Heads Up! The Best Head Shaver for a Smooth, Satiny Dome

We’ve embraced the fully-shaved look for years, and in the time we’ve been 100% bald, we’ve used literally dozens of head shavers. In that time, we’ve found that: Some head shavers are fantastic, and can provide a smooth, satin-y shave in minutes, and others… well, we could be nice, but we won’t: there are other head shavers out there that are absolute garbage. They rip your skin up, they don’t shave properly, and they leave you looking like a crazy person with a half-shaved head. We’re done with all that (and you should be too). Here, we’ll go over our picks for the best head shaver.

These are the models that pass muster, but they’ve each got different features, depending on your needs, so the best one for you might not be our “best overall” pick.

We’ll go over each product individually, to help give you some guidance and get your head the shaver it deserves.  

Let’s dive in, head first (ha):

Head Shavers: Review Summaries

We get it: you’re all in a rush! So are we. Here are summaries of our picks, along with their stand-out feature and who we think they’re good for:  

Gents, we are reader supported. If you click on a link we may shave a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Alright! Now for…

The Best Head Shaver: Our Picks for Your Needs

Here are those in-depth reviews we promised:

The AidallsWellup Men’s 5-in-1 Electric Head Shaver

Summary: With six rotary shaving heads, the AidallsWellup Men’s 5-in-1 Electric Head Shaver can trim a lot of hair at once while still providing a smooth, comfortable skin-close shave—can be good for hairy dudes with thick head-hair

Pros:

> 6 rotary heads with 6D motion

> Fast shaving time

> Waterproof / for use in shower

> 5-in-1 kit

Cons:

> Uncomfortable grip

> Long charging time

The most obvious draw of the AidallsWellup shaver is the six-head design. With more heads than almost every other shaver on the market, you can shave faster by covering a wider swath of your scalp at once.

That’s great, because that means the blades stay sharper longer (basically, each head has to do less work), and more blades usually means you get a closer, more even shave. The six heads feature 6D contouring motion, as well, which allows each one to bend flat against your skin, so you can get a skin-close shave across your entire scalp.

You can save even more time thanks to this shaver’s waterproof design—you can integrate your shave into your morning shower routine. Just be careful with the grip, though—it could be a little bit more ergonomic and anti-slip, and you need to maintain your grip on it.

As far as the battery, the charge-to-use ratio is good but not great. You can get 90 minutes of use for 90 minutes of charging, and while that’s still pretty good shaving reserve—it should get you a week or two of use before having to recharge—you’ll still need to leave it plugged in for a little while, as there’s no quick-charge feature.

That’s all well and good, but our favorite aspect of the AidallsWellup model is the 5-in-1 functionality. It doesn’t just have the rotary shaver head, but also a precision trimmer that you can use to buzz down the hair on your head if you’ve let it grow out a bit, and there’s a massage brush (nice), cleansing brush (also nice), and nose trimmer (and if you don’t need this now, you may later!).

The AidallsWellup has everything we look for in a trimmer—we consider this a great all-around pick.

The Remington Balder Pro Head Shaver

Summary: The Remington Balder Pro Head Shaver is a capable option that’s easy to clean and captures hair as you cut it, making it a great option for anyone who shares a bathroom with a wife or partner or roommate

Pros:

> 5 rotary heads

> 100% waterproof

> Hair capture chamber

> Non-slip grip

Cons:

> Short battery life

There are a lot of features on the Remington Balder Pro model that make it pretty common: it’s got five heads (which can provide a very decent shaving area while still bending and adapting to the shape of your head), and it’s waterproof, meaning you can use it in the shower, and more importantly, clean it under the faucet. All excellent.

Our favorite thing about this model, though, is that cleaning is made easy with the hair capture chamber. As you shave your head, the Remington captures the hair, and when you’re done, you simply waltz over to the garbage can and tap out the clippings. That is GREAT. It can drastically cut down on clean-up time (and effort), and prevent you from getting those little bitty tiny hairs all over the bathroom, annoying yourself and your family. That is FANASTIC, and it’s our favorite thing about this head shaver.

