Do You Use Shaving Cream With An Electric Razor?
Electric shavers are excellent for a quick and clean shave. Unlike traditional razors, they work excellently by smoothly gliding over your face skin and eradicating every outward or in-ward hair growth. However, do you need shaving cream with an electric razor?
You do not need shaving cream or any sort of gel with an electric razor. Electric razors are used for dry shaving and shouldn’t be used in the shower or tub or anywhere close to water. Shaving creams and gels are meant for wet shaving using traditional razors that offer a close and smooth shave.
Continue reading for a practical guide on electric shaving as well as why you don’t need shaving cream. Let’s show you how to ensure your next shaving experience is worry-free with an electric razor.
What Are Shaving Creams Used For?
Shaving cream is a thick gel-like solution used to soften the hair by providing lubrication when shaving.
It is mainly used for these reasons:
- Moisturize and prepare the skin for shaving
- Reduce friction between skin and razor
- Prevent deep cuts, razor burns, redness, etc.
Do I Need Shaving Cream With An Electric Razor or Electric Clippers?
Beards, mustaches, goatees, sideburns, or facial hair are signs of manliness, but it is frustrating when you have excessive unwanted hair growth, giving a rugged look.
With smart electric razors, shaving is quick, smooth, and useful in the long run.
Every man has his share of experience using shaving cream or not with an electric razor. Some might feel using shaving cream is okay, while others don’t like the stickiness between their skin and the electric razor.
The question of using shaving cream with electric razors often comes up with razors like Braun and Philips Norelco.
However, a good rule of thumb is not to use shaving cream for dry shaving. Instead, use shaving cream for wet shaving. When you dry-shave with an electric razor, the blade doesn’t get enough close to the skin like a traditional razor blade.
Hence, the presence of any layer in between can make shaving more difficult. Whereas it’s completely okay to use shaving cream for wet shaving as it helps the razor cut the hair more smoothly.
What is Dry Shaving?
Dry shaving is a type of shaving that doesn’t require water or any lubricant to wet the skin before shaving.
A person who’s dry-shaving for the first time may feel it hard as it requires focus and tactics to play safe with your electric razor. While you’re at it, check out our article on the best dry shavers.
With that said, here are a few tips to help one perfectly dry-shave with an electric razor without the need for any shaving cream.
Tips For Dry Shaving With An Electric Razor:
1. Lubricate the razor:
Lubricating the razor will help in sharpening its metallic blades and performing efficiently. You can go for any light mineral oil to pour between the blades and at the edges.
2. Use skin lotion:
Dry-shave often makes the skin rough, dry, and dehydrated right after shaving without using any lubricant during the process.
As an alternative, rub any skin-soothing lotion or moisturizer, or you can also apply tea tree oil on the affected skin for fast, better results.
3. Change the blades:
Do not delay changing the blades after every 8-10 months of an electric razor and clean them properly after every shave.
The edges can get dull, bland, and rusted if you use them only for dry-shave without applying any lubricant.
4. Take breaks:
An electric razor operates by a tiny oscillating motor that determines the blade’s motion. Therefore, pause after every 10 minutes to cool down the motor and maintain the razor’s efficiency throughout the shaving.
5. Choose smart controls:
Shaving from an electric razor offers you the option to determine all aspects of your shaving process.
Therefore, select the right settings to enhance the shaving results further such as adjusting the settings at maximum hair length, keeping the speed moderate, choosing a comfortable grip, etc., for a seamless shaving experience.
What is Wet Shaving?
Wet shaving is known to be the traditional way of shaving that requires water and a shaving lubricant, unlike dry shaving
According to many wet-shaving enthusiasts, it is the safest, most efficient, and most-used type of shaving that any sharp-edge razor can do.
If wet shaving is not the most pleasant experience, you probably have been doing it wrong all along. Here are some tips to wet-shave and get excellent results, just like you see in shaving ads.
Tips For Wet -shaving With A Simple Razor:
1. Prepping the skin:
Prepping the skin with hot water or shaving soap helps open the skin pores, relax the facial muscles, and dampen the skin for quick and effective shaving.
In case you’re lazy or unable to make adequate lather, put a warm water towel on the face for 5-10 minutes and relax.
2. Choose quality shaving scream:
As mentioned, wet shaving calls for a good quality lubricant to apply on the skin for making shaving smooth and ensuring skincare.
If you have sensitive skin, be careful of the shaving cream you choose. Do not settle on shaving creams with more than 8.2% stearic acid, 7% alcohol, and other skin-harming chemicals. Pro tip: look for shaving creams that have a good quantity of herbal extracts and natural oils.
3. Choose the right direction:
The right direction matters a lot in shaving. It not only helps cut the hair from the root but requires less force to the desired area.
Always shave in the direction of the hair growth and bring it upward later. However, going against the grain rule can do wonders in cutting hair easily without giving you cuts or nicks for close-shave.
4. Check the blades:
Steel blades can easily be rusted, corroded, stained, or lose efficiency. However, sharpness is not the only thing to check before starting with shaving, there are other things too. Thus, it’s essential to check the blades if they’re clean, in place, and have shiny steel and covered edges.
5. Follow the after-shave routine:
Every 1 in 10 men gets shaving cuts while closing the shave due to impulsiveness or carelessness. You can easily cut yourself while shaving and some shaving cuts can be dangerous.
An after-shave routine of 10 minutes can make a lot of difference in creating a long-lasting shine and smell pleasant for the longest time after shaving.
How Long Does It Take Hair To Re-grow With Dry or Wet Shaving?
While there’s no cure answer to this question, it depends on factors like genes, ethnicity, and hormones that differ in every man.
However, a general approximation is around one month for the hair to grow half an inch and more with increasing time.
Wet shaving is likely to regrow hair earlier than the dry-shaving due to the deep removal of hair follicles.
Being harsh with your razor or the skin will not make the process quick in any case. Instead, it can cause painful and highly infected nicks, cuts, skin burns, etc.
Can You Shave Pubes with Electric Razor?
Yes, you can use an electric razor to shave your pubes. In fact, it’s one of the best ways to get better results when shaving your pubes.
All you need to do is ensure you’re doing it right to avoid injuries. You have to be cautious while shaving because electric razors are known to be dangerous.
Do you Need to Use an Aftershave with an Electric Razor?
Yes, you should use an aftershave with an electric razor. Using aftershave is very important after shaving, regardless of whether you use a straight razor or an electric one.
Your skin is most vulnerable after shaving, and this is why using a quality aftershave can have a calming effect and reduce discomfort after shaving.
How Do You Prep for an Electric Razor?
Here is how to prep if you’re using an electric razor for shaving:
- Remove any form of moisture
- Use an electric pre-shave lotion
- Charge, clean, and also lubricate the razor
- Trim your beard
- Always start trimming with the most difficult portions of your face
Conclusion:
Shaving is a fun thing to do, and it gets more interesting if you own a smart electric razor and know how to use it.
However, you should be careful of the products you are using for white dry shaving as using the wrong products can cause skin irritations and other problems.
As we have seen, shaving cream or any other lubricant should not be used while using an electric razor.
