Both wet shaving and dry shaving are popular among men and women all over the world. Women usually prefer wet shaving their underarms, legs, bikini line, pubic area, and arms. Some women also prefer dry shaving their upper lip, cheeks, and eyebrows.
In this article, we will explore whether dry shaving is a feasible option for men and women and what are the benefits and drawbacks of it. Furthermore, we have also discussed how you can dry shave your body parts without getting cuts and nicks, i.e. safe dry shaving procedure.
Table of Contents:- Part 1: What Is Dry Shaving?
- Part 2: Wet Shave Vs. Dry Shave
- Part 3: Is Dry Shaving Bad?
- Part 4: How to Dry Shave?
- Part 5: Dry Shaving: FAQs
What Is Dry Shaving?
The dry shaving process doesn’t require shaving gel or cream or wetting the shaving area. The person would directly scrape the razor or an electric razor to remove the hair from the skin’s top surface level. However, a person still needs to prepare the skin for dry shaving through some alternatives to shaving gel or cream like lubricants.
Dry Shaving: History & Popularity
The dry shaving method is believed to have persisted a long time before wet shaving came into the picture. When the early humans discovered sharp objects, they eventually began dry shaving. Humans made ancient razors with the help of seashells, which offered a way to shave body parts dry while omitting any shaving gel or shaving cream.
The popularity of dry shave kept increasing gradually. The concept of dry shaving also states that it may not be as close as wet shaving, so that a person can avoid skin irritation to some extent. People who were not looking for a close shave could shave their parts dry as it was quick and didn’t require shaving gel or shaving cream, which was also certainly economic.
Wet Shave Vs. Dry Shave
|
Comparison Basis |
Wet Shave |
Dry Shave |
|
Skin preparation |
Water and shaving gel or shaving cream |
Lubricants (optional) |
|
Shaving tools used |
Razors, shaving brush, and shaving blades |
Electric razors. Sometimes shaving blades too. |
|
Time required to complete the shaving |
Lengthy since the preparation process is long. |
Shorter than wet shaving since a person can skip the preparation process. |
|
Skin irritation |
Low chances of razor bumps, razor cuts, and nicks. Nil chances of injuries. |
High chances of inflammation, cuts, nicks, injuries, razor bumps, and skin irritation for a few days. |
|
Cost considerations |
It’s slightly costlier as it includes more tools |
Cost-effective, but the added cost lubricants and skin relieving creams can add to the cost. |
|
Does it provide hydration? |
Wet shaving can offer skin hydration |
Dry shave doesn’t hydrate the skin and dehydrates any existing moisture on the top level of the skin. |
|
Shaving results |
Wet shaving offers closer, longer-lasting, and smoother shaves |
Dry shaving is not closer, resulting in more frequent shaves. |
|
Suitability for skin type |
Suitable for sensitive skin since it offers a layer of hydration and causes less irritation. |
Suitable for those who want quick shaves and have regular skin type. |
|
Ideal for |
Wet shaving is ideal for males looking for close and clean shaves for a smooth and well-groomed appearance. |
Dry shaving is ideal for regular and casual boys who don’t need a perfectly clean and smooth appearance. |
|
Tools maintenance |
Razors are often long-lasting but the shaving blades need to be changed before every shave. |
Shaving razors are long-lasting. Only the batteries need to be charged before every shave. |
Is Dry Shaving Bad?
Drawbacks Of Dry Shaving
- The dry shaving method causes a lot of friction on the skin as the razor scrapes dry skin. This elevates the level of skin irritation, inflammation, redness, and burning sensations.
- Dry shaving with excess pressure against the skin can even result in bleeding and injuries that can take several days to heal.
- The difficulty in shaving is another drawback as a single stroke may not shave all the hair. One may need to do multiple strokes on the same area to completely shave all the hair.
- The level of precision is not high and shaving in desired shapes can be challenging.
Major Benefits Of Dry Shaving
- Dry shaving with an electric razor is much safer and more convenient than dry shaving with a razor and shaving blade.
- This technique is very fast and clean because there’s no wet mess involved throughout the process.
- The overall cost effectiveness is less and the person only has to invest in a good electric razor once.
- Eclectic razors are designed to last for a long time, further bringing down the overall dry shaving cost.
- Dry shaving with an electric razor is beneficial for men and women on almost every body part.