Our least favorite thing about this shaver is the battery time, which is only 50 minutes. This is still enough for multiple shaves, but you will have to charge it regularly. That’s a bummer, and it’s kind of a surprise—Remington usually does better than that, when it comes to batteries.

Before we wrap up, though, there’s one other thing we love about the Balder Pro: the non-slip grip. Grips are essential for accurate shaving, especially when you have to get around to the back of your head where you can’t see what you’re doing, and especially if you’re using the shaver in the shower. The grip on this Remington model is great and allows you to hit different angles in the shower without it getting wet and slipping out of your hand.

The Skull Shaver Pitbull Gold PRO

Summary: With a comfortable and versatile grip, the Skull Shaver Pitbull Gold PRO was designed specifically to make head shaving a quick and convenient part of your grooming routine—this is, in our humble opinion, one of the best head shavers out there

Pros:

> Versatile grip

> IPX5 waterproof rating

> USB charger

> 90 minutes of shaving

> Smooth shaving

Cons:

> Only 4 heads

First things first: the grip on this model is fantastic. The grip allows you to hold it in several different ways, and we’ve found that if you slip your fingers underneath the grip, all you need to do is just rub your hands over your head naturally, as though you were feeling your scalp—but when you do so, you’re actually trimming the hair. It’s an incredibly natural motion, and we absolutely love that.

The Pitbull Gold PRO is more of a top-shelf model, and in the “head shaver” game, the benefits you usually get with top-shelf models are 1) comfort, which we’ll talk about in a moment, and 2) a durable and high-quality design. Here’s how it plays out:

> The Pitbull meets our hopes when it comes to design—it’s got an IPX5 rating, meaning it can withstand the strong water streams in your shower, and you can use it with shaving cream, get, or soap. That’s fantastic, because not all in-the-shower head shavers can handle that;

> It comes with a USB charger that makes it easy to keep the battery full, even when you’re traveling. It’s got a percentage number on the top telling you how much juice it has left, so you’re never going to be surprised that it’s out of energy (plus the charge itself seems to last a really long time—we haven’t measured it, but it seems to last far longer than other models). You get a full 90 minutes of cordless use, which is good, but it has a quick-charge option, and it doesn’t take too long to juice up, which is great.

As for comfort: this is the one the easiest and most gentle head shavers we’ve come across. It just feels easy and smooth to use. While many budget models pinch and pull hair, the blades on this shaver stay sharp and cut without you hardly noticing. That’s fantastic.

Two thumbs way up—we absolutely love this model.

The Philips Do-it-Yourself Hair Clippers with Head Shaver Attachment

Summary: Because of its powerful adjustable clipper and shaver attachments, the Philips Do-it-Yourself Hair Clippers set is our recommendation for any man looking to go from “long hair” to “totally bald”

Pros:

> 2-in-1 clippers and shaver

> Rotating head

> Durable device

> Traveling case

Cons:

> Foil can be hard to replace

The great thing about this Philips kit is that it’s basically a clippers set, but it comes with a shaver attachment—which means you can go from hairy to bald with just one machine. You just buzz the hair off your head, and then shave to the skin with the attachment. That’s great, because a lot of head shavers are actually just stubble shavers for your dome—they’re can only shave your head if you’ve got really short hair. The Do-It-Yourself Clippers… well, it lets you do it yourself! Well-named, Philips!

One of the ways it helps you get rid of all your hair is via its rotating head. You can adjust the clippers or shaver to whichever angle is ideal for you (and it may take a little testing to find what works for you). You also get two guards with the clippers, in case you want to give yourself a detailed buzzcut rather than a full shave.

