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Shaving 201 – How To Shave Your Face More Quickly (And Not Hurt Yourself Doing It)

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Shaving aficionados are all about the leisurely, luxurious shave. But even the most die-hard shave nerds will occasionally find themselves strapped for time.

Speeding Up The Process When Necessary

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There’s something about the ritual, the process of applying lather with a shave brush and making clean, smooth tracks with the razor across the skin that’s really appealing. But sometimes it’s necessary to get the job done faster.

Admittedly some who won’t break the ritual just won’t shave that day. But if you must shave, here are some ways to get a good shave in less time.

How to shave your face more quickly:

  1. Shave Immediately After Showering (Or Even While Showering)

    One of the key elements to a good shave is properly cleaning and hydrating the skin. You’re already doing that when you take a shower so why not take advantage of it? Shave immediately after showering–or better yet shave while you are showering. You may need a “fogless” mirror to help you see what you’re doing, but your skin will be prepared well.

  2. Use A “Brushless” Shave Cream

    Probably one of the most pleasant aspects of “old school” shaving is building and applying lather. There’s just something about it that appeals to the senses. But if you’re in a hurry, this is a step that needs to be compressed. Don’t go out and buy that pressurized can of cheap shave foam, though. You can do just fine with a squeeze tube of a good brushless product. You can even use your favorite lathering shave cream–you just need to use more of it than usual.

  3. Use A Razor With A Pivoting Head

    I know I’ll be accused of heresy from the wet shaving cognoscenti but the bottom line is you can most likely get a more consistent shave, given the shorter time required, with a razor that has a pivoting head than a razor with a rigid head. But that does not mean you need to use a razor cartridge with 27 vibrating blades! Fewer blades are actually better: as long as your skin is fully hydrated and you practice good shave stroke technique (see below) you don’t need all those blade edges. And yes, you can find razors with a pivoting head that use a single blade.

  4. Use A Fresh Blade (Cartridge) In The Razor

    Whatever razor you use, make sure you have a “fresh” blade edge to go with it. Using a razor with a blade that is not past its prime should make the shave go faster by the fact that the blade edge will cut more cleanly and quickly.blade

  5. Take Efficient Shave Strokes

    Saving time with a shave does not necessary mean you have to actually take faster strokes with the razor. You do want to take efficient strokes, avoiding wasting time by repeatedly shaving the exact same spot in the same way over and over again. Here is an article and video demonstrating how to shave efficiently.

  6. Settle For An Acceptable (vs. “Baby’s Butt Smooth”) Shave

    You should acknowledge to yourself that you’re making some trade-offs by shaving more quickly. Odds are, unless the shave gods happen to be smiling down on you that day, that you will have to “settle” for a darn fine shave rather than one feels smooth as glass. And you should be OK with that. Look presentable.

Conclusion

It will happen to you eventually: you’ll oversleep, take too helping the kids get ready for school, or get distracted by some other urgent matter. And you now need to shave and get out the door. With the proper techniques like shaving in the shower, using a brushless shave cream, and taking efficient shave strokes you can give yourself an entirely acceptable shave in a surprisingly short time.

Do you have any other suggestions on how to shave faster? Leave a comment below!

Author

Shave tutor and co-founder of sharpologist. I have been advocating old-school shaving for over 20 years and have been featured in major media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Lifehacker. Also check out my content on Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!View Author posts

7 thoughts on “Shaving 201 – How To Shave Your Face More Quickly (And Not Hurt Yourself Doing It)”

  1. You don’t have to use a brush in the first place. We’re beyond that now, especially with excellent products like Cremo or Arko applied directly to the face. Add a good adjustable razor like the quality Qshave, where you can adjust your shave for a given day, shave in the shower (best method for head shavers), get that BBS shave and be on your way.
    Yes, you CAN get a BBS shave every day as long as you don’t try to shave too closely (yet get a smooth shave). YMMV

  2. If you’re a situation where you don’t have time for or don’t have access to a shower, washing your face with warm water and hair conditioner also cuts down prep time.

  3. Good tips. Thanks. Here’s another. Try staying with only one razor. I have recently sold all of my razors but one. For me the Rockwell 6S is THE ONE. No more RAD for me. Since sticking with one razor / blade combination, my shaves have been a lot faster, closer, and more comfortable. No longer any need to adjust my technique to different razor / blade variables. My technique is now burned into my muscle memory. Two quick passes gives me a damn fine shave with no cuts or weepers.

    When I’m in am super rush I use a shave stick of my favorite soap, face lather rather than building lather in a bowl, and make do with one pass.

  4. Brian Fiori (AKA The Dean)

    I’ve managed to build quick-shave methods into my regular shaves.

    I tend to use concentrated shave cream that works well brushless or extremely with the brush. Think AoS cream, Body Shop Maca Root, even Kiss My Face, etc. But since I face later, spreading a bit on my face and using the brush takes just a few seconds longer than using it brushless. So I almost never dispense with the brush.

    I shave in the shower, which considerable shortens the shaving time as it doesn’t require a separate hydration step or clean up.

    I find the entire idea of BBS a complete myth. Seriously, bare an actual baby’s butt and your face after a shave and let several blindfolded people compare. If they can’t tell the difference I’ll admit I’m wrong. But I feel it’s an unrealistic standard (like the woman in the commercial who is upset because her teeth aren’t as white as a chemically bleached tissue) and causes confusion about what really constitutes a good shave: No nicks, weepers, stinging, redness or bumps/ingrown hairs with no visually apparent stubble and is very smooth to the touch. I can get that with my usual shave and even with the “quick shave”. The difference for me is, the quick shave doesn’t seem to stay as clean for as long as the typical shave.

    And while I typically only need a two-pass shave to achieve my desired results, most of the time I’ll do a bit of buffing or touch up. I dispense with that for the quick shave.

    Yes, on occasion I’ll use the Fusion for a quick shave. But I’m not sure the pivitong head makes that much of a difference to me. One place it does seem to matter is when I shave over my mole. I have to take a tiny bit of time to make sure I don’t cut it with a DH. But with the fusion it’s full speed ahead with no worry whatsoever.

    As with all things shaving, YMMV. It really can’t be said enough.

  5. One should practice quick shaving if one thinks such a shave will be needed. All things common, trying to do a different style of shave first out of the gate, probably will spell disaster. Take a week or two, 30 days would be great, and quick shave to figure out what works for you. Then every 5th or 10th shave, blast through one to keep your skill set fresh. You will need to learn this, life just happens.

    tp

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