Wet shaving....with an electric razor

[slybrewguy]

yes i developed a chronic redness from years of multiblades (even if i used good techniques, 3 passes...no pressure..brush and soaps..beard mapping etc etc..) . Seems it's already getting better after 10 days of continous use of my arc5.
On a side note: the dry shave of today lasted just 3'30" from start to finish. I could have never shaved so fast with a cart or DE no matter what: usually it takes me 2 minutes just to prepare lather with brush and soaps... Go figure.

It took my skin awhile to recover from blades as well. I also found it took me longer just to prepare my lather then to just shave dry, that doesn't even take into account it taking longer to shave and more time cleaning the shaver. I can go from 2 day growth to baby smooth in less then 5 minutes with a little splash of lectric shave. I also can confidently say that taking the time to learn traditional shaving and beard mapping helped me get better electric shaves in the sense that I can follow my growth pattern instead of just rubbing it all around hoping for the best.

Most guys coming off multi blade carts dismiss Electrics blaming irritation on the shaver not realizing it's residual cartridge irritation trying to heal itself and not being used to the concept of grain mapping causes a less close shave in problem areas.

 

[karacha]

...and not being used to the concept of grain mapping causes a less close shave in problem areas.

This is incredibly important if one wants to get a great shave (in general, not just with electrics). I feel not enough people even know their growth direction that well.

 

[modernshaver1965]

This is incredibly important if one wants to get a great shave (in general, not just with electrics). I feel not enough people even know their growth direction that well.

i couldn't quote enough. in fact i found out under the neck my hair grows east to west (L) west to east (R) so if i don' turn the head of the razor 90° (whatever razor..DE, multiblades etc) some patches remain. BUT if i turn the head 90° i wipe everything away with whichever razor i use. Guaranteed.
And then i see may people complaining they "cannot get very close under the neck" with their razor. I bet a costly dinner that they don't know their beard map at all.

 

[modernshaver1965]

Wet shaving with electric

 

[Flyboybob]

Just for fun, and because I ended up getting ready for work early, I decided to wet shave with my Braun series 3 today for the first time in a very long time. Cold water shave, face lathered La Toja stick with my Omega S brush, and the results were interesting: much closer shave on my cheeks and chin and much less close shave on my neck and jaw. I typically shaved dry in the past but have been using lectric shave with great results lately. I have to say, I'm still not a fan of the wet electric shave. Less even shave vs dry, more missed hairs vs dry, and slightly irritation on my chin and upper cheeks. I can definitely feel the razor drag on my wet skin.

Not knocking anyone who prefers a wet electric shave, to each their own, but I'll be sticking with pre-shower dry electric shaving with a little splash of lectric shave.

I wonder how many members here are experimenting with their electric shavers because they are not working? Is anyone just giving up shaving and growling a beard while furloughed?

 

[modernshaver1965]

Must admit @karacha was right. Another touch up at 7 pm (35 seconds..!!!) and so I'm still bbs.yes it's becoming my goto razor. Too spoiling.

 

[Flyboybob]

i couldn't quote enough. in fact i found out under the neck my hair grows east to west (L) west to east (R) so if i don' turn the head of the razor 90° (whatever razor..DE, multiblades etc) some patches remain. BUT if i turn the head 90° i wipe everything away with whichever razor i use. Guaranteed.
And then i see may people complaining they "cannot get very close under the neck" with their razor. I bet a costly dinner that they don't know their beard map at all.

You are correct. Because I can’t remember which part of my face the beard grows, I basically shave each section twice. Once north and south then again east and west. I also pull up the skin along my jawline towards the flat area of my cheek to get those area shaved closer.

 

[Flyboybob]

Wet shaving with electric

Nice article. I was especially impressed about getting the right kind of shaving cream and applying it correctly. I would have done it incorrectly like it’s shown on the Panasonic shaver box.

 

[Scaramouche]

Wet shaving with electric

And for different strokes - Ovidiu has some great reviews and tips, but here we diverge. If the lather is too thick for my DE razor, it's too thick for my electric. Too thin, same thing - for my face. I use exactly the same lather, brush, scuttle, soaps and aftershaves I use for a bladed shave. And it works perfectly for me. One nice technological feature for newer electrics is that they measure resistance to the blades and automatically adjust speed accordingly (or allow an adjustment) - whether for your beard or lather. This seems to provide a more uniform shave across the board - for me. And I do find a true wet shave is closer and more comfortable with an electric - for me. I've also incidentally found that the soaps I consider great performers with a blade are correspondingly great with an electric. Poor performers, same thing. The shaving implement does not improve - or worsen - the performance of the software. Really, the only difference between the shave with a blade or an electric shaver, for me, is the speed of the blades - and the shaves.