The device itself is lightweight and durable, and it can handle being tossed around in your luggage (within reason). It’s a bit surprising that it’s so light, considering that it’s made from stainless steel, but that low carrying weight can make it great for travel—and it comes with a tough traveling case that protects it en route to wherever you’re going, but it also keeps all those little hair trimmings from getting into the clothes in your suitcase. That’s a VERY nice detail, because those little hairs can drive you absolutely insane if they get in your clothes and onto your skin.

The only concern about the Do-It-Yourself Hair Clippers is that the foil on the shaver head can be a bit delicate. That’s not a flaw or a design mistake—all foil shavers are a little fragile—but it’s something to keep in mind. To lengthen the life of the foil, you should only attach the shaver head while you’re using it and store it with the clipper head.

The Andis 17220 Pro Foil Shaver

Summary: Thanks to its top-shelf construction and professional design, the Andis 17220 Pro Foil Shaver is the ideal choice for the frequent shaver, and it’s our recommendation for daily shavers

Pros:

> Dual-drive-shaft motor

> 80-minute battery life

> Hypoallergenic foil (excellent)

> Close shave

> Great value

Cons:

> Grip not specifically designed for self-shaving

> Not waterproof

Foil trimmers are a comfortable way to get a close shave, and that’s why they’re so common in professional barbershops—they’re very likely to work for a lot of guys. And, because they work so well on sensitive skin, they can be a good option if you experience bumps and burns as a result of shaving.

As a foil shaver, The Andis 17220 can be a great option if you’ve got sensitive skin—and because of its hypoallergenic blades, it can provide even more protection against irritation. The blades themselves are made of titanium, and designed to smoothly travel over hair and skin without tugging or snagging. That’s a really fantastic feature.

The other feature that makes this model so powerful is the motor. It operates with two drive shafts for each of the two cutting blades, and the result is that it more quickly and efficiently cuts your hair—and that makes your shave time shorter, but more importantly, it prevents irritation, because the shaver doesn’t catch or pull on the hair.

The only issue with the Andis is that the shaver is primarily designed for barber use, so it doesn’t have the ergonomic grip that makes it easy to use on yourself. It will take some practice to get it right, and you might miss a strip at first. If you’re having someone shave your head, that’s not a problem, but it can take a few attempts to get the hang of if you’re using on yourself.

Lastly, it’s great to see that the Andis is widely available. For the longest time, we had only seen it in barbershops and salons, so it’s fantastic that it’s now available for home use.

The HeadBlade MOTO Men’s Head and Skull Shaving Razor

Summary: It’s hard to find a traditional razor that makes shaving your head easier and more comfortable than the HeadBlade MOTO Men’s Head and Skull Shaving Razor—it works, it’s easy, and it never runs out of batteries

Pros:

> Non-slip finger hook grip

> Non-electric and NEVER runs out of batteries!

> Dual-axis pivoting head

> Pocket sized—great for travelling

> Great value

Cons:

> Pivot mechanism is fragile

> Need to put the razor cartridge in stow-away luggage if you’re travelling with it

The introduction of the HeadBlade MOTO was an absolute gamechanger. That may sound a little silly, but when it came out in the late 90s, there was literally nothing like it (and when it comes to non-electric head shavers, there still really isn’t anything like it). If you don’t want to go over your head with a machine, this is the head shaver we recommend.

The razor on the HeadBlade MOTO is specifically shaped and designed for use on your head. Similar to the Pitbull Gold PRO but with a cartridge razor, it has a non-slip grip that hooks on your fingers so that you can essentially just glide the blades over your scalp with your hand. With a few quick strokes, you’re on your way—and that’s incredible. If you hate how long it can take to go over your skull, this can be the answer to prayer.

On top of that, it’s not just flat—it has a pivoting head that adjusts to the contours of your skull, both horizontally and vertically, so that you’re always getting a close shave. That ability to adapt to the contours of the head is the secret of its success, really, and what keeps it from being dangerous (although, as with all actual razors, you can nick yourself if you’re not careful).

