How to Use a Foil Shaver – The Ultimate Guide

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Congratulations on choosing the best foil shaver for your needs. Now, all that’s left is putting it to work. Unfortunately, you may wield the best foil shaver on the market but still have the worst shaving experience. This is because different shaving tools have different shaving processes.

Now don’t get twisted; using a foil shaver isn’t rocket science, but it’s not as intuitive either, especially if you’re coming from straight razors and shavettes. We’ve prepared an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide to help you have the best shaving experience with a foil shaver.

What is a Foil Shaver?

A foil shaver has straight shaving heads made of thin perforated sheets of metal called foils. Under the thin foil are oscillating blades that slice through hair that enters the tiny mesh pattern holes. Foil shavers are perfect for men with fine facial hair and sensitive skin who need a clean, close shave.

Many foil shavers sport two or more foils to ensure a thorough shave. Some even have special design features that allow them to capture and trim long beard hairs lying close to the face. For instance, the Braun Series 9 has two special trimmers sandwiched between regular foils. The Hyperlift and Cut trimmer lifts and cuts hairs lying flat on the face, while the Direct and Cut captures hairs growing in different directions.

In contrast, rotary shavers have three circular heads that work independently. These heads have outer stationary guards that trap hair strands and inner cutters that trim them.

How Does a Foil Shaver Work?

It’s simple, the foil catches and guides hairs to the sharp blades oscillating at high speeds. The blades easily slice through hair as you move the shaver over your face. It works best on a straight line and is more precise.

They are often used for dry shaving, although some can be used with shaving cream and water. Regardless of your shaving choice, they require thorough cleaning occasionally. Luckily, some have charging stations that do all the work for you. But even without the charging station, foil shavers are easier to clean than rotary razors.

Note: Because of their design, they work best with shorter facial hair. Depending on how fast your hair grows, stubbles 3-7 days old are too long. If you have long hair, trim it before using your foil shaver (more on this in the next section).

Three Pillars of a Quality Shave With a Foil Shaver

We’ve chosen to simplify the process and explain it in three steps.

But before that, check your shaver’s battery before you start the process. If it’s running low on juice, plug it in; with the quick charge most foil shavers sport, it’ll be ready by the time you’re getting ready.

Step 1: Preparation

Foil shavers are designed for dry and wet use, although most people prefer the former. If you’re new to foil shavers, we prefer you take time to prepare your face instead of grabbing your shaver and going to town. Even with a capable and safe foil shaver, there’s always the risk of nicking the skin and irritation. Good preparation reduces this risk.

By preparation, we mean using beard and face wash on your beard and face, respectively. Start by splashing water on your face, wetting your beard, and adding some product to your palm. Massage the face wash into your face and then rinse with lukewarm water to soften the beard and open the pores. To save time, you can do this in the shower.

If you have the time, you can also exfoliate the skin to remove dead skin cells and apply pre-shave oil. This step works wonders in preventing ingrown hairs and provides a smooth glide. If you have a waterproof foil shaver, create a lather using a shaving soap or cream and apply it to your face for extra protection.

• Trim long hairs

If your facial hair has outgrown the stubble stage, you’ll need to trim it before shaving. Given their design, most foil shavers choke on long whiskers. Only a few premium models can handle beard growth that’s more than a week long.

You can use a stubble trimmer or pop-up trimmer that comes with your foil shaver. Although most pop-up trimmers aren’t the best for regular use, they are handy for occasional use.

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• Plan of action

Any successful event takes proper planning. Unlike straight razors, foil shavers are made to shave against the grain. As such, you need to know the direction of hair growth in different spots. For most men, hair on the jawline, chin, and cheeks grows downwards, so you’ll shave upwards.

Hair on the mustache grows downwards toward the center, so you’ll need to shave outwards and diagonally towards the area above the lip corners. The hair on the neck is a little complex. On the sides, hair grows inwards, while at the top and bottom of the throat, it grows downwards and upwards, respectively.

That said, everyone’s face is different, so you should confirm the directions. Do this by running your hands over your beard. If you feel no resistance, the hair grows in that direction, but if there’s resistance, growth is in the opposite direction.

Once you have this figured out, shaving is easy. Run your foil shaver in a straight line against the direction of growth.

