9 Biggest Shaving Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

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When it comes to shaving, it’s really easy to fall into a routine and just to keep doing what you’ve always done even though you’re not happy with the results. In today’s guide, we show you how to break with bad old habits and we discuss the 5 biggest shaving mistakes men make.

How I Started – With A Cartridge System (It Sucked!)

When I was a teenager, my dad showed me how to shave with a cartridge razor system, and that’s all I knew, and so I just kept doing it even though I didn’t like the result and I didn’t like the process. Apart from that, it was quite pricey. However, you don’t know what you don’t know. Fortunately once I did know what a quality shave looked like and how much money I could save there was no way back for me.

We Believe Every Man Should Experience A Great Shave Day In, Day Out

As you might know, at the Gentleman’s Gazette we take shaving very seriously. We even created a 300+ page in-depth guide to shaving. We added videos to it and to get to that result we surveyed over 3,000 men who tested over 150 products so we really could find out what works and what doesn’t. Over the years I learned a lot about shaving, and so we came up with five biggest mistakes that men make when they shave.

Cartridge and disposable razors
Gillette Mach 3 Cartridge razor and disposable razor

9 Biggest Shaving Mistakes

My first choice in blades is Feather
Aggressive Feather blades suit men who have thick, dense beard hair

Mistake #1 – Using A Blade That Is Not Sharp

In my opinion, it’s the biggest problem because we’ve become accustomed to cartridge razors and they use dull blades. Do you ever notice that the big marketing campaigns of the cartridge razor systems never mention the sharpness of the blades?

Number of Blades Doesn’t Matter – Blade Sharpness Is Most Important

They usually talk about the number of the blades, the lubrication strip, the handle, the vibration, the light, and whatnot. However, they forget the most important thing – sharpness, because without the sharp blade all the other things are pretty much useless. Of course, with so many blades they have to make a dollar and also if they have a dull blade you have to replace it more often which makes more money especially considering that they usually cost between a dollar or two and eight dollars a piece.

Gillette Fusion Cartridge
Gillette Fusion Cartridge

Cartridge Razors Are The Wrong Choice For 99.999999% Of Men

Unless you have very thin hair and perfect skin and I’ve never seen a man who had perfect skin, a cartridge system is pretty much useless. In my experience shaving with a cartridge system also left me with an uncomfortable feeling of ripping my hair and nicks and cuts.

Double Edge Safety Razor
Double Edge Safety Razor

DE Safety Razor: Sharper Than Cartridge + Lower Cost But Tricky to Use

So the next step up from a cartridge system is the double edge razor or safety razor. It’s a kind of razor your great-grandpa probably shaved with, and it’s still around today.

The two big pros of a DE safety razor are that you get a much better quality shave at a lower cost in a cartridge system.

The cons are there are hundreds of handles for DE shavers on the market and just as many blades. The problem is you have to find the exact right combination of the blade and the handle that works best for your face because if you don’t, you end up with an uncomfortable shave. You either have a blade that is too sharp or something that is not sharp enough, and so it requires a lot of testing and a lot of money.

I Wasted Over $1000 Until I Found A DE Razor That Worked For Me

After spending way over $1000, I figured out that for my skin and my hair I needed a very sharp blade and so I went with a Feather blade and a very aggressive razor.

DOVO Best class Straight Razor
DOVO Best class Straight Razor

Straight Razor: Sharp But Too Impractical & Time-Consuming

The next step in my evolution to a perfect shave was a single blade razor. Traditionally you have a straight razor, and it’s just the ultimate experience. It’s what you get at a luxury barber shop at the same time it takes 45 minutes to an hour, and you need the right technique, and it’s a huge pain in the ass and unless you truly enjoy shaving it’s not something you’ll ever do.

Various Shaving Products
Various Shaving Products

Mistake #2 – Not Doing The Proper Prep Work Routine

No matter how you shave, you always want to incorporate a proper prep work routine because you’ll end up with a better shave and your skin will thank you for it.

