Is it Better to Shave Before or After Showering?

Don’t worry, you wouldn’t be the first bloke to ponder this. After all, it’s a fair question - especially for guys hoping to get the most from their shaving routine. Shaving before or after a shower offers a completely different range of benefits. So, to get the most out of this experience, you’ll need to weigh up these shaving habits and see which could benefit your routine more. That’s where we come in. If you’ve been wondering ‘is it better to shave before or after showering?’, you’ve come to the right place.

The Benefits Of Shaving Before Showering

Let’s start by looking into the benefits of shaving before you jump in the shower. For any guy using an electric razor, it’s well worth switching to a pre-shower shaving routine. First and foremost, these tools often aren’t as effective on wet/ damp facial hair as they are on dry fair facial hair. This means that you can expect much neater results if you shave before the shower.

Many suggest that using your electric razor before showering is also a lot more time-efficient. Not only will you spend less time shaving and washing your face in front of the mirror, but you can also wash off any debris from your face while showering. So, arguably this option is best suited to guys that prefer electric razors or have limited time in the morning.

But there is a time penalty to electric shaving that many don't talk about. Namely, that an electric shaver doesn't tend to shave the hair as closely as a razor blade. So although you save time up front, you will find that your "5 o'clock shadow" (ie the return of the stubble) will be more noticeable when you're using an electric shaver and you may even need to do a once over again at night, just to make shaving the next morning that bit easier. You may also find that electric shavers don't get into the nooks and crannies of your face perfectly, and you need to spend time doing another pass over your jaw or chin area with a razor blade just to get all the stray hairs. 

The Benefits Of Shaving After Showering

Now, let’s move onto the benefits of shaving after showering and figure out why exactly it is traditionally the method that most men will recommend. Of these two options, shaving after showering is suggested to be the better choice for your skin - especially if you’re using a cartridge or safety razor. Since the hot water from the shower will clean the skin, open the pores, and soften your facial hair - you can expect a much closer and smoother shaving experience. Plus it's generally easier to manouvre the razor and to see what you're doing outside of the shower.

If you do have sensitive skin, or regularly experience issues like shaving rash, razor bumps, or shaving cuts, shaving after showering might be the solution. Though shaving after the shower can be slightly more time-consuming, you can save time by applying your face scrub and preparing your skin in the shower, so there’s less to clean up when you’re done.

Your lubricant choice is also important. Although many guys still use shave soaps and foaming gels, there's actually a much better way to lubricate for shaving - especially if you've got sensitive skin. By using a soap-free clear shave gel or a quality shave oil you'll avoid the skin-stripping effects of a shave lather.

Plus because these products are transparent, you can see exactly where you're shaving which helps you navigate around moles, pimples, skin tags or a shaving nick that's still healing from a prior shave. What's more, the Clear Shave Gel by Milkman also washes off the blade using much less water & applies botanical moisturisers to the skin as you shave. 

The Benefits Of Shaving While Showering

There’s one more option that we need to consider before we wrap up - and that is the benefits of shaving while you’re in the shower. This is another popular shaving habit among many blokes, and it’s not hard to understand why. Shaving in the shower, amongst the hot water, is great for softening the facial hair and opening your pores - which will lower the risk of any skin irritations. Not to mention, stubble and shaving cream will run straight off your face/ razor, and straight down the drain - making clean-up much easier.

That being said, if you’re interested in shaving in the shower, you might need to invest in a mirror that doesn’t fog up. Otherwise, you might find that you missed a few patches when you hop out. It should go without saying that this option is best suited to cartridge razors or safety razors since many electric razors can’t handle excessive water exposure (although if you're willing to pay more, there are now many waterproof options available). 

Is It Better To Shave Before Or After Showering?

Now, let’s answer this popular question once and for all - is it better to shave before or after showering? Well, it depends. It’s not necessarily better to shave before or after a shower. Each habit can offer a completely different range of benefits that are better suited to certain shaving habits. For example, if you prefer using an electric razor or tend to be time-poor in the mornings, you’d benefit from shaving before you jump in the shower. Electric razors perform better on dry facial hair, and you could wash the debris down the drain while showering to get out the door faster.

Otherwise, if you experience conditions like razor rash or bumps after shaving, you’d probably be better off shaving after or while you’re in the shower. This is because the hot water can clean and soften the facial hair to provide a much softer, smoother shaving experience. So, the method of shaving that you choose should be decided by which tools you prefer to use, how your skin reacts to shaving and your own lifestyle. Happy shaving!