Another benefit of the design is its compactness. You can take the MOTO just about anywhere. Not only will it fit in your luggage, it will probably also fit in your pocket. Those puppies really are small. Take it on trips, take it to work, take it wherever. You can stay looking smooth wherever you go. Just, obviously, be careful with that blade, because it won’t be allowed as carry-on luggage on planes.

If you want to shave your head but don’t want to use an electric head shaver or a machine—or if you just hate batteries!—the HeadBlade MOTO is our recommendation. Two big thumbs up.

The Gillette Heated Razor

Summary: If you regularly suffer from razor burn, bumps, or other skin irritation after shaving, the Gillette Heated Razor can relax skin could be a great option—plus it feels great

Unless the Bugatti-blue finish is a big deal for you (and it is pretty cool), the main reason to get this particular Gillette razor is the HEAT. The heat can really cut down on irritation by helping to open up the pores and soften hairs, making the blade’s passage nice and smooth.

Plus, it feels surprisingly nice—having a warm (but not too hot) device on your head is surprisingly soothing. You get to set the temperature, with two different settings—109 degrees Fahrenheit and 122 degrees Fahrenheit—and it warms up pretty quickly.

The blades themselves, too, are high-quality—they use Gillette’s famous five-bladed cartridges to deliver a fast, quick, and efficient shave, and the pack comes with two replacement packs.

The only downside is that the head shaver doesn’t keep a charge for too long—you get about six shaves from a charge—and the charging itself can take a while. That’s not always a problem, because the shaver is relatively small and you can charge it overnight, but it’s worth mentioning.

If you’re a lover of luxury and you like toys—and Bugatti-blue!—this is where we’d point you. It’s a deluxe option that doesn’t really have an equal.

And… there you have it! We’ve looked at dozens of head shavers and head trimmers over the years, and we consider those the best of the best. We hope there’s something there that works for you.

For the rest of the post, we’ll provide some info about head shavers. They seem like a pretty simple tool, but there’s actually a lot of detail to them, so here’s we’ll go over how to select them, how to use them, and how to maintain them.

Electric Head Shavers vs. Clippers vs. Good Old Razor Blades: Which Should You Use to Shave Your Head?

You have a lot of options when it comes to shaving the hair off your head, and you’ve probably noticed that a lot of men have their own preferred techniques and devices. It can be a little perplexing when you first set out to shave your head—after all, who knew getting rid of your head hair could be so complicated, when for a lot of us, it just falls off naturally! After all this anxiety about having it fall out on its own, it’s odd to have to try to get rid of it.

None of the methods or tools men use are right or wrong, really—mostly it just depends on what you want and what you need, and more importantly, what your skin wants and needs. We think a lot about our hair when we shave our heads, but not so much about our skin, and we should—because after all, after you shave your head, what’s left? A whole lot of exposed skin.

So which device is the best head shaver for you? People usually divide head-shaving devices into three broad categories: head shavers, clippers, and good old razor blades. We’ll start with the one you already know:

Gold Old Razor Blades: Not a Great Pick

Most guys have a razor blade they use for shaving their faces, so why not use that? It may be a disposable cartridge razor (like a Bic or a Gillette Mach 3), or it may be a safety razor (and we love, love, love safety razors), or it can even be a straight razor (and we love them too, even if they can be a little scary). There’s no doubt these can provide a VERY close shave, but very often, they’ll tear the skin on your head to ribbons. Your head has all sorts of curves and wrinkles and dips, and it’s really difficult to shave it without cutting it up. The worst part is that the skin on your head bleeds profusely when you cut it.

So, good old razor blades are indeed an option, but very often, they’re not a great one. There are some exceptions that work very well—the HeadBlade is one, as is the Gillette Heated Razor—but for the most part, raw-dogging your dome with a razor blade can be a bad idea. It’s ineffective, painful, and you tend to miss a lot of spots.