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Step 2: Shaving

Assuming your beard is the correct length, and your face and beard are well-prepped, follow the steps below:

• Use short, controlled strokes against the grain

This is by far the most important tip for using a foil shaver. Shaving with the grain leads to poor shaving results as many hairs are left behind.

In the first couple of shaving sessions, you’ll have to shave need to run your free hand to remember the direction of hair growth before shaving. But after a while, you’ll have a mental map.

• Hold the shaver perpendicular to your face

The foil shaver works great when held 90 degrees to the skin. You’ll need to make multiple adjustments as you shave the neck, jawline, and cheeks.

• Use your free hand to stretch the skin

Stretching the skin with your free hand as you shave will make the hair stand straight, making it easier for the shaver to capture and cut hair. This technique reduces the risk of nicks and cuts and improves the degree of close shaving.

Tilting your head back and raising your chin helps, too, when shaving your neck below the jawline. When shaving the cheeks and lips, pressing your tongue against the skin helps. The counterpressure stretches the skin, allowing for a close shave.

• Vary direction and length of strokes

Based on the direction of hair growth, shorter vigorous strokes are better in the spot you’re shaving. Longer strokes are okay if you’re shaving a large and flat area like the cheeks, especially if the grain doesn’t change too much.

However, if you’re shaving a region with multiple directions of hair growth, shorter strokes, direction, and pressure adjustment will work wonders.

• Flip your shaver

Most foil shavers have shaving heads tilted toward the front. You can use this design feature to your advantage. For instance, you can flip the shaver when shaving below your nose. When tilted, ensure the shaver is closer to the outer foil. This ensures only one foil is in contact with your skin and keeps the other cutting elements out of the way.

This is an advanced technique and will need some practice. But when you get it right, it’ll improve your close shaving on tricky spots.

• Apply pressure

We should note that the amount of pressure varies depending on your skin’s tolerance to pressure and the foil shaver you’re using. Some shavers, like the Braun Series 9 and 7, are a little more forgiving than the Panasonic Arc 5 and 4. Start with light pressure and increase it ever so slightly until you find your sweet spot.

If you press too hard, you might get small nicks and cuts. Luckily, an alum stick and a styptic pencil can fix this.

• Start with tricky spots

It’s best to start with areas that are difficult to shave and prone to irritation, like the neck. These require more effort and attention. When you start shaving, your concentration is high, but it slowly diminishes as you make progress.

Step 3: Aftercare

Last update on 2024-08-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Once you’re done shaving, it’s time for some aftercare. Like preparation, this isn’t a step you can afford to skip.

Start by rinsing your skin with some cold water and patting it dry with a towel (note it’s ‘pat’ not rub. Rubbing might irritate the freshly shaven skin). Afterward, apply some shaving moisturizer or balm to hydrate the skin.

Standard aftershave should do the trick, but we suggest staying away from products with alcohol as they’ll dry the skin even more.

Your shaver needs some care too. Maintaining your foil shaver ensures it serves you for a long time. If your shaver doesn’t come with a cleaning station, you must do it manually. Here’s a guide on how to do it.

How to Clean Your Foil Shaver

Waterproof Foil Shaver

• Remove the foil’s shaving head and give it a good shave over the sink to remove loose hair and debris stuck on the cutting elements. Most are easily removed by pressing a latch to release it or pulling it from the body.
• Re-attach the shaving head and apply some liquid soap on the shaver’s foils
• Start your shaver and rinse it with warm water as it runs. Run the shaver for 20 seconds.
• Detach the shaving head again and rinse it separately to remove the soap completely.
• After a thorough rinse, shake the head to remove excess water and dry it separately from its body

The process looks lengthy but only takes 1-2 minutes.

Non-waterproof Shaver

• Most modern foil shavers are waterproof, but some old-school versions aren’t. For these, below is how you clean them:
• Remove the shaving head and shake it over your sink to remove loose hair and debris from the cutting elements and foil.
• Remove debris and hair stuck on the shaver body and head using a brush. Most foil shavers come with brushes for this purpose.
• Use a shaver cleaner or compressed air and lubricant to clean the shaver regularly.
• Re-attach the shaving head to its body.

Bottom Line

Now that you understand foil shavers and how to use them, you’ll have an easier time shaving. But since shaving is a personal event, you’ll still go through some experimentation before you get what truly works for you. However, this guide gives you a good starting point.