I don’t use anything on my face and get a very close comfortable shave in the morning before showering. Your first sentence is very important information. “The electric razor really works on a different principle than a manual razor.” An electric shaver is more like a pair of scissors rather than a blade. Either using a product like William's 'Lectric shave or shaving cream/jell may help acclimate your face and beard to your shaver. I have a heavy beard and I assume that by using a screen type shaver almost daily for the past 40 years has acclimated my beard and skin to just dry shaving.
Wet shaving....with an electric razor
- Thread starter Badgerstate36
- Start date
I don’t use anything on my face and get a very close comfortable shave in the morning before showering. Your first sentence is very important information. “The electric razor really works on a different principle than a manual razor.” An electric shaver is more like a pair of scissors rather than a blade. Either using a product like William's 'Lectric shave or shaving cream/jell may help acclimate your face and beard to your shaver. I have a heavy beard and I assume that by using a screen type shaver almost daily for the past 40 years has acclimated my beard and skin to just dry shaving.
Shaving wet is closer for me than using Lectric Shave dry. Wet shave is simply so comfortable that you can go over the same spot multiple times to get an incredibly close shave without any irritation. You can't do that dry - you will either end up with a shave that's much faster but not as close - or with a bad case of irritated skin. And I mean, very bad. (or you developed leather skin from 20-30 years of shaving with an electric several times a week and your face is invulnerable at that point 
)
To me, this new generation of shavers is either used
1. Dry with something like Lectric shave; you shave super fast and you get a passable (socially acceptable) shave. Touch up in the afternoon if you want to.
2. Wet with brush+soap, which will take longer, but will result in a much closer shave with zero irritation. Will last longer, no need to touch up except if you really want to be smooth at 7pm.
)To me, this new generation of shavers is either used
1. Dry with something like Lectric shave; you shave super fast and you get a passable (socially acceptable) shave. Touch up in the afternoon if you want to.
2. Wet with brush+soap, which will take longer, but will result in a much closer shave with zero irritation. Will last longer, no need to touch up except if you really want to be smooth at 7pm.
I’m the exception that disproves your rules. I can go over the same parts of my face several times in different directions without any irritation. I can use various degrees of pressure and get no shaver burn, nor redness nor irritation and I get very close shaves every day.
When I first started using an electric shaver in the early 1960s, a plug in Norelco double header, I had skin irritation from the shaver heads dragging on my skin from perspiration. This was when we didn’t have air conditioning. I used a preshave powder that absorbed the moisture and added some dry lubrication. Once I began shaving in a cool dry environment I ditched the preshave powder. Or, my face and beard just became accustomed to the shaver. I continued using the shaver powder into the 1970s when I switched to screen type shavers.
If you are having a problem with irritation from going over the same area several times, buying a preshave stick powder might be a good choice. When you brush out the clippings the powder comes out with the beard particles.
Awesome, I'm happy to hear this worked out! Since you mentioned judging the quality of the shave based off of how long you maintain BBS then I wouldn't be surprised if your Electric quickly becomes your go-to as you realistically can maintain near BBS at all times from a simple touch up. Enjoy!
Eh, that's why I started my post saying "To me... " Those are not rules. That's what works for me. Since I use all kinds of razors and shavers: SE, DE, straight, shavette, electric I don't have time to let my face adjust to electric burn. I solved that problem easily: use brush+soap or cream. Simple. Not to mention I enjoy using those products anyway. That way I don't have to spend any time adjusting and can simply add the electric shaver into my rotation whenever I feel like it: it could be three days in a row, or just once a month. There is no benefit to me using these electric shavers dry. I'd rather use them wet and would like to encourage newcomers to electrics to do the same. And if you are a veteran electric shaver (which you obviously are and are getting great results), you have a method that works already.
i'm beginning to think shaving is the most "ymmv" thing of the universe
hahaNo problem. I just misunderstood what you wrote. If something works for you then it may help others and that’s one thing that this forum is designed to accomplish.
Sitting at home while practicing social distancing and furloughed from work gives me plenty of time to think about shaving as “ymmv” in the universe.
No..seriously.. i have seen everything and its opposite when talking about shaving. Even myself... i thought i couldn't have had a better shave using an electric "wet" (also according to some here on b&b) . But the actual test proved me wrong. But if you see other posts here, a loto of others say they get better shaves completely dry..others by using pre-electric lotions..etc.
Thanks for your response. Your 'Lectric shave experience mirrors mine. You post causes me to ponder, if you are not going to get a fast shave because you are going "wet" then why not just go all the way and use a straight and get all the benefits?Shaving wet is closer for me than using Lectric Shave dry. Wet shave is simply so comfortable that you can go over the same spot multiple times to get an incredibly close shave without any irritation. You can't do that dry - you will either end up with a shave that's much faster but not as close - or with a bad case of irritated skin. And I mean, very bad. (or you developed leather skin from 20-30 years of shaving with an electric several times a week and your face is invulnerable at that point
To me, this new generation of shavers is either used
1. Dry with something like Lectric shave; you shave super fast and you get a passable (socially acceptable) shave. Touch up in the afternoon if you want to.
2. Wet with brush+soap, which will take longer, but will result in a much closer shave with zero irritation. Will last longer, no need to touch up except if you really want to be smooth at 7pm.
Don't get me wrong, even for me an electric razor has its place. I use one to stretch a SR shave from a two day shave to a three day shave (Norelco double head non lift and cut razor) and to do touch ups if I missed a spot.
finally found lectric shave at a decent price online from spain. Should arrive in 3-5 days. i'll let you know of the outcome when i will try it.
Variety. I just enjoy rotating all sorts of razors. Electric is still faster than, say, a shavette, even when shaving wet, but it's not so much about speed for me. It's the whole experience that I enjoy, and electric is just different than anything else and the way one shaves with it is also different. Also, you can travel anywhere with an electric, which is a plus.
Everyone has slightly different skin and beard. There’s no one size fits all solutions. If works best for you, then just do it.
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.
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.
The result of my dry shave today :
why did you put a "sad" smile on my pic? The shave was close and comforable. I just have still some redness from years of multiblades. but it seems it's getting better now
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.
