A Closer Look at Electric vs. Regular Razors

Shaving is the primary grooming skill every suave man should know. However, your ability to shave yourself is just as good as your tools. Should you do it electrically or go old school? Consider these eight merits of electric vs. regular razors.

1. Cost

Electric and manual razors come at different price points, but the former is more expensive by a mile. Low-end electric hair clippers, trimmers and shavers will set you back a bit, while high-end models can cost hundreds of dollars. On the other hand, you can buy a pair of quality safety razors with a sleek finish for less than a Benjamin. You can also order four stainless steel shavettes for the same amount.

However, regular razors require wet shaving. A decent shaving brush and a rustproof stand are usually one-time purchases, but you’ll need to budget for preshave, shaving soap or cream, aftershave and replacement cartridges occasionally. The cost to replenish your supply will add up over time if you’re not smart with your purchases.

Meanwhile, electric clippers, trimmers and shavers generally work without other products because they only need dry shaving. They can last for years, but you may need replacement parts when some of their components break. You’ll also need a stock of cleaning fluid to prevent premature foil and blade wear.

Moreover, having one electric razor may be insufficient for your grooming needs — especially when you have plenty of facial and body hair. You may need a trimmer or a shaver paired with a hair clipper if you want to do all your shaving. More gadgets mean higher expenses.

2. Speed

Are electric razors better than regular ones regarding efficiency? In a way, they are. Machines can get the job done faster, but you may need to go back over areas multiple times to cut more hair.

Conversely, shaving with a traditional razor is typically more time-consuming. You must prep the areas first to reduce the friction between the blade and your skin. When you’re ready to shave, you must take time to glide over areas smoothly and safely.

3. Shave Closeness

Shaving the traditional way is the best way to achieve a clean look. A conventional razor has multiple blades designed to lift the hair from the follicle upon contact before cutting it. The result is the closest shave you’ll get.

Trimming messy stubble with an electric shaver can make your face look neat, but expect a five o’clock shadow. A slight growth of beard and mustache can make you appear more masculine and mature, but it’s the closest to a shave an electric razor can do. You’ll have to shave more frequently to keep whiskers unnoticeable if you want to do it electrically.

4. Versatility

Traditional razors are useful for any area you want to shave cleanly. Most barbers recommend them for your face, chest, abdomen and legs. In contrast, every type of electric razor has a specialty.

Trimmers can be helpful for shaving different body parts. It’s suitable for cutting finer and shorter hair on your face. This tool can come with various attachments to expand its shaving capabilities. It can have a precision detailer for trimming your beard, sideburns and eyebrows, a reciprocating head for edging and grooming hairy ears, and a rotary head for cutting nose hair.

Hair clippers are perfect for trimming long hair. You’ll need one if you have a scruffy beard or want to cut the hair on your head down to one-sixteenth of an inch. Shavers are primarily for facial hair. You can use a hair clipper and a rotary shaver alternately to trim your bushy beard, but you’ll need a foil shaver to remove as much hair from your skin as possible.

5. Maintenance

Consider the tool’s design when determining the upkeep of electric vs. regular razors. A no-frills safety razor is easy to maintain. You can rinse it with warm water and pat it dry to remove mineral buildup and lather residue. When changing blades, wash and wipe the inside of the head. On the contrary, a straight razor needs more care since its blade dulls with use. You can sharpen it with a strop, a natural or manufactured stone, or a lapping film.

Electric razor maintenance is usually stress-free. Built-in vacuums and self-cleaning settings will make your life easier. If your model has no set-and-forget automatic cleaning station, you can clean it with running water fuss-free and dry it afterward.

Lubrication is an extra but straightforward task to keep your electric razor in good shape. Applying a few drops of light oil before you groom will:

Prolong the life of your shaver’s foil or blade
Reduce friction-induced heat during operation
Help cutting components move with less resistance
Boost your electric razor’s performance

Spraying a cleaner on your shaver is optional, but doing so can help neutralize hard water and lubricate your tool.

