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How to Shave your Head smooth | Tips, razor, aftershave, skin care

Thinking about shaving your head bald? Should you, How to the first time, What kind of shaving cream or soap to apply, razor vs hair clippers, post shave routine, How often, and more insight into head shaving. Luck you have come to the right place.

Is there such a thing as a head shaving professional? You betcha, I proudly give myself the esteemed title of a professional head shaver. Barbers cut hair everyday, but I shave my head at home almost everyday and have been doing it for many years.

How hard is it to shave your own head? Not hard at all. Keep reading and you'll be able to call yourself a professional in no time at all.

How To Shave your Head

It is really similar to shaving almost anything else. I started with hair clippers or trimmers and eventually transitioned to a razor. The first time you do it, I'm sure you will have a lot of fear. It's really not as scary as it might seem. After shaving a handful of times you'll get more comfortable. Head shaving is no different that shaving your face for example.

3 simple steps

Apply shaving lubricant, soap, pre shave oil, gel, or shaving cream.
Use your favorite razor, cartridge, safety razor, or disposable
Shave just like you would your face

That's the oversimplified version of how to do it on your own. If you are asking this question you probably need a bit more guidance, which is why the rest of the article was written.

I'll give you some tips, considerations, and how to stuff that will help you go from a hairy beast to a smooth dome.

Everything I say can be adjusted and I recommend you do adjustments once you gain some experience. As with anything, it's best to learn, practice, and then modify according to your personal preference. Here are the steps to get you the best head shave with the shortest learning curve

Let's start with the first question you need to ask.

Should I shave my head?

What reasons do people want to do it in the first place?

Balding - The single most common reason men shave their heads. They were born with genetics that blessed them with hair loss.
Style - Women and Men alike are shaving their heads fully and sometimes just the side or back because of the popular style. A balding look and a beard are quite common combo today.
Chemo - I honestly don't have any direct experience with this and do not want to speak about a serious topic where I can't. If any readers would like to share their stories I'll be happy to add it for those looking for advice on this topic.

I'll cover the first bullet because that's how my path to a shaved head went down. My hair was thinning and I wasn't interested in any miracle drugs, so I decided to shave it. It's that simple. It did take a long time to build up the confidence to do it, but I knew that was the route I was going to take.

The first time

Don't start by using a razor because too much hair won't allow the razor glide. A safety razor or straight razor and surely not a cartridge razor will cut through your mop of hair. You'll want to start with some hair clippers, shavers, or just go to your local barber and ask them to buzz your hair with no guard to the point where you can see stubbles of hair and skin on your head. They will know exactly what to do and might even give you some more helpful hints along the way.

Now you have a starting point to get that smooth Bald Vin Diesel Hair or lack thereof.

Head shaving products

If you already shave your face or another part of your body with a razor and some cream, gel, oil, or shaving soap that's great. We are going to use the same exact products and techniques. Later you can upgrade the razors and other products. For now we are keeping things simple and less is more.

I shave my head in the shower and this is what I actually prefer doing. It's easier to prep your head and easier to cleanup. Eventually you'll most likely want to do it in the shower too, but for beginners you'll want to start in front of the mirror to see what the heck you are doing, especially on the back side. Before getting ready in front of the mirror hop in the shower. It's prep time.

Moisturize

Take a shower first before shaving your head. It will get you cleaned up and soften the hair, make your skin more pliable, and just provide an overall good foundation to start your head shave.

This is not an essential step. I still suggest trying it out for your first time.

Cream, Gel, Oil, Shaving Soap

Use what you use for your face or other body parts the first time. You are already familiar with the process, how it feels, and that will provide the best chance for success.

Once you get more experience I suggest changing this up a bit and try different products. The worst thing is a really dry and flaky skin or an oily and shiny head. Find the right products for shaving your head that will moisturize your skin enough, but not too much. Hint: Oil doesn't necessarily make your skin oily

With the grain or against

Hair grows in different directions, so take a moment to figure out what direction your hair is laying to determine if you are shaving with the grain or against it. The top part might lay forward and the sides lay downwards. You'll need to adjust the direction of your razor to accommodate the changes in the hair direction.

Against the grain provides a closer shave albeit more aggressive and more prone to razor bumps, razor burn, irritation, and ingrown hairs. With the grain provides a less aggressive, less irritating shave.

For beginners start with the grain and as you get more experience you'll want to start with the grain, then go across the grain, and eventually against the grain. This is the ultimate in closeness and guaranteed to provide a smooth shave. You will need some experience before trying this and pay attention to how your skin reacts. It can be a very annoying and unsightly look with red bumps all over your head. This is usually caused by going against the grain and also when using cartridge razors.

Post shave care

After shaving your skin naturally is irritated from the sharp blade of the razor going over your head. You'll want to close your pores and sooth your skin and this is done with a post shave routine.

At minimum splash some cool or cold water on your head. The cold water tightens the skin and naturally closes pores. A better choice would be splurging on some aftershave or balm that will also close pores similar to cold water and also act as an antiseptic. Aftershave and balms sooth and moisturize the scalp. Some people will also use an alum block

Some aftershave will dry your skin, especially alcohol based. After shave balms are usually a better choice for your dome. Try a small amount at first before covering all the skin on your head.

How often should I shave

Most men will shave every few days. Some are daily head shavers and others wait much longer, but I would estimate the average time between head shaves is anywhere from 1 to 3 days.

Daily will keep that 5'oclock shadow away and also can introduce more irritation. Every 2-3 days is sufficient for most guys to keep a clean look while not irritating your skin.

Sides of your head

The hair on the side of your head for the most part grows down. For the sides, I usually shave from the back of my head to the front of my head. It's more of an across the grain technique vs with the grain. Try following with the grain initially and then cross if you are feeling brave.

Back of your head

This is by far the trickiest part of the shave. The best advice I can give is to go slow and use your free hand as a guide to feel what hasn't been shaved. I have missed patches on the back of my head before. Nobody will tell you except your close friends and then they are full of jokes. So one hand on the razor and the free hand sort of trailing behind feeling for stubble.

Best Way to shave head

After years of experience, I've settled on my routine. I would recommend this routine and gear only after you are completely comfortable shaving your head and are past the beginner stage.

My routine consists of using a combination of head shaving oil, shaving soap, and a safety razor. I haven't braved the straight razor yet, but I will give it a shot sometime in the near future. I use an aftershave balm when I'm done and that's it.

I hope this gives the beginner head shaver some clear direction and confidence. For the more experienced, I hope you learned something new. Please share with others that might find it useful and feel free to share your comments.

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