How Does Dry Shave Affect Skin Health?
Risk Of Poor Skin Texture
Dry shaving can introduce inflammation, skin redness, scraping of the top layer of the skin, razor bumps, and minor injuries at a microscopic level. These conditions arise since there is no lubrication between the razor and the skin, causing increased levels of friction. As a result, all these problems will contribute to poor skin texture and appearance.
Ingrown Hair
Dry shaving can cause hair to cut poorly as compared to wet shaving, which can give ingrown hair. Furthermore, before the growth of ingrown hair, the post-shave discomfort is also common with dry shaving.
How to Dry Shave?
Prerequisites: Recommended Tools & Techniques For Dry Shaving
- Electric razor
- Pre-shave powder or lubricating lotion
- Cleaning brush
- Aftershave
A Step-by-step Guide To Shave Your Skin Dry Correctly
1. Apply pre-shave powder or lubrication lotion such as coconut oil, skin moisturiser, etc. Let it sit on the shaving area for 1 to 2 minutes.
2.Hold and stretch the skin taut from one end and place the razor near it.
3. Start shaving in the direction of hair growth while maintaining the right pressure on the skin and stretching the skin taut. You should take small strokes and use the brush to dust off any stuck hair in the razor. If needed, wipe the shaving area to see if all the hair were shaved or you need another stroke.
4. Repeat until all the hair are shaved. Wipe the shaving area, apply an aftershave, and visually check for any injuries and shaving results before completing.
How Can I Achieve Smooth Dry Shave?
- Apply a moisturiser before dry shaving and let it absorb in the skin for 2 to 5 minutes.
- Always keep the skin taut stretched and keep the strokes small while maintaining adequate pressure against the skin.
- Avoid multiple strokes by using a sharp razor.
- Always shave in the direction of hair growth, which will reduce any chances of inflammation, razor burns, redness, razor bumps, and ingrown hair while giving soft, smooth, and glowing results.
- If the shaving area has long hair, consider trimming them before dry shaving.
Dry Shaving: FAQs
Is It Better to Shave Dry or Wet?
Dry shaving requires a person to stay more cautious because the chances of injuries are more. There is no lubrication and if the skin is not well-hydrated, there’s a high chance of the top layer of skin scraping away. There is more friction and shaving against the direction of hair growth will give ingrown hair.
Wet shaving is more convenient. Apply shaving gel or shaving cream, lather it to get a rich foamy texture, and glide the razor without much caution. Not only will a person get closer and smoother shaves, the person doesn’t have to shave more frequently than in the case of dry shaving.
Does Dry Shaving Make Hair Thicker?
No, it’s a myth that dry shaving will make hair thicker.
When dry shaving, all the hair is brought to the same length, i.e. to the skin’s top layer. Now, all these hair will keep growing at almost the same pace, which means the length of all the hair will be almost the same all the time. Moreover, when dry shaving, the tip of the hair becomes blunt, which gives a coarse texture to the hair for a few days after the shave. It takes some days for the tip of the hair to become fine.
As a result, a lot of people start believing that their hair are growing thicker after shaving.
What Type of Razor Should I Get for Dry Shaving?
A lot of people use disposable razors for dry shaving, which is wrong. The best tool is an electric razor, which is specially designed for dry shaving. A person can use it for dry shaving legs, arms, bikini line, and almost every body part without much caution and risk of injuries.
Why Does It Hurt After Dry Shaving?
If it hurts after dry shaving, there can be several reasons:
- Perhaps the friction caused the skin to become red, which can cause swelling, itching, and inflammation.
- If the top layer was scraped at a microscopic level, there’s a chance of potential bleeding. Do not scratch even if it itches.
Does Dry Shaving Cause Ingrown Hairs?
Dry shaving can cause ingrown hair if shaving against the direction of hair growth. Moreover, not using any lubrication, use of blunt razors, and not exfoliating before and/or after dry shave can again cause ingrown hair.
Conclusion
Wet shaving and dry shaving are both popular but how do you choose the right method? We can say that girls should wet shave their arms and legs and dry shave their facial regions.
For men, they should wet shave their faces to get a proper grooming appearance. But we suggest that men should dry shave their legs, arms, and other body parts. Also, casual people who don’t need close shaves like college students can go for dry shaving. In a nutshell, it depends on what we are comfortable with.