Never miss out on doing a pre-shave routine

Step #1 Hot Water (That’s It! No Step #2)

It all starts with soaking your face in hot water because it opens the pores of your skin and softens your hair. For a real luxury treatment, you can also use a moist towel. I just put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and keep it on my face for roughly a minute or two. It feels amazing! Of course, if you don’t have that extra time in the morning, I suggest you just take a warm hot shower beforehand, and that’s all you need before you shave.

Never use any shaving creams that come out of a can
Never use any shaving creams that come out of a can

Mistake #3 – Not Using Proper High Fat Lubrication

If you think about it, the shave cream lubricant is the only thing that protects your skin from the sharp blade. You need a lubricant so the razor can do its job without nicking or tugging your skin. The truth is there’s no such thing as over lubrication.

Unfortunately, most men don’t lubricate enough. Lubrication in the shaving world comes from fat. So the higher the fat content in your shaving cream, the better it is for your skin.

Canned Shaving Creams, Gels & Aerosols Are Bad For Your Skin

Sadly, most shaving creams and gels on the market today are designed to be just cheap, and so they skip the essential oils in the shaving cream. Instead, they go with chemicals and alcohol which dries out your skin, and often they add air simply, so it looks more than it is. As a rule of thumb, never use any shaving creams that come out of a can because they’re low in fat and they don’t lubricate as well. Ideally, a high-fat quality shave cream should be lathered up with a brush that was soaked in water beforehand because that yields a rich lather and the brush will lift the hair follicles from your skin.

Set up your bathroom and do a proper pre-shave to get the best results
Set up your bathroom and do a proper pre-shave to get the best results

Mistake #4 – Focus On The Upfront Cost & Convenience

The mistake most men make is to focus just on the upfront cost as well as the convenience and not on the actual quality of the shave, the cost per shave and the overall value. Most men today don’t want to spend a lot of money upfront and want something that’s easy and convenient, and I don’t blame you. The problem with that low upfront prices that it’s very expensive and a midterm at the long run.

Cartridge Razors Are The Most Expensive Way To Shave & They Provide A Bad Shave

For example look at the cartridge systems, the handle just costs about five to ten dollars and sometimes they even throw it in for free. However, the cartridge itself costs anywhere from $1 – $8 and so you quickly add up the cost if you just shave for a few months. Once I experienced a really good quality shave I couldn’t go back to a cartridge system anymore. So with a quality shave system, you have to invest a little more upfront, but the cost per shave goes way down.

Shaving Accessories
Shaving Accessories

Mistake #5 – Giving Up After Trying A New Shaving System

Honestly, I’ve seen it over and over again. Someone is unhappy with a cartridge system or with their electric shaver, so they upgrade to a different shave system. Now they try it once, and they don’t have the proper technique, they think it’s not working for them, and they go right back to what they know. The problem here is not the system it definitely works. However, you likely have not developed the right technique yet, so I encourage you to keep going. Give it a couple of weeks. Once you’ve mastered that first intro period, you will truly realize how easy and convenient it is for you and what kind of a shave you can get from it.

For example, with a DE shaver you hold it slightly differently than a cartridge razor and ideally you do multiple passes.

First, you go in longer strokes with the grain because it’s more comfortable on your skin and it gets off the long hairs from your face.

With the second pass, you go against the grain in short strokes and always make sure to clean out the blade with hot water in between that way you get a better result than if your blade is clogged.

Sven Raphael Schneider prepping for a nice shave
Sven Raphael Schneider prepping for a nice shave

Mistake #6 – Not Understanding Your Facial Hair Growth

Let’s assume you just shave straight down in one pass from top to bottom. At the top, your hair may grow down that means you shave with the grain of the hair. In the middle, it may grow left to right so now you’re shaving across the grain. At the bottom, it may actually grow up which means you shave against the grain. Now the result would be that the length of the hair would be different because if you cut it against the grain, it’s cut at a lower skin level and is shorter than if you cut it with the grain. To get the best quality shave, you have to understand how your hair grows so you can shave exactly the way you want it for the best results.

