How to Shave Your Head: 5 Tips

The time has come, and you’re officially tired of your hair. You want to cut it all off and give your hair a new start. Shaving your head can give you a fresh look and make you feel better about your appearance. Before you break out the razor and start mowing your hair, follow these five tips to show how to shave your head and maintain it afterward.

1. Find Your Guard

The first step in shaving your head is finding the guard number you will use. If you’re using an electric razor, the clipper guard is an attachment that protects hair up to a certain length. It has nothing to do with Los Angeles Clippers guards like Chris Paul. 

The guard number determines how close the shave is. For example, if you say you want guard No. 2, it will make your hair 0.25 inches thick. Guard No. 4 will make your hair 0.5 inches thick, and the highest guard, No. 8, will go up to 1 inch thick. The lowest a clipper guard can go is 0, cutting your hair down to 1/16 inch thick.

2. Use a New Blade

Once you have your preferred guard, check your blade to ensure it will be helpful for shaving. A dull blade can make a haircut more laborious than it has to be. Worn blades will make your hair uneven and can leave redness and patches of unwanted hair on your head. Dull blades can also tear up your skin. When in doubt, use a brand new blade. You’d rather be safe than sorry with a bad haircut when you finish shaving.

3. Wet Your Hair Before

If a barber or hair stylist has cut your hair, you know to wet your hair before cutting. Your hair, when wet, is much easier to manage while you’re cutting and will make your life easier. The strands will stick together and stay in one place, making the process faster. Suppose you’re only trying to shave in a particular area. In that case, wet hair will also help your razor accuracy.

4. Cut With or Against the Grain

There is some debate about whether you should shave with or against the grain. When you shave your beard, you typically shave with the grain, and you can use the same logic if you plan on shaving your head with a regular razor. Shaving your head with the grain protects your skin from irritation and possible razor burn. Shaving against the grain will give you a closer shave, but it does increase the risk of the symptoms mentioned above. 

If you’re using clippers, you can go against the grain, and you likely won’t get irritation. Men with curly hair may find it best to shave with and against the grain, but for a complete shave, clippers can go against the grain because they’ll push your hair up. As long as the blades aren’t dull, you should be fine.   

5. Maintain Your Scalp After

Now that you’ve shaved your head, the next step is maintaining healthy skin because your freshly shaven scalp could be vulnerable to factors like the sun. Some things you can do are:

• Put on Aftershave: Just like you would with your beard, use aftershave on your head. The product will soothe your skin by reducing any itching or swelling you have, and it will heal any cuts you create on accident. It will also close your pores to prevent bacteria or dirt from entering the skin.
• Moisturize: Moisturizing is essential for your entire body, especially after you shave your head. Twice a day, you should apply a moisturizer to your head. It will help your skin shine and prevent wrinkles and dryness.
• Wear Sunscreen: With the breeze racing across your scalp, your newly shaved head will feel amazing outside. One drawback, though, is sun exposure. If you plan on going out in hot temperatures, wear sunscreen to protect your skin from ultraviolet (UV) rays and skin cancer. 

How to Shave Your Head With Ease

Shaving your head can be a fun experience. Walking outside and feeling the breeze against your scalp is refreshing on a hot summer day. If you’re wondering how to shave your head, follow these five tips, and you’ll be ready to go through.