How To Get The Most Out Of Your Shaver

Much like learning to drive, using an electric shaver takes a little practice. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of yours:

Take The Heat Out Of Your Shave

Since shavers generate heat as they go to work (and heat can irritate sensitive skin), it’s best to shave sensitive parts of your face first to avoid any discomfort or irritation. That means starting with the neck and the area around the jawbone when the shaver is coolest and then moving on to the chin and upper lip where the skin is less sensitive.

Stretch The Skin

For Roger Moore-smooth results, gently stretch the skin you’re about to shave with your fingertips. This will ensure that the stubble lifts off the skin, making it easier to cut, and will also enable you to get to those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies.

Take The Pressure Off

The whole point of electric shavers is that they should do all the work for you. For best results, don’t press yours too hard against the skin. Apply with gentle but even pressure, ensuring constant contact with the skin.

Use The Right Prep

Ideally, stubble needs to be stiff, dry and grease-free when using an electric shaver – and the best product to help achieve this is a pre-shave one like Lab Series’ Electric Shave Solution. The advent of wet and dry shavers means these kinds of solutions aren’t always necessary, but they still help if you’re dry shaving. Never use shavers with shaving oils though – they play havoc with your shaver’s blades.

Perfect Your Technique

How you use your shaver depends on whether it’s a foil or a rotary. If using a foil shaver, stick to sweeping back and forth motions to remove the hair; or if using a rotary shaver, shave using gentle circular motions.

Keep Things Clean

Modern shavers are designed to be as low-maintenance as possible but you do need to do some cleaning to keep the blades free of skin flakes and stubble. To get the most out of your shaver, follow the cleaning instructions or, if you’re time poor/lazy, pay a little extra and get one that comes with its own cleaning cleaning unit.