6. Skin Safety

Manual razors have a reputation for causing irritation and abrasion because they interact with the skin directly. However, applying shaving cream or oil can make your grooming experience pleasant, even with sensitive skin. Dermatologists recommend having a clean-shaven look to prevent razor bumps.

Electric shaving is generally safe for the skin but can still cause itchy and unsightly ingrown hairs. That’s why it’s wise to use shaving cream when grooming to add a protective layer between your skin and an electric razor.

7. Controllability

Shaving is a lost art. Traditional razors will help you hone your grooming skills more effectively. Learning how to wield a razor will help you better trim a distinct beard neckline. You can define your facial hair’s lines well with muscle memory using an electric trimmer, but a tool you can hold with just your fingers will give you more control over the shaving process.

8. Portability

Whether manual or electric, your grooming gear will eat up luggage space. Some say that traditional shaving kits are less convenient when traveling, but a mechanical tool needing a charging and cleaning station and requiring wet shaving can also be bulky.

Are Electric Razors Better Than Regular Ones?

All grooming tools have pros and cons but complement each other. Despite advancements in men’s electric shaving tech, traditional razors have persisted. It’s evidence that they can do what sophisticated gear can’t, so invest in a kit to round out your grooming toolset and maintain your desired look.

Posted on September 22, 2023September 22, 2023 by Jack Shaw

How To Make Your Shave Last Longer

Every many loves the feeling of having a freshly shaved face. Whether you get five o’clock shadow at noon or you still look baby-faced 24 hours later, however, no clean shave lasts forever. Learn more about how using the best shaving cream and a safety razor to shave against the grain can give you the longest possible period between shaves.

1. Use a High-Quality Razor

If you want your shave to last a long time, you can’t get the job done with a run-of-the-mill razor. Instead, you’ll need to give yourself the kind of shave that only a safety razor can provide.

Since a safety razor only uses one blade, it’s easy to position this type of razor exactly where you need it to get rid of your stubble in the most efficient way possible. Since blades for safety razors are cheap, you won’t have to keep using an old razor just to save money; as soon as your current blade starts to lose its sharpness, you can switch to the other side or swap out your safety razor blade altogether.

2. Shave Against the Grain

Once you have your safety razor, remember that you have to shave against the grain to get the best possible results. Not even the best shaving cream in the world will help you if you use the wrong techniques to shave with your safety razor, and shaving the wrong way could even result in nicks and cuts.

When you shave against the grain, your safety razor cuts deep into the hair follicle to separate it as close to the surface of your skin as possible. While it takes more time to shave against the grain than it does to shave with the grain, you’ll leave stubble behind unless you make an effort to shave against the grain every day.

Paired with the best shaving cream you can find, this simple technique will leave you with a smooth face all throughout the day. If your facial hair grows relatively slowly, shaving against the grain with a precise and ultra-sharp safety razor may keep your face hair-free for a day or even longer.

3. Make the Experience More Enjoyable with a Top-Notch Shaving Cream

Even if you have the best shaving tools ever designed at your disposal, you won’t get the shave you’re looking for if you use sub-par shaving cream. For shaving against the grain and using a high-quality razor to pay off, you’ll need to use the best shaving cream around to facilitate the shaving process and keep your face comfortable before, during, and after your shave.

Here at Original Shave Company, we know a thing or two about shaving cream. We’ve poured all our extensive experience and love of shaving into our Signature Shaving Cream, so we’re absolutely sure it’s the best shaving cream on the market if you want to get a close and comfortable shave every time.

The wrong shaving cream can make shaving a chore. When every pass against the grain feels like you’re hacking down jungle vines with a rusty machete, you know you’re doing something wrong. If shaving feels like passing a hot knife through butter, however, you can be positive that you’ve found the best shaving cream for your skin. Using the right shaving cream can make the process of shaving easier, but it can also make your face look healthier and more robust. Our Signature Shaving Cream contains all the ingredients your sensitive skin needs to heal from the shaving process, and it will help your skin look smooth and soft all through the day.

Posted on April 26, 2019April 22, 2019 by Sean Mason

To beard or not to beard, that is the question.