So how do you figure out what direction your hair grows into? Honestly, some men stand in front of the mirror and they just use a drawing with arrows to show them how their hair grows.

Shaving against the grain with a straight razor
Shaving against the grain with a straight razor

Mistake #7 – Failing To Shave In Multiple Passes

In an ideal world, we’ll just shave our face with one pass and be done and happy. Unfortunately, that’s not how it goes. So how do you get the closest shave possible? It’s by shaving against the grain of the hair. Why is that? Well, the razor and the blade lift the hair away from the skin. Therefore, you cut the hair actually below the skin level. So for example, if we do a wet shave with a sharp blade, after one day the result is as smooth as if I had just shaved with an electric shaver or a cartridge razor.

So should you always and only shave against the grain? The answer is no. If, especially you have excess hair, shaving against the grain is more aggressive for your skin, you’ll need more passes, and you will suffer from more irritation. So if that’s not the way to go, what is the way to shave properly? With the traditional double edge razor, the first pass would be with the grain because it removes all the excess hair and it’s the least aggressive on your skin. In the second step, you’d go across the grain to get rid of all the hair that didn’t make it in the first pass and then in the third pass, you’d go against the grain to get the closest possible shave.

Now personally for me, that takes too much time so if I have a longer hair and a sharp blade, I first go with the grain to remove all the hair and then I go once against the grain. No matter how many directions you choose or how many passes you make, it is really really important that you always lubricate your skin. Why? If you don’t lubricate your skin, you’re much more likely to cut yourself, you get nicks, razor bumps, and irritation and it’s just bad for your skin. 

Shaving Brush in Action
Shaving Brush in Action

Mistake #8 – Not Using A Shaving Brush To Create Lather

A shaving brish creates a nice rich lather and it also helps to move the hair follicles away from the skin so the shave quality is going to be better. Let’s explain that shaving brushes are made of boar’s hair and it can be quite hard in your skin and uncomfortable because of that I prefer badger shaving brushes. The best quality is the silver tip which is finer and again, it can take a little bit of testing with different brushes to find something that’s right for you.

The problem is high-end shaving brushes can cost north of $200. Now, if using a shaving brush is too much for you, I understand. The really important thing that gets to 95% there is to use a high fat shaving cream. If you want to skip the brush or you’re traveling, don’t worry about it, you’re doing great! 

Philips Norelco Electric Razor
Philips Norelco Electric Razor

Mistake #9 – Not Incorporating An Electric Razor Into Your Routine

Usually, there’s some men who use nothing but an electric razor and others hate them and just do wet shaves. While some enjoy the hour long ritual of shaving on a Saturday or Sunday, others just want to get it done as quickly as possible. I’m on the camp of I want to have the best shave possible in the shortest amount of time. Frankly, if I lather up my shaving cream, maybe do two passes with a double edge razor, the whole routine still takes quite a bit of time.

So because of that, I experiment with electric razors. They’ve been around for a while, you can use them dry and frankly, the results are not great but it takes you two minutes. So the next step, I combine it with a high quality shaving cream which took slightly longer but yielded a noticeably better result. I think most modern electric razors can be used wet but you should always double check before you put an electric product into water. I have to say, if speed is the most important thing in your shaving routine, using an electric razor with a high quality shaving cream takes you probably three to four minutes and yields the best value to time ratio.

Now, if you want to step up your game and experience the result of a double edge shave in less time, I suggest you use the electric razor first with some shaving cream to get rid of all the excess hair, which takes about two to three minutes and then you do one pass against the grain or against the direction of the hair follicle and you’re done. In my experience, this process takes about eight to ten minutes which is considerably shorter than doing the full lather up and all double edge razor shave yet I have that same smooth feeling that lasts for a day.

Obviously, investing in a double edge razor and a handle and an electric razor is a much higher upfront cost. For me, it makes sense because it cuts down my time in the morning that I need to get ready. Also keep in mind, you can bring your electric razors on travels when you just bring a carry-on where you cannot bring a double edge razor, you could only resort to cartridges but I don’t like that. 

