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The electric razor (also known as the electric dry shaver) has a rotating or oscillating blade. The electric razor itself does not require the use of shaving cream, soap or water, with the razor being powered by a small DC motor. The typical major designs of this evolution in shaving includes the foil variety of electric razor, which uses a fine structure of layered metal bands that partially pulls out the hair follicle before cutting off the extracted length and then allowing the remainder of the hair follicle to retract below the surface of the skin. A recent study in the UK alone has discovered that almost 32% of men shave regularly with an electric razor. Using an electric razor has many great benefits without the major disadvantages that can be associated to shaving with a blade. If properly used, most electric razors can offer the user a shave that is every bit of close as a normal shave but with the absence of cuts and scraping irritation, The electric razor is a quicker, less messy and more convenient way to shave, but however some patience is necessary when starting to use a razor of this type, as the skin usually takes some time to adjust to the way the electric razor lifts and cuts the hair.

Preparation Before Shaving

To begin shaving with an electric razor you must follow the correct preparation in order to achieve the ultimate electric razor shaving experience, we recommend the following to begin:

1. A good facial wash or facial scrub - Either of these products will clean the face and leave the pores open and ready for shaving.

2. A good quality pre shave oil - This can be just normal pre shave oil or specifically formulated electric razor pre shave oil, both will allow the razor to glide effortlessly over the skin and will decrease the chances of painful pulling.

3. An electric razor (obviously)- This can have one of two head designs, either foil or rotary. The rotary cutting system works well on people with lighter facial and beard hair, whilst the foil cutting system is more effective on dense thick facial hair and beards.

4. An electric razor brush - This will allow the cleaning of the electric razor once the shave has commenced and will allow the razor to operate at maximum efficiency

5. A premium quality skin food product - Whilst shaving your facial hair the user will also shave a layer of skin off the face. This will usually contain vital minerals and nutrients that promote healthy skin, a skin food product will replenish these mineral reserves.

6. Finally a skin moisturiser or aftershave milk, both of these will replenish the skins moisture after shaving and will allow it to retain the moisture it produces; this will help the skin heal faster and more effectively after shaving.

Shaving With An Electric Razor

In order to get the most out of your electric razor and to achieve the finest and closest shaving experience you've ever had, these are the steps that we recommend:

1. Firstly make sure you purchase the correct electric razor for your facial hair type. As mentioned previously, the rotary head design shaving system works better on lighter and finer facial hair and beards, whilst the foil head operated system is more effective on dense and thick facial hair and beards.

2. Prepare your face properly with a good quality facial scrub or facial wash and dry thoroughly. This will open the pores and clean the skin ready for the shave.

3. Next use a pre-shave oil, let this oil sink deep into the skin and use it generously over the face. This will act as a lubricant between the skin and the electric razor, thus reducing friction. This oil will also help the hair follicles to straighten making them easier to shave and with less risk of pulling.

4. While you are waiting for the pre-shave oil to sink into the skin you should briefly clean your electric razor with the cleaning brush provided. Brush each of the electric razor heads separately and the protective shields on the electric razor as well. Not only will this enable and closer more comfortable shave, but it will also preserve your electric razor for longer.

5. Once shaving has commenced start to shave against the grain of the beard or facial hair. Doing this will help you pull the hair follicle protruding out of the skin and so the electric razor will be able to cut lower down the follicle, thus resulting in a closer shave.

6. The next thing to do will shaving is to go slowly. This may sound like common sense but when shaving with an electric razor it is very easy to get carried away and rush the process. Whilst shaving with an electric razor is faster and neater than shaving with a standard razor blade, it needs time and slow pressure to be completely effective, especially under complex areas like the chin and neck.

7. After the shave has been completed ensure that you apply a light coating of skin food onto the shaved area. This will replenish the vital minerals and protective oils that have been removed from the skin during shaving.

8. Finally, never under estimate the use of a good moisturiser to replenish all the lost moisture in your skin and to regenerate the protective skin layers that shaving removes.

Cleaning Your Electric Razor

The common electric shaver as mentioned above works in essence due to moving or oscillating blades that move back and forth to trim the area of hair that you need trimmed. Due to the very design of the electric razor, this motion creates hair blockages in the razor itself, which decrease the electric razors effectiveness and power. You should clean your electric shaver regularly in order to keep your blades fresh and at optimal efficiency, for good hygiene and sanitation purposes and in order to increase the life span of your electric shaver.

Here it is recommended that you clean your electric razor regularly, preferably after every third or forth shave. With a foil head electric razor you can lift off the head frame, which holds the screen (foil), and then brush out all the hair follicles from the under side with the electric razor cleaning brush that should have been provided with your electric razor. Make sure not to touch the foil screen itself with the cleaning brush as the screen is very fragile and requires great care. Next you can run the under side of the head and foil under water in order to rinse out any remaining hair follicles that brushing alone could not remove. Below this foil screen you will find the electrics razor's cutters, these are the main components to any electric razor, this is the part of the electric razor that you must take the greatest care to clean and maintain properly. Hair follicles, dirt and general debris can easily build up inside the cutter area of the electric razor and reduce the electric razors effectiveness and power and so take extra care and attention to make sure that this part is properly cleaned.

For rotary head electric razors, the cleaning method differs slightly. Here you must lift of the electric razors head assembly unit and brush out the under side of the three electric razor cutters and the three chambers. Here ensure that you do not tap the electric razor heads on the sink itself to remove any trapped hair follicles as this has a high risk of damaging and altering the shape of the precision made combs. Every month or so you must make sure that you remove each of these individual cutters and combs from the retaining plate, making sure that each cutter and comb are kept in their original 'set', as mixing these up would have a detrimental effect on your electric razors performance as they are each designed to compliment each other. After this is done you can brush the hair follicles from the cutters and then soak them in liquid cleaner and lubricant. This will ensure that your electric razor is kept in its peak operating condition and that you will never be disappointed in its performance.

Finally after these cleaning steps have been undertaken you must ensure that you have correctly lubricated your electric razor. Here it is especially important to lubricate the metal surfaces of the screen and cutter. Here just spray a light lubricant on the shaving screen while the electric shaver is running. This will immediately have the effect of freeing up any metal on metal binding which will nick and blunt the surface of your electric razor.

Other Electric Razor Tips

Here are a list of additional tips that we think may help any novice or seasoned electric razor user, these are:

1. Ensure that you completely read the user manual that comes with your electric razor. These are produced for you specifically and will cover all of the basic functions of your safety razor along with some ideal shaving tips.

2. Shave daily. Here you're skin must adapt to an electric razor if you have switched from a razor blade. The skin will need to get used to and adapt to the way in which an electric razor removes hair follicles. By shaving everyday you ensure that your skin will adapt to this change quicker.

3. As stated in the previous section. Always ensure that you give your electric razor a brief clean after every three to four shaves and then make sure that a detailed clean is committed every month as well.

4. If you frequently suffer from razor bumps, skin burn or general skin irritation, try to consider changing your electric razor to one which ahs a built in lubricating gel dispenser that should help to reduce skin irritation.

5. Applying regular baby or talcum powder to the face before shaving is a neat trick to reduce friction on your face between the skin and the electric razor and thus allows for a smooth shave. This is especially important for those unfortunate sufferers of sensitive skin.

Kevin Nicholls founder of The Executive Shaving Company provides extensive and essential 'How to Use' guides and information pages allowing you to perfect the ultimate shaving experience. http://www.executive-shaving.co.uk gives lots of useful information about the art of traditional shaving.