Thinking about letting your facial hair grow wild? Let us break it down for you…

There’s one question that has plagued men since time immemorial: Are beards the best, or is a clean shave the way to go? Throughout the history of civilization, beards have gone in and out of style dozens of times. These days, men can choose their facial hair styles freely, but this freedom comes with a cost; as a modern man, you are burdened with the responsibility of deciding between shaving cream and beard oil whenever you shop for grooming goods online. In this guide, we’ll answer all your questions about beards, and we’ll help you make the hard decision between a smooth, clean shave and a beautiful beard dripping with beard oil.

Do Women Like the scruff?

Let’s face it, guys: Most of the things we do, we do to impress members of the opposite sex. Whether we’re looking for girlfriends or trying to show our wives that we’ve got what it takes, we’re constantly on the lookout for new techniques to impress women with our rugged manliness.

However, do women like beards, or do they prefer the smoothness that comes after a meticulous wet shave? According to Psychology Today, the answer to this question is anything but simple. It seems that women prefer men with light stubble as long-term partners, but they view men with long beards as the most aggressive and socially mature. What’s more, women think that men with short facial hair are the most dominant.

The good news for men who like a nice wet shave or who have stocked up on a lifetime supply of shaving cream is that you have to shave relatively frequently to get the stubble that women desire in sexual partners. While women might not give you the time of day for the first 24 hours or so after you shave, once your clean shave wears off and your stubble sets in, the time will be right to hit the club or flex at the gym.

If you’re looking for a long-term relationship or you’re trying to show the mother of your children that you’re an epic provider, however, you might want to ditch the shaving cream temporarily and invest heavily in beard oil. The research is clear that women see men with full facial hair as being more aggressive, dominant, and mature, and your committed partner might even lose respect for you if you say goodbye to beards and end it all with a luxurious wet shave.

While the allure of a clean shave might fit in well in a boardroom or a job interview, beards are the way to go if you want to hit it off with the ladies. Just don’t forget to keep some shaving cream on hand in case the science on this subject ever changes.

Long Beards vs. Neatly Trimmed Beards

Modern life can be hectic, and it can seem like you don’t have enough time for a wet shave every morning. Beards can look great in professional environments, but just make sure that you don’t overdo it.

No employer likes scraggly beards. This doesn’t mean that you should try to have a clean shave every time you show up for work, but you also shouldn’t let your facial hair run amok. In certain industries, long beards might be perfectly acceptable, but you should keep your facial hair well-trimmed no matter how long it gets.

There’s nothing worse than being forced to give yourself a wet shave after you suddenly learn your employer doesn’t like beards. If you like your beard, take care of it, or you might have to make a choice between a clean shave and losing your job sooner than you think.

Can You Have the Best of Both Worlds?

Please, we beg you: Don’t go for the neckbeard! Anything else, however, is fair game. Who said that you have to grow a long, scraggly beard? As long as you have a razor, there are a million and one different ways that you can creatively rock your facial hair.

Just because you have a beard doesn’t mean you have to abandon the luxury of a wet shave entirely. In fact, many men keep their beards in check by applying shaving cream to the areas around their necks and shaving every other day or so. Beards with clearly defined perimeters look more professional, and you can also use a straight razor or a safety razor to explore your facial hair possibilities to your heart’s content.

Employers might like cleaner beards better than wild beards, and the ladies will appreciate the contrast between the ruggedness of your beard and its manicured edges. Just don’t get too creative; complicated mixes of facial hair and cleanly shaved skin look downright weird, and they’re hard to maintain day in and day out.

A World of Stylish Beards to Choose From

Every man should go down the bearded route at some point in his life. The question is, should you stop shaving now and let your beard go wild? As you debate the pros and cons of being bearded, consider some of the best beard styles that celebrities rock without a care in the world.

