How to Sharpen an Electric Razor (3 Easy Steps)

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When it comes to male grooming, razor-sharpness is everything. The goal of any good razor for men is to cut hair. So if you have a dull razor, you’ll have a bad experience and might end up with ugly bumps, nicks, and cuts after.

To this effect, most electric razor manufacturers ensure that their products are sharp enough to give you a close shave and an overall great experience. Unfortunately, like double-edged safety razors, with a quality safety razor blade, even the best electric razors get dull with time. So if you are at this point in your electric razor use, you might be wondering if you can sharpen it.

Let’s start with the good news: most electric razors come with self-sharpening features. So it will take a long time to get dull. The great news is that you can do a couple of easy things to ensure that the blades remain sharp as long as possible.

Surprisingly, most men have had great success using toothpaste on their electric razors.

Read on to find out how they do it and what you should avoid.

1. Preparation

The first step to any delicate procedure is preparation. In this case, you need to disassemble your electric razor to gain access to the blades. The disassembly process should be straightforward; even if it’s your first time. The razor should have a button on its side that automatically separates everything. However, this isn’t true for every electric razor, so we suggest referring to the instructional manual if you are unsure. Once you succeed in disassembly, lay everything on a clean surface and rinse them in warm water.

Unfortunately, some electric razors don’t have a disassembly option, which is fine. For such razors, use a toothbrush to give them a good scrub and rinse it with warm water. The goal is to ensure you remove even the smallest bits of grime, dirt, and hairs to make the following steps easier.

When you are satisfied with the job done, get some toothpaste and prepare for step two.

Last update on 2024-08-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

2. Toothpaste

Now to the fun part.

Get a pea-sized amount of toothpaste in your hand and rub it around the blades. Make sure you get into every crevice on the razor. If you have to use extra toothpaste, do so. When you’ve got to every visible surface, turn the razor on to spread the toothpaste to spots you couldn’t reach. Let the razor run for twenty seconds or until you feel it start to heat up, at which point you’ll stop and repeat the process three times.

Note: the number of times you’ll need to repeat the above process depends on how dirty the razor is. When it’s ready, you’ll know.

3. Wash Up

After the above step, gather every piece and wash them under running hot water. If your razor cannot disassemble, then washing the bits covered in toothpaste will do. Wash these parts until every bit of toothpaste is removed.

Leaving behind even the smallest amount of toothpaste will negatively impact your razor’s efficiency.

After a thorough clean-up, you now need to air dry the razor until every drop of water evaporates. This process might take a couple of hours, but once it’s done, you’ll have nothing but a sharp razor on your hands.

Don’t Do It on Foil Razors

The steps we’ve outlined above only apply to electric and non-electric rotary razors. Unfortunately, you cannot use this trick to sharpen foil razors because of their design. Foil razors have an oscillating design and are tightly packed, making it impossible to access spaces between the blades. For this trick to work, you need access to these spaces. So if you own a dull foil razor, the only way of improving your shaving experience is to get a new electric razor.

Related: Best Electric Head Shaver

What about Using Sandpaper?

You might have come across men hyping the use of sandpaper to sharpen electric razors. Unfortunately, this is a bad idea. First, sandpaper is only paper, meaning it’ll form grit that will clog the razor and contribute to making it dull. There’s also a high risk of breaking down due to having the grit stuck inside the moving parts. Worse still, using sandpaper will create uneven surfaces, which worsen your shaving experience.

FAQ

How often should I sharpen my electric razor?

How often you sharpen your electric rotary razor depends on the texture of your hair, how often you shave and how much hair you have. If you shave often, most men suggest once a week, sharpening the razor once a week would be great. And even if you shave fewer times than this, sharpening the razor once a week won’t cause damage to your razor. If anything, you’ll have an easier, more satisfying shaving experience with a blade that’s sharp, safe, and hygienic – so it’s a win-win if you have the time for it.

If I use the toothpaste trick, will my electric razor last forever?

Unfortunately, even with this trick, your electric razor blades will not. The blades will continue to dull with every shaving session. Sharpening the razor blades only gives them some extra life, but that’s about it. After a couple of months, up to 12 months, the blades will be dull to the point of no repair.

Can you use any toothpaste?

We recommend using white toothpaste. By this, we mean that the toothpaste you use doesn’t have fancy additives like minty crystals or flavoring that form swirly patterns when you squeeze out the toothpaste. The toothpaste additives might be great for your teeth but will do more harm than good to the blades.

How often should you replace the electric razor blades?

Even with sharpening tricks, most brands recommend changing the blades every 12 to 18 months depending on how often you shave, the care and maintenance you give the razor and the texture of your beard. For example, if you have thicker hair and shave daily, you might have to change the blades earlier than 12 months.

What oil should you use on the electric shaver?

The first option is to use light mineral oil like you would use hair clipper oil. Any highly refined mineral oil will do a great job lubricating the electric razor blades.

Last update on 2024-07-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API