The next option is also not a perfect option, but they’re good for specific looks, and you’re probably already familiar with them:

Head Clippers: Good for Buzz Cuts, But Not Down-to-the-Skin Cuts

If you’ve ever been to a barbershop before, you’ve seen these. They’re hand-held, they go “buzz…” You know what we’re talking about here. Clippers. They’re great for regular haircuts, and they and they’re great for balding guys who want to shave their heads.

Clippers are very powerful—they use two very sharp, very quick oscillating blades that slice hairs between them—and can mow through a lot of hair at once. The downside is that they can’t shave all the way down to the skin. You can get a good buzz cut with them, but you’ll never get all the way down to the skin. No matter how good a clipper you get—and there are some really good clippers out there—you’ll always have some stubble on your skull that you won’t be able to get rid of.

If that stubbly-look is the style you’re going for—fantastic! That’s a great look, and it’s one of our favorites, and head clippers should do you just fine. But it’s not for everybody, and if you’re looking for a ‘down-to-skin,” my-dome-is-shiny-now shaver, you are most likely looking for…

Head Shavers: The Real Deal That Can Provide a No-Stubble Head Shave

These comprise the bulk of our reviews in this post. Head shavers are a relatively new device, and they’re pretty amazing. They look a little intimidating—and the first time you scrape one over your head, it can be an odd feeling—but they can do an incredible job of getting hair all the way off your head.

Here’s a video of the REMINGTON Balder Pro Head Rotary Shaver. Check out how the head shaver removes all the stubble from this guy’s scalp:

Is that fantastic or what? If you’re looking to shave your head, using a head shaver is probably the easiest, most effective way to do it. They’re basically electric shavers with rotary blades, like the ones you’d use to shave the stubble of your face, but they’re re-shaped so that you can hold the device in the palm of your hand and glide it over your scalp—all while the surface of the device adjusts to the shape and contour of your skull, so you don’t get cut. Brilliant.

Here’s the only thing: if you’re going to shave your head, and you currently have hair on your head—either all over your head, or just above your ears and above the back of your neck—a head shaver usually won’t be able to hack all that hair away. You’ll need hair clippers for that, and then you’d follow the hair clippers with the head shaver after the bulk of your hair has been shorn. Head clippers are amazing, but they’re a “specialty” tool—they’re for removing the stubble after you’ve clipped your hair, and giving you that fully-shaved look.

If you’re going for the shaved head look, however—they’re pretty hard to beat.

Electric Razors: If You’re Not into Head Shavers, These Also Work Well

Head shavers are probably best for task of shaving your head, but if you have something against them for some reason, an electric shaver will work well (and we’ve reviewed a few of them above).

Electric razors use the same technology as head shavers—they’re basically motorized shears that can get very close to the skin—and as far as precision goes, they can get as close to the skin as head shavers. They don’t nick and cut the skin as razor blades, either.

The only problem with them is that they’re designed for the face, and not the scalp, and they can be difficult to maneuver around your head. They’re also a little bit more difficult to hold, because head shavers have handles that are specifically designed to get to those hard-to-reach areas. You can absolutely do it, but it’s more of a challenge and it make take some practice.

How to Choose the Right Head Shaver

Alright! Now that you know a little bit about the devices you can use to shave your head, let’s work on getting one that fits your needs.

Sadly, not all head shavers are created equal. There are some powerful, quality models out there that will get the job done in a few minutes… and there are some cheaply manufactured knockoffs that will take 20 minutes to shave your head and pinch your hair and nick your skin while doing it.

Quality isn’t the only thing to worry about, either—depending on your personal situation, one shaver might be a better choice over another.

So, to help you figure all this out, we’ve compiled some of the main features of head shavers that you should consider when picking one out.

The Grip: Sounds Unimportant; Actually Important

You may have noticed in our reviews that we talk extensively about the grips on each head shaver. Grips may sound like a trivial feature, but there’s a reason we discuss them: reaching certain places on your skull can be really difficult, and a head shaver grip is designed bend and flow to help you shave all areas of your scalp. A good grip on a head shaver can make shaving all areas of your head possible… while a bad grip can make it just about impossible.

