Wet Shaving with an Electric Shaver: My Experience

There is no doubt that electric shavers are more convenient: You can shave in minutes without having hot water, or a sink, or a bathroom! If you have a battery-operated shaver, you don’t even need electricity!

There are other advantages to electric shavers besides convenience. There are those related to the skin, and the results an electric shaver will provide.

An electric shaver – or electric razor, as the terms have become interchangeable – shaves without getting too close to the skin. 

According to the Wirecutter article “The Best Electric Razor”, published on June 4, 2020, on The New York Times “Those with especially coarse or curly facial hair can be particularly predisposed to ingrown hairs and razor bumps, and the less-close shave of an electric razor, or shaver, can help.”

This “less-close” shave is beneficial for people with a tendency for ingrown hairs and razor bumps. Yes, you might have to shave more often. Yes, you might get a 5 O’clock shadow earlier in the day, but those are just minor inconveniences compared with the benefit of having less, or none, razor bumps or ingrown hairs!

Some electric shavers can do dry or wet shaving, which is intriguing. To satisfy my curiosity, I decided to test the effectiveness of my electric shaver, my old and trusted Philips Norelco Reflex Plus HQ55+, when used with the Bump Stopper Arctic Haze Shaving Gel.

The results exceeded my expectations. I wet my face and applied a thin coat of Arctic haze Shave Gel to my face. When I applied the shaver, it glided over my skin with no effort! 

Early on I realized two important things that made my experience and my shave great: First, the amount of shaving gel had to be half of what I had originally applied. It had to be just right, otherwise, it’d clog the blades. This was easy to fix with a little bit of water. The second thing I realized is that I did not have to press the shaver down to my face too much. Again, this was easy to fix, and the moment I let my hand guide the shaver without pressing down, the shaving became comfortable, and it felt like a massage.

The results, as I said earlier, exceeded my expectations. I was expecting to feel the stubble with my hands, but after rinsing my face and applying Bump Stopper Sensitive Skin, I could run my fingers over my face and feel nothing but soft skin!

Using an electric shaver with shaving gel may sound counter-intuitive, but it took less than a regular shave would have taken, and it did make for a nice experience. 

I’m very mindful of my shaving routine because I am prone to razor bumps and ingrown hair, but I didn’t get any after shaving this way. 🙂 It’s been two days and my skin looks great!

If you are thinking of buying an electric shaver or upgrading the old one, check this NYT article. They reviewed several shavers, in-depth. 

Don’t forget to add a shaving gel before you shave, whether using your manual razor or electric shaver!