come with some that you can use, but you can also buy some if you need to. Again, this is necessary to keep the blades working as well as they can, and it will keep them working longer, too.

Don’t Shower Before Shaving (Unless You Have a Wet Shaver)

Unless you have a wet shaver, you really should not be shaving a wet face. An electric shaver works much better when used on a dry face, so it’s usually best to shave right in the morning before you hop in the shower.

Of course, some electric shavers can be used in a wet shave mode, so this won’t apply to those.

Don’t Go Too Long Without Shaving

Electric shavers work much better the shorter your facial hair is. It can be pretty painful, and a challenge, to whack your way through a jungle of beard with an electric shaver—not a pretty experience. Because of this, you’ll get the added “benefit” of skin irritation.

If you can shave every day, that’s definitely the best. I know not every guy shaves over the weekend, but you’ll find it much easier if you don’t go an extended period of time without shaving, trust me.

If You Don’t Like Your Shaver, Don’t Give Up

Some electric shavers aren’t for everyone. There are a ton of different styles and models out there, and I would recommend giving yourself at least a few weeks with the shaver to see if you get used to it. If not, that’s fine; don’t give up on electric shavers completely. You can surely find a different one that will work much better for you if you look around a bit. Maybe try a completely different type of shaver: for example, if you tried and didn’t like a rotary shaver, you might consider a foil shaver, which shaves in a completely different way.