CONCLUSION

At the end of the day, shaving mistakes are easy to avoid. With a bit of hot water, quality shaving products and a sharp razor, shaving is super convenient and straightforward, yet it’s different than shaving with the cartridge razor or with an electric shaver.

Outfit Rundown

Raphael in a casual outfit, as he is going to be shaving.
Raphael in a casual outfit, as he is going to be shaving.
Eagle Claw Cufflinks with Malachite Balls - 925 Sterling Silver Platinum Plated

Fort Belvedere

Eagle Claw Cufflinks with Malachite Balls – 925 Sterling Silver Platinum Plated

Shadow Stripe Ribbed Socks Charcoal and Light Gray Fil d'Ecosse Cotton

Fort Belvedere

Shadow Stripe Ribbed Socks Charcoal and Light Gray Fil d'Ecosse Cotton

Today, I am little more casually dressed because I’m shaving. I am wearing a white dress shirt with a cutaway collar with a nice herringbone fabric that is quite thick. I am wearing it with cufflinks from Fort Belvedere, which are green and very contrasting and I also have a matching sterling silver and malachite pinky ring. My slacks are pleated because I’ve big thighs, and the pattern is a nice wool houndstooth fabric in black and white. My socks are shadow striped in charcoal and light gray and they work really well with the pants as well as the shirt, and they contrast the solid olive green shoes. Of course, the socks are over the calf, and you can find them in our shop here.

Reader Comments

  1. Thanks for pointing out the details about pores. You obviously know more about pores than we do. At the end of the day what matters is that you get a closer, better shave when you use hot water. If you want to create an article or video about the myth of opening pores, you are welcome to do so.

  2. The quality of the shave is great, but I do not want to spend 30 mins shaving. Some men enjoy the experience and then that’s ok. For me personally 10 mins seems too long ;)

  3. I couldn’t agree more. Also, shaving is my me time, a relaxing ritual and, heck, the ladies like a baby bum shave!

  4. Excellent article, sir! I am one of those who enjoys a nice relaxing wet shave. It’s something that a gentleman has to do, so we may as well enjoy it. One of the joys of classic wet shaving with a double edge razor is collecting and using vintage gear. Gillette razors are date-stamped with the year and quarter in which they were made. I have managed to collect one of each model of Gillette razor made within 6 weeks of my date of birth. In addition, I have my father’s Old Spice shave mug and brush. It adds meaning to what might otherwise be just another chore.

    1. The Mercur is my favourite razor partnered with Japanese ‘Feather’ brand blades which are supremely sharp and long-lasting.

  5. I am very old and my facial hair very soft. The soft hair quickly loads up the razor and resists riincing out.

  6. What a timely piece. This week I spent $150 on shaving cream and scents at Truefitt & Hill in London last week. Couldn’t resist. I’ve used a 1960s Gillette razor with Feather blades for many years. My wife cuts my hair and does the back of my neck with a Feather straight razor. Better keep her happy! Perhaps another trip to London? Great shaving creams are available from Taylor of Old Bond Street, Penhaligons and many more. I consider it a quality-of-life necessity.

  7. I have also found that using a fine talc on the face gives a closer and more comfortable shave with an electric razor.

  8. Felt good to read this article. Thanks a lot for another great information. This website has been my gateway to information :)

  9. NO NO NO! Do NOT rinse your razor with HOT water!
    I am a patent attorney and researched the physics of how sharp edges actually cut. Without diving into detail, I learned that it comes down to heat generation at the razor’s edge. As a result, rinsing your blade with hot water greatly and increases the likelihood of razor burns. SO, yes, do all your PREPS with HOT water, hot towels, hot lather, etc. But RINSE YOUR BLADE WITH COLD WATER. Try it. The difference is no less than amazing, particularly since it is so counterintuitive.

    By teaching this tiny trick, I have achieved a great deal of credibility among “the guys.” Also, a careful audit of the movie HELLO VIETNAM, will reveal that this practice has long been known by the insider crowd, especially in the tropics.

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