The ZZ Top/Duck Dynasty Jungle
These men know how to grow some serious facial hair! If you’ve ever been to a ZZ Top concert or watched an episode of Duck Dynasty, you probably stared in amazement at the waterfall of facial hair cascading off these famous celebrity faces. Not everyone can grow a beard like Dusty Hill or Phil Robertson, but if you can, you might as well flaunt it.
The Mel Gibson Jehovah
If it’s always been your dream to look like a biblical figure, you could learn a thing or two from Mel Gibson. This famous Hollywood actor and director has been cultivating his facial hair for decades now, and he so fully looks the part that it would only be natural to see Mel rolling in on a thundercloud shooting bolts of lightning from his fingertips. The Mel Gibson beard is anything but tame, but it’s polished enough to look right at home in a board room or a Michelin-starred restaurant.
The Chris Hemsworth Stubble
Remember what we said about women and stubble? Actor Chris Hemsworth pulls off this effect perfectly. While you’ll sometimes see Chris clean-shaven, he ditches the shaving cream just as frequently and lets a short beard grow out. If you want to remain popular with the opposite sex, just remember to give yourself a wet shave every week or so to keep things from getting out of hand.
The LeBron James Masterpiece
If you don’t mind taking half an hour out of your day to sculpt your face every day of the week, you might want to emulate the look that LeBron James has been perfecting. While he never lets his beard get much longer than thick stubble, he expertly deploys a clean shave around his mouth to disrupt the overpowering look that so many beards end up having.
The Daniel Radcliffe Lounge
This former Harry Potter lead proves that you can do a lot with very little. While the density of Radcliffe’s facial hair is nothing to write home about, his refusal to keep up with a daily wet shave has resulted in a thin layer of hair covering his upper lip and chin. Even if you can’t grow a full Mel Gibson beard, you can take a page from Daniel’s book and rock a short beard that will make you look as rugged and manly as possible.

Nobody Likes a Dirty Beard

There’s a very simple reason many men end up avoiding beards altogether. The longer your facial hair becomes, the harder it is to maintain, and there’s nothing more embarrassing than a dirty beard. While beard oil keeps the skin under your beard healthy and makes sure that your facial hair stays nice and soft, applying this oil every day doesn’t do much to keep your beard clean.

If you want to make sure that your beard doesn’t get too dirty, you’ll need to wash it every day. Even though your facial hair is different from the hair on your head, you should use a beard wash and you may also want to bring a beard comb into the shower with you to make sure that you get all the accumulated gunk out of your facial hair.

Men with beards understand that having rugged facial hair requires constant vigilance. You have to be extra careful when you eat, and even spilled drinks can ruin the masculine appeal of your beard and drag strange smells with you wherever you go. Nonetheless, sporting an immaculately maintained beard is much more mainstream than it used to be, and as long as you can grow enough facial hair, the sky is the limit in terms of the epic beard styles you can try out.

Posted on April 18, 2019April 18, 2019 by Sean Mason — 1 Comment

What Are The Different Types Of Razors?

Everyone likes a neat and clean appearance. The good news is that it doesn’t take much effort to get that classic look. All you need is a good razor. There are different types of razors flooding the market. We’ll help you pick the right one.

Use in the stone age, the first known version of a razor was a shaving stone which was essentially a flaked obsidian.

The Egyptians used a rotary razor.

Shaving was adopted by Alexander’s troops. The Romans replaced the circular razor with a straight one.

Straight razor was most commonly used till the 20th century. This razor had a stainless steel blade that is sharpened on one side.

Next came the shavette, had a disposable blade. It is easy to use but less durable.

In 1880 came the first marketed safety razor. Safer to use than straight razor but required practice.

1903 saw King Gillette sell the first double edge safety razor which had edges and protective bars on both sides of the blade.

First disposable safety razor came in 1960. The entire razor is discarded after use over a period of time.

Then came the cartridge razor with disposable blades. whose head remained bent at a slight angle for a closer shave.

The foil electric razor run on batteries or can be recharged. For this, no shaving gel or foam is needed. Since the blades move back and forth, they don’t work well on facial curves.

Based on the same principle as the electric razor, the rotary electric razor has blades that rotate on the head. They are easy to use and work well on facial contours with minimum effect.

If you are interested in learning more, check out the infographic below.

Posted on February 5, 2018July 13, 2018 by Sean Mason