How to Shave Your Head With a Razor (and Keep It Smooth)

Men shave their heads for all sorts of reasons: a receding hairline, a thinning crown, hair loss they would rather take control of, or simply being tired of paying for haircuts and fiddling with hair products. Plenty say shaving your head gives a real boost of confidence. Whatever the reason, a shaved head is not something to rush. Go at it with a blunt blade and no prep and you end up with nicks, red patches and a scalp that itches for days. Done properly, it takes a few minutes, no barber’s chair required, and it looks sharp. Here is how to shave your head with a razor, from the first clipper cut to keeping a smooth scalp week after week.

Puntos clave

• Clip it short first. Never take a razor to longer hair. Trim right down with clippers, then shave.
• Shave in or straight after a warm shower. Warm water softens the stubble and the scalp, so the blade cuts instead of dragging.
• Use a proper shaving cream and a sharp blade. A cream made for sensitive skin and a fresh cartridge do most of the work.
• Go with the grain first. Against the grain gives a closer finish, but leave it until your scalp is used to shaving.
• Moisturise and protect. A bald head needs moisturiser after every shave, and a hat or at least SPF 30 sun cream whenever the sun is out.

Before you shave: think it through

A shaved head changes the face in the mirror more than you might expect. Your ears, the shape of your skull and your neckline are suddenly on show, and there is no hair anymore to hide behind. Before you commit to the bald look, spend a week or two with progressively shorter clipper cuts: a number 3, then a 1, then no guard. It lets you get used to the look in stages.

Shaving your head also means accepting the upkeep. A smooth shaved head needs shaving every couple of days to stay smooth, plus moisturiser and sun protection every day. It is less work than a full head of hair in some ways, more in others.

One myth worth clearing up: shaving your head does not change hair growth. It will not make the hair grow back thicker or faster.^[1] The regrowth has a blunt tip, so it can feel coarser^[2], but the root underneath is unchanged.^[1] Nuestra publicación sobre si afeitarse hace que el pelo crezca más grueso explica por qué.

What you need for a head shave

You do not need much:

• Clippers with a no-guard setting, for the first trim.
• A multi-blade cartridge razor with a head that follows the contours of your skull, and fresh refills.
• A shaving cream, ideally one made for sensitive skin. The scalp has not been shaved before and will let you know if it is unhappy.
• A shaving brush (optional), which lifts the stubble and builds a thicker lather.
• A soft towel, an alcohol-free moisturiser or balm, and an SPF 30+ sun cream.

Some men use an electric shaver for a quick tidy, but for a truly smooth scalp a wet shave with a blade gets closer. The best razor for head shaving is one with a sharp, multi-blade cartridge and a handle you can grip with wet hands, because you will be working on areas you cannot see. A heavier handle helps here, since you hold it lightly and let its weight do the work instead of pressing.

How to shave your head with a razor, step by step

Step 1: Trim it right down

If there is any length on top, get rid of it before a razor goes anywhere near your head. Long hair clogs the blades within a stroke or two, pulls, and leaves an uneven result.

1. Start with clean, dry hair so the clippers do not snag.
2. With no guard fitted, clip the sides first, working up past the ears and round the back.
3. Do the top and crown, checking with a hand mirror for missed tufts.
4. Brush the loose clippings off your neck, shoulders and ears.

Step 2: Soften the stubble

Shave in the shower, or straight after one. Five to ten minutes of warm water softens the stubble and the skin^[3], which makes a big difference to how easily the blade cuts. Wash your scalp with a mild shampoo first to clear away oil and sweat.

Do not worry about not being able to see in the shower. Large parts of your head are out of view in a mirror anyway, and a mirror reverses every movement, which is more confusing than helpful. You will shave by feel either way. While you wash, feel for any bumps, moles or scars, so you know where to slow down.

Step 3: Lather up

Work a layer of shaving cream over the whole head, behind the ears and down the back of the neck. Use a brush if you have one: it lifts the flattened stubble so the blade catches each hair at the base. Leave the cream on for a minute to soften things further.

Step 4: Shave with the grain, using gentle strokes

1. Start on top, where the skull is flattest and easiest to control.
2. Afeítate en el sentido del vello using short, gentle strokes and even pressure. Hair on the head grows in more than one direction, especially at the crown, so feel which way it lies before each section.
3. Mantén la piel lisa around the back of the head and behind the ears by tilting your head, rather than pulling the skin tight, especially if you get bumps.^[4]
4. Enjuaga la cuchilla cada pocas pasadas. to clear hair and cream.
5. Work in sections: top, sides, back, then the neckline. Add more cream wherever it has dried.
6. Take the crown slowly. The hair swirls there, so use short strokes and change direction as you go.

