The Best Electric Razor for Sensitive Skin
Sensitive skin is often irritated by a razor blade. It doesn’t matter how moisturizing or hypoallergenic or skin safe the razor claims to be. The act of shaving with a blade will always be slightly irritating, even if you’re using the best blade in the entire world.
If you’ve given up with traditional razors, electric razors are the best alternative. Your skin will never have direct contact with the blade, and there’s no scraping motion. It solves the issues of redness, sensitivity, and razor burn that people with sensitive skin often deal with.
While almost all electric razors will provide some kind of improvement over blade shaving for someone with sensitive skin, there are a few features and design elements tailored specifically to the needs of sensitive skin. If you’re looking to cover your bases, choose a razor made with you in mind.
Does the Packaging State the Razor is For Sensitive Skin?
It seems like the most obvious thing to look for, but you’d be surprised how many electric razors that are perfectly suitable for sensitive skin won’t directly list this benefit on the packaging. Some do.
If you don’t know where to start, start here. Reading the packaging or description of the product will let you know if it meets the most important criteria for shaving sensitive skin without causing irritation.
Wet Shaving is Better Than Dry Shaving for Sensitive Skin
When choosing the right electric razor for you, you’ll notice that some of them are labelled as “wet/dry” electric razors. Unless an electric razor specifically says it can be used wet, water or shaving products will likely damage it.
Even though an electric razor is inherently more gentle, sensitive skin can be a bit finicky. The pressure of holding the electric razor against your skin and dragging it can irritate your skin or cause an ashy appearance if your sensitive skin is naturally on the drier side.
You should always shave wet. Hot water, hot lather, and a high quality shaving cream to moisturize and protect your skin are necessary even with an electric razor. Sensitive skin has special needs, and keeping your shave wet can help tend to those needs.
Rotary Razors and Foil Razors: The Difference for Sensitive Skin
Electric razors will have one of two very different types of shaving heads. You can spot this difference from a mile away. The razor will either be equipped with little metal circles, or it will have a round drum in the middle. Rotary razors and foil razors will both shave your face, but their mechanisms of hair removal are different.
Rotary electric razors have small circular cutting elements with little grooves made to catch your hair. As you make a pass with a rotary razor, your hair fails into these small openings and is clipped by an internal mechanism. Foil razors are the ones that have little metal drums and comb looking pieces on the head. The foil gently allows hair to enter the razor where it’s cut inside.
They both work similarly, but many people find that rotary razors can sometimes tug a little bit. This can lead to broken hairs or minor irritation when the mechanism doesn’t grab the hair the way it’s supposed to. Although this can technically still happen with foil razors, it may be slightly less likely to occur.
Since a foil razor is easily able to get closer to the skin to clip away the hair, you might find that you’re less likely to experience ingrown hairs with a foil razor. Hairs are less prone to yanking and breaking like they would with a rotary head.
Motor Speed Makes a Difference
If you’re new to electric razors, you were probably wondering what the large “CPM” number means. The CPM, or cycles per minute, refers to how fast and powerful the motor within the razor is. Faster electric shavers are more effective. This means fewer passes and a gentler shave without any ripping, tugging, or tearing.
If the CPM number is four digits, this means the motor is slow. Electric razors can go as high as 14,000 CPM. You want to get as close to that number as possible.
Electric razors with these types of motors are typically more expensive. If you’re looking for a combination of price and value, you can go as low as 10,000 CPM and still achieve a great shave.
The Bevel of the Blades
A razor gets its sharpness from the end cut of the blade. A dull electric razor defeats the entire purpose of shaving, but it’s surprising how many electric razors just can’t meet the mark of proper sharpness.
Somewhere on the box or in the product’s description, it should mention the sharpness of the blade. A 30 degree bevel would imply that the blades are very sharp, making them more likely to cut effectively and less likely to tug or break the hairs.
The Takeaway
When shopping for an electric razor for sensitive skin, you’ll likely find your perfect match in the ideal combination of features. If you’re not sure how your skin will react to the razor, purchase it from a company with a return policy.
It’s always a good idea to choose an electric razor with a warranty, just in case it breaks. Electric razors tend to be expensive, and springing a few bucks for a warranty is always a better idea than buying a whole new electric razor.
LTHR can help your electric razor safely shave your sensitive skin. Our hot lather machine dispenses a warm, rich lather from our chemical free, fragrance free, and irritant free shaving cream pods. Your skin will be protected while you shave and thoroughly moisturized with ingredients like coconut oil and soothing aloe vera. Give your sensitive skin what it needs.
Sources:
Battle of the Buzz: Foil Shavers vs. Rotary Shavers | This Vs. That
Pseudofolliculitis Barbae | American Osteopathic College of Dermatology