So how do they work? Well, to accurately shave your heard—especially the back of your head—a grip should allow you to turn your hand and wrist with ease to get to those hard-to-reach spots. Some grips are a little like doorknobs, or like the joystick on an arcade game, and you can grasp them and run them over your scalp. Others are designed so that you put your fingers beneath the grip but above the blades, allowing you to run the palm of your hand over your skin in a motion that feels very natural. It’s the same motion as running an open palm over your skull—it’s the same motion.

The shape of the grip isn’t the only thing to pay attention to, though. Your grip should also be anti-slip, which implicates both the material and its design. For instance, a rubberized grip will be less slippery than a plastic one, and a grip with bumps or ridges will be less slippery than a smooth one.

An anti-slip grip is also a great feature if you use your head shaver in the shower—if you drop it, it can damage or break the device, so the no-slip feature is actually really important (and, quick note: obviously, you only want to use your head shaver in the shower if it’s designed for in-shower use—if it’s not designed for in-shower use… don’t use it in the shower).

More importantly, an anti-slip grip is essential for getting a neat, uniform shave. Otherwise, your hand will twist and turn, and you won’t be able to apply consistent pressure or move the shaver at the angles you want.

The Cord: To Be Corded, or Not Be Corded (Hint: It’s Better to Not Be Corded)

If you’ve used an electric shaver or a pair of clippers on your face, cordlessness may not seem like a big issue, because you’re probably able to reach all the spots on your cheeks and chin and neck without too much effort. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Shaving your head is a whole different ball game, though, for a lot of reasons.

For starters, you’re going to be covering a lot more distance with your head shaver. It’s easy to think that you have enough length with the cord, only to accidentally unplug it in the middle of shaving trying to reach the base of your skull. Not only is that annoying, but it can also cause pinches and pulls on your skin if the hair gets stuck in the blades that are no longer moving.

Not only that, but a cord can get caught on things in your bathroom, and there are few things more frustrating than trying to shave while knocking down your wife’s 400 skin care products. Worse, it can get caught on you—accidentally stepping on the cord can mean a sudden jerk of the shaver, and that can result in nick or scrapes or irritation.

Lastly, cords don’t give you much versatility when it comes to where you shave, meaning you’re confined to the electrical outlets in your bathroom and home (and obviously you don’t want to bring any corded devices into the bathtub or shower). AND, even if the cord is long enough for your needs at home, you never know what you’ll encounter on the road. The cord could make it impossible to shave in your hotel room.

You know, now that we’re writing all this, cords are the WORST. They can be fine on electric shavers or beard trimmers or beard straighteners, but they’re not a great option for head shavers. As the saying goes, “If you don’t mind, it don’t matter…” but it’s just easier to find a model with a cord. If you don’t mind that sort of thing, that’s awesome—but if cords are going to drive you crazy, get a head shaver without a cord.

If you do go without a cord, just make sure it has a good battery.

Razor Sharpness: Important

Whatever you end up using to shave your head, be it a traditional razor, a pair of clippers, or an electric head shaver, the blades on your device need to be really sharp. Sharp blades cut hair cleanly, without having to pull or yank on hair to do so—and that’s a good thing, because pulling and/or yanking on hair can cause a lot of skin irritation.

Here’s a visual for you:

Imagine cutting a tomato with a really dull knife, versus cutting a tomato with a really sharp knife. With the sharp knife, the tomato hardly moves, and the blade passes through it easily. With the dull knife, however, a lot of pressure must be applied, and the skin of the tomato gets torn and shredded under the blade.

Now imagine a dull blade going across some of the most delicate, tender skin on your body… no thank you. Not only is it physically unpleasant—having your hair pulled like that just hurts—but it can also leave you with nicks, cuts, and irritation galore, all of which lasts long after you finish shaving.

So sharp blades are where it’s at. Most head shavers feature very sharp blades, and that’s a wonderful thing, so be sure to look for terms like “stainless steel” and/or “titanium” and/or “corrosion resistant.”

