Thanks for taking your time to visit our website, and read our article on how often do you or should you wet shave?
It is certainly an interesting question, and especially interesting for beginners to the wonderful world of wet shaving.
Quick Answer
Generally speaking wet shaving should be done daily. Wet shaving gives most people a very close shave, and as such will last for a longer time than dry shaving. Those with a very heavy hair growth may need to shave 2 times a day.
So that is the short and to the point answer for anyone who is in a hurry. If you would like to find out why, then we have explained this in a great deal more detail below.
Before we explain the decisions that you need to consider for wet shaving, and mainly it will come down to your skin type, but predominantly to the type of shaver that you use.
The Casual Wet Shaver
Let's have a quick discussion about what we call the casual wet shaver.
There are some men who will dry shave through the working week with an electric shaver. They will then treat themselves to a wet shave over the weekend, when they have a little more time.
Some other men will also dry shave for most of the year, and only wet shave when an occasion arises, such as a special night out, or when they go on holidays and have a little more time.
Wet shaving does take more time than dry shaving. For some busy people, dry shaving is simply faster and more convenient.
The Committed Wet Shaver
Some men have only ever wet shaved. Some have used an electric shaver for dry shaving and then switched to wet shaving. Some are just trying wet shaving for the very first time. some are of course seasoned wet shavers.
The remainder of this article deals with those men and women who have decided that wet shaving is better than dry shaving.
We would like to start by saying that wet shaving is the way to go. It is simply a better way of caring for your skin, and also one of the cheapest options for shaving generally speaking.
Men will of course primarily wet shave their face, whereas ladies will use a wet shave for their legs and under the arms.
These are of course general rules, and individual people will wet shave different areas of their body.
Which Type of Wet Shaving Razor Do You Use?
There are really 5 options when it comes to picking a wet shaving razor. These are:
- A safety razor
- A cutthroat (straight) razor
- A disposable razor
- A cartridge razor
- A wet/dry electric shaver
Below we discus how long it takes to wet shave with the different types of razors.
How Often Should You Shave with a Safety Razor?
We would recommend the safety razor as our number one choice for wet shaving. Yes it does take a little practise, but once you master the technique, it is a fast option and gives you a very close shave.
For most people you will need to shave about once a day for normal hair growth, and even the heaviest of hair growths. If the hair is lighter, then probably once every 2 days will be enough.
A razor blade is enough for 5 good shaves and then it should be replaced. The majority of users will shave once a day in the morning. It takes about 5-6 minutes for an experienced user.
Some safety razor users are weekend shavers. They may dry shave during the week and then use a safety razor at the weekends.
How Often Should You Shave with a Straight (Cutthroat) Razor?
Most men move to a cutthroat as their preferred method of wet shaving, if they have first used a safety razor. Without any hesitation we can state that this gives you the closest shave possible.
This type of razor does require more technique and you do need to have great patience to master this properly.
Like the safety razor, a daily shave is normal, though you can likely get away with every other day. This very much depends on the speed of your hair growth.
For most people this will be required once a day or every other day for normal hair growth. If the hair is lighter, then probably once every 2-3 days will be enough.
If your straight razor uses a razor blade, that is enough for 5 good shaves and then it should be replaced. The majority of users will shave once a day in the morning. It takes about 8-10 minutes for an experienced user.
If you have a fixed blade, then of course that needs to be kept honed and sharpened.
You can read more about straight cutthroat razors by clicking here
How Often Should You Shave with a Disposable Razor?
Here at the Shaving Emporium we just don't like disposable razors. We don't like the plastic handle, we don't like the packaging and we think that many of the blades are low quality.
We also understand that for some men they can be handy and convenient. Many ladies also use these for shaving their legs and under their arms.
You will need to shave at least once a day with these if you want smooth skin. Even if the hair growth is light, daily shaving will still be required. For ladies you will need to use these once a week, depending on just how quickly the hair grows back.
We did some research on these, and we found that most men used them once a day, but if they were going out that evening, then they also used them again.
Disposable blades are not that good in terms of quality, so don't expect a close shave, and don't be afraid to use one for no more than 2-3 shaves before getting a new disposable out of the packet.
How Often Should You Shave with a Cartridge Razor?
Here at the Shaving Emporium we don't really like these either. That said they are better than a disposable.
The price of refill blades are in our opinion extortionate and that is the main reason we don't like them.
These do however sell well and we know that for some men they can also be handy and convenient. Some ladies also use these for shaving their legs.
Like the rest of the shavers we have mentioned, you will need to shave at least once a day. If the hair is lighter, then probably once every 2 days will be enough.
The manufacturers state that one refill blade lasts for about a month. We have found that if you are lucky, you will get about 2 weeks, before these blades start to blunt.
How Often Should You Shave with a Wet/Dry Electric Razor?
A lot of men are making the move to one of these wet and dry electric shavers.
With these most men will do a combination of both dry shaves and wet shaves. Dry shaving is handy and convenient.
When they have a little time, they may also lather up and use this type of shaver to have a wet shave.
Electric wet and dry shavers are best used daily to keep a smooth complexion.
Understanding Skin Type & Rate of Hair Growth
There are four main skin types which are normal, dry, oily and a combination of the three other skin types. The presence of more oil usually indicates more hair growth. If that is the case, then more regular shaving time is required.
Rate of Hair Growth
Even more important though is the rate of hair growth. We really have little to no control over that, and shaving doesn't really alter the hair growth rate.
This is a genetic condition. If our parents (sometimes grandparents) had a fast or slow rate of growth, then most likely we also mimic that. Some men and some women have very slow rates of growth, whereas some men and women also have fast growth rates.
Clearly with a fast rate, more regular shaving is required.
Conclusion on Length of Time to Wet Shave
These are the main forms of wet shaving. In most cases daily shaving is required and if the hair growth is light, then you may get away with a shave every couple of days.
Safety razors and cutthroats give the closest shave as long as you regularly change the blades. With these you can get anything between 1-2 days between shaves, depending on how fast the hair grows on your body.
For ladies, it depends on the rate of hair growth, and also on the thickness of the hair. Wet shaving is much better than dry shaving, but many ladies also use waxing, laser treatments, hair removal creams and other methods to control hair removal.
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