 

[modernshaver1965]

And for different strokes - Ovidiu has some great reviews and tips, but here we diverge. If the lather is too thick for my DE razor, it's too thick for my electric. Too thin, same thing - for my face

maybe you misunderstood what he was trying to explain. With DE you HAVE to have a thick lather because a) you have the actual blade touching your skin - cushioning and b) with a DE the clogging factor is almost non existent.
But with the electric , where the blade are already burued under the foil or rotary and there's already not a direct contact with your skin, having a thick lathering can definitely increase the relative distance between the actual blades and the skin, hece possibily a WORSE shave.While if you do a thin lathering you ca still retain a close shave by increasing the gliding of the razor on the skin

 

[modernshaver1965]

Dry shaving early today. After breakfast made my hair more exposed (don't know why but it's like that for me). 4'25" according to the timer. Essentially bbs. I'm impressed.

 

[slybrewguy]

Dry shaving early today. After breakfast made my hair more exposed (don't know why but it's like that for me). 4'25" according to the timer. Essentially bbs. I'm impressed. View attachment 1091611View attachment 1091612

I get better Electric shaves in the morning as well. Braun claims this is due to your skin having 'more' natural oil present after sleeping.

 

[modernshaver1965]

i have just noticed (personal esperience) that if I shave after breakfast my hair comes out more. That's why i tried that "experiment"

 

[Scaramouche]

maybe you misunderstood what he was trying to explain. With DE you HAVE to have a thick lather because a) you have the actual blade touching your skin - cushioning and b) with a DE the clogging factor is almost non existent.
But with the electric , where the blade are already burued under the foil or rotary and there's already not a direct contact with your skin, having a thick lathering can definitely increase the relative distance between the actual blades and the skin, hece possibily a WORSE shave.While if you do a thin lathering you ca still retain a close shave by increasing the gliding of the razor on the skin

Nope. A too-thin lather increases the chance of irritation with a blade or electric, for me. I find I can get just as close with normal lather, and still have the wonderful cushion provided by a good soap, even with an electric. The point of a good soap is to provide lubricity, soften the keratin layer of the hair shaft, and cushion the surface of your skin from too-close contact with a blade, foil, rotary comb or other hard steel object while cleanly shearing off the hair. The micron-thick layer between the aforementioned hard steel objects and your skin is what protects it, and is really the difference between shaving dry and using lather. And really the thickness difference between a normal lather and a thin one is probably not measurable without very sophisticated instruments. My other point was that (most) of the electrics I use accommodate for either a more dense beard or a more dense soap by automatically adjusting blade speed, so really no advantage to a lather that is less than optimal - for me. If you cruise the blade forums, one of the more variable topics is the quality and consistency of lather used by forumites - but a common theme is don't use a lather that's too thin. "Too thin" is one of those very subjective shaving things, but like bad art, you know it when you see it.

 

[modernshaver1965]

Can you tell me where i said you have to use a "too thin" layer of lathering?
Obviously i meant "thin enough" . No more no less. And regarding thick lathering i have to insist: with an electric razor CAN even be detrimental *if it's too thick" because in that particular case it can create another useless barrier to the couple "blade+foils". Because you already have the foils protecting your skin from the actual contact with the blade. Add another layer and you can very likely DECREASE the shave closeness. You cannot defy physics, regardless of individual differences.

 

[Flyboybob]

I get better Electric shaves in the morning as well. Braun claims this is due to your skin having 'more' natural oil present after sleeping.

While working I shave as soon as I wake. On the weekends I don’t shave immediately after awakening, sometimes after a couple of hours, and I can’t tell any difference between the quality of the shaves. I think the biggest difference would be shaving after exercising which would leave your face sweaty which would cause the shaver to drag on your skin.

 

[Scaramouche]

Can you tell me where i said you have to use a "too thin" layer of lathering?
Obviously i meant "thin enough" . No more no less. And regarding thick lathering i have to insist: with an electric razor CAN even be detrimental *if it's too thick" because in that particular case it can create another useless barrier to the couple "blade+foils". Because you already have the foils protecting your skin from the actual contact with the blade. Add another layer and you can very likely DECREASE the shave closeness. You cannot defy physics, regardless of individual differences.

The actual photo of lather - provided as an example - on the site referenced was "too thin" lather - for me. But I'm not about to be drawn into a bar brawl on lather consistency. I am 1) too old, and 2) too wise.

 

[modernshaver1965]

The actual photo of lather - provided as an example - on the site referenced was "too thin" lather

Yes. the lather on that photo (Ovidiu's site) is definitely too thin. Almost non-existent i would say! In that case i think it would even be useless.

 

[chinmusic82]

I didn’t even know this was possible! Wet shaving with an electric.

Would have thought there’s an electrocution risk.

I had a roommate in college a couple of decades ago who would use talcum powder. He’d get a fantastic shave. In fact better than all of us in the hostel using carts and foam.

 

[modernshaver1965]

just performed a light touchup using the arc5 following my beard map and bang!! BBS again in 38 seconds!! This razor is amazing. With my mediterranean beard - it's more like a lightning fast growing barbed wire - i have never been able to be clean cut at 7 pm without looking like Sweeney Todd. Now.. i can!!! (And my wife does appreciate too). I'm definitely sold on this razor now.