We haven’t had a problem with the blades on head shavers, but the trick is to KEEP those blades sharp. If you can find a head shaver with self-sharpening blades, that’s a great feature.

The Battery: Charge, Time-to-Charge, and “Juice Display”

So we’ve listed a few reasons why you may want to skip the cordless shaver and go for a battery-powered one. There are some things you need to know about batteries, though, because they’re not all the same, either.

The good news is that most cordless head shavers these days feature rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and lithium-ion batteries fantastic. They’re a big leap forward over old school batteries, and not only do they last longer, but once they run of juice, you can re-charge them and they’re back in action. Great, and great.

One of the things you need to consider is how long a given model will be able to run between charges. Generally speaking, battery life of an hour or more is pretty good. Assuming it takes you 10 minutes to shave your head, a battery with a charge that can last an hour will get you close to a week’s worth of shaves before you need to recharge it.

There is another consideration, and that’s the ratio of charging time to battery life. Ideally, a head shaver will have a 1-to-1 ratio of charging time to shaving time—in other words, if you charge it for 60 minutes, you’ll get 60 minutes of run time out of it.

The last battery-related feature is… well, we don’t know the technical name for it, so we’ll call it the “juice display.” It’s a little window on the body of the shaver that shows you how much energy the battery has left, usually as a percentage (for example—”55% charge remaining,” or something like that). A juice display is super-helpful, because there’s nothing worse than being late, needing a shave, and then finding out your shaver is out of juice.

Battery charge is another feature—just like the grip—that’s easy to overlook, but is actually really important. On a battery-operated shaver, if the battery doesn’t work to your liking, the device may be very frustrating.

Charging Features: Most Guys Don’t Care, But Some Do

Here we’re talking about how to re-charge your heard shaver—the method by which you re-charge it. You’d be surprised by how many variations there are for charging, and while most people don’t really care that much about it, some guys have preferences about what they like. Here’s how it plays out:

The most common setup is a simple cord that plugs into the wall and then the bottom of your shaver, possibly with coils to make it more compact. These work great and last a long time, and they’re the most common method of charging. They don’t really offer any special benefits, but they’re great for travel, and they’re the “classic” format.

A slightly-better design would be the USB charger. “USB charger” is one of those terms we throw around all the time without knowing exactly what it is, but basically a USB charger is basically, uh, that cord thingy you plug into your laptop or phone. USB stands for “Universal Serial Bus” and with this type of charger, you plug a USB cord into a separate adapter that you plug into the wall. These are great because they’re more standardized and easy to replace, and you probably already have a few of them. Plus, you can use them with any adapter you already have, or if you’re traveling in a foreign country, into different outlet types. In fact, you can even plug them into your computer or other USB port if you don’t have an adapter handy, and that’s fantastic.

There are other chargers, too, including “docks,” which some guys absolutely love, because they help with organization (but they do add parts and take up space on a countertop). Other shavers have removable batteries you plug in separately without the shaver itself, and these allow you to switch out battery packs easily but can get lost if you’re not organized.

Any of these charging designs can be a good option, really, and you just have to consider what you’re going to be doing with the shaver and what charging apparatus will be most convenient for you personally.

Shaving Time

We’re not talking here about how often you should give yourself a shave, but instead about how long the actual shave takes. Arguably the worst part of shaving your head is how much time it takes, something made even worse if you have a… well, a big head. Luckily, modern head shavers have become really good at also shaving minutes off your shave time.

Electric shavers can reduce shave time in a few ways. The main one is to improve the grip so that you can more easily run the shaver over your scalp without having to change positions or move at awkward angles.

Another way is by increasing the area the shaver can cover. This is usually done by adding more blades or heads or just making the shaver bigger or wider all around.

Lastly, more powerful shavers or those with sharper blades usually end up being faster. This is because you can run them over your head faster without catching hairs and causing pulls or irritation.