Once your scalp is used to shaving, usually after a few sessions, you can do a second pass across or gently against the grain for a smoother finish. Skip it on the first shave, and skip it altogether if your skin reacts. Our post on Por qué no debes afeitarte a contracorriente explains the risk.

Step 5: Rinse and check

Rinse with cool or lukewarm water and pat dry with a soft towel. Then run your fingertips over the whole scalp, especially behind the ears and at the base of the skull. If you find a rough patch, add a dab of cream and go over it with short, careful strokes. Never go over a patch dry.

De la estantería del coronel

A smooth head, without the nicks

Una hoja afilada, siempre Clásico Five blades, a precision trimmer and a roller on the leading edge. Fresh refills come through your letterbox on the schedule you pick, so a blunt blade never goes near your scalp. 10 £ para empezar; después, 4 recargas por 10 £ u 8 por 17,50 £. Empieza con el clásico Precio más bajo por recarga VIP A weighty stainless steel handle that sits steady in a wet hand, plus a travel tin, then the same five-blade refills at our lowest price. 25 £ para empezar, y después 4 recargas por 8 £ u 8 por 14 £ Echa un vistazo a la sección VIP Para pieles sensibles Crema de Afeitar Sensible Made for sensitive skin, with an allergen-free fragrance. A good choice for a scalp that has never been shaved before. 8 libras por una lata de 75 ml Mira la crema

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Aftercare for a shaved head

After shaving, the scalp can feel dry and tight, so it needs looking after.

• Moisturise straight away. An alcohol-free balm or a light, unperfumed moisturiser calms the skin and stops it feeling tight. Keep moisturising between shaves too, as dryness is a common complaint with a shaved scalp, especially in winter.
• Protect your scalp from the sun. The top of a bald head faces straight up at the sun. Wear a wide-brimmed hat, or use sun cream of at least SPF 30 with 4-star UVA protection. The NHS says a hat is the better option for a bare head.^[5] Even on a grey British day, the summer sun can burn a bare scalp.
• Keep it warm in winter. A soft hat stops the cold and wind drying the skin out.
• Leave it alone if it is sore or itchy. Do not shave an irritated or sunburnt scalp, and try not to scratch it. Give it a day or two and moisturise instead.

Bumps are more likely if your hair is thick or curly.^[6] If they keep coming, or a spot becomes hot and painful, have a word with your pharmacist. Our guide to irritaciones por afeitado y granitos tras el afeitado covers what causes them and how to stop them.

How often should you shave your head?

It depends on how fast your hair grows and how smooth you like it. Many men shave every one to three days to keep a clean, smooth scalp. Leave it three or four days and you get a light shadow, which some prefer.

Whatever the rhythm, change the blade as soon as it starts to pull. A scalp is a lot of surface to cover, and a blunt blade means more passes, more tugging and more irritation. Our guide on Con qué frecuencia hay que cambiar la cuchilla de afeitar has the signs to look for.

Bald head and beard: getting the balance right

A shaved head and a beard is a classic combination, and it works because the beard gives the face shape and weight that the hair used to. It also suits men whose hair loss is on top but whose beard grows well. A few tips:

• Keep the beard tidy. A bald head shows off a scruffy beard. Short to medium length, kept neat, tends to look best.
• Get the neckline right. It is the line people notice. Our guide to the una línea de la barba perfecta shows where to put it.
• Blend the sides. Where your sideburns would be, either fade the beard into the shaved head or keep a clean edge. Both work. A hard step between a long beard and a bare scalp rarely does.

For ideas on which shape to grow, our guide to Estilos de barba para hombres calvos picks the ones that suit a shaved head, and the full Directorio de estilos de barba has the rest. If you are starting from scratch, our guide on Cómo dejarse crecer la barba covers the first few months.

Common mistakes when shaving your head

• Skipping the trim and trying to shave long hair with a razor.
• Pressing too hard to get a closer shave. Light strokes with a sharp blade are closer and kinder.
• Going against the grain everywhere on the first attempt.
• Using soap or shower gel instead of shaving cream. They dry the skin and give the blade nothing to glide on.
• Shaving with an old blade, which tugs and leads to bumps.
• Forgetting sun cream. A burnt scalp is painful and takes days before you can shave it again.
• Skipping moisturiser, which leaves the scalp dry and flaky.

Preguntas que suele hacer la gente

Fuentes

1. Cleveland Clinic, ¿Acaso afeitarse hace que el pelo vuelva a crecer más grueso?
2. DermNet, Afeitado
3. Academia Americana de Dermatología, Los mejores consejos de los dermatólogos para aliviar la piel seca
4. Asociación Británica de Dermatólogos, Pseudofoliculitis (folleto informativo para el paciente)
5. NHS, Sunscreen and sun safety
6. NHS, Pelos encarnados
7. Cleveland Clinic, Irritación por afeitado: causas y tratamiento