Fast shaving times also have the added benefit of saving your battery. In fact, a shaver with worse battery life can give you more shaves than one with longer battery life if its shave time is significantly faster.

For example, if one shaver has a 90-minute battery life but it takes 10 minutes to shave your head with it, that’s a total of nine shaves. Meanwhile, a shaver with only 60 minutes of battery life but a three-minute shave time will get you 20 shaves, more than double.

Shave time can vary considerably based on your own technique and experience, but some manufacturers still like to advertise an exact number. We recommend not paying too much attention to this and instead focusing on the features mentioned above.

Oh, and if you’re wondering about traditional razors, these will usually have the longest shave times. You can still reduce this time, though, by using sharp blades, getting non-slip grips, and, of course, practicing.

Maintenance and Parts

Electric shavers are complex machines with a lot of moving parts. Motors need oiling, blades need changing, foil needs replacing. Even traditional razors have small mechanisms and often require changing out cartridges or razors.

In other words, however you decide to shave your head, maintaining your device and replacing parts is going to be something you have to deal with. What you should look at is how often you have to do this maintenance and how easy it is.

Big brands and standard devices usually have widely available replacement parts, and the company is normally ready to help you find them. Meanwhile, knockoff brands and obscure models and designs can be harder to maintain. This is where skimping now can cost you in the future.

Cleaning

Like maintenance, cleaning is a necessary part of owning a head shaver. All the little clippings from all your shaves inevitably get trapped down in the machine. To make things worse, the shaver’s moving parts have grease that traps the hairs and creates gunk inside the machine with other dirt and grime that gets inside.

Here you have two things to keep in mind. The first is how often do you have to clean the shaver? Some are more resistant to dust and hair clippings getting down deep inside their moving parts, so you can go longer without having to clean it all out.

The second is how easy is it to clean? Basically, we could restate this question as how easy is it to take it apart? That’s because, well, you’re going to have to open your shaver up, at least the head, to get the hair clippings and gunk out of the blades, gears, or whatever other moving parts.

A common feature that makes this really easy is a “hair capture chamber.” This is a kind of reservoir below the blades that catches hair. It usually has some kind of pop-out mechanism that lets you easily open it and dump out the hair.

Even if a shaver doesn’t have a hair capture chamber, an easily removable head, blades, or cover makes getting into those moving parts a lot easier. Hopefully, the shaver then comes with a cleaning brush you can use to wipe out the hair.

Another feature that helps with cleaning is the ability to run the head or blades under running water, something that can damage shavers that aren’t designed for it or that have blades that can easily corrode. Running water can help remove excess hair and dust but it can also remove grease, so it’s important to regularly apply new grease to any moving gears. Again, your shaver should hopefully come with this grease as well as instructions for application.

It’s important to keep in mind that the ability to rinse or wash the shaver under the faucet isn’t necessarily the same thing as waterproofing, though waterproof shavers can certainly be washed. Let’s dive into that now.

Waterproof Design

You can get a shaver that isn’t waterproof, but it’s a feature we strongly recommend. Why? It lets you use it in the shower.

Shaving your head in the shower makes the whole experience more convenient. For one thing, it integrates your shave into your morning routine for a lot more efficiency. Additionally, it’s a lot cleaner as the shower swiftly washes away any hair clippings without them blowing around your bathroom and getting stuck on everything.

“Waterproof” may simply refer to the manufacturer’s advertised design, but some shavers actually come with official ratings called IP ratings, which look like IPX5, with the 5 referring to how waterproof the device is. A higher number means it’s more waterproof, that it can withstand more depth for longer periods. 5 and up should be plenty for the shower.

Shave It All Off, Brother!

That fully-shaved-head look gives you confidence and feels comfortable and smooth. It does take a lot of time and care, though. To make shaving your head an easier part of your routine, pick out a quality head shaver that has the features that suit your wants and needs. We hope there’s something here that helps you—be good, have fun, and happy shaving!