Lubricating Your Electric Shaver - Why You Must Do It & How To

To understand why lubrication is important, you should understand how your electric razor works.

If you’re using a foil shaver, the more traditional type, one or more blades are hidden under extremely thin foils perforated by very small holes. When you press the shaver against your face, facial hair enters the holes and is sheared off, as with scissors.

This type of razor was invented by Jacob Schick. The motor on the original invention was so large that holding and using the trimmer required both hands, but after a few more iterations a truly handheld device was created, Schick’s new invention flew off the shelves. The foil razor, however, is only one of two highly popular electric trimmers used today.

If you’re using a rotary shaver, three round, spinning blades capture hair as they glide over your face.

Both foil and rotary shavers are constructed to extremely high tolerances, which means the moving parts come into contact with other quite a bit. Any sediment (such as dry skin or hair) can increase the friction, which increases the heat building up in your razor.

It’s not uncommon to take your razor apart for cleaning after just a few uses to find an astonishing amount of very fine debris trapped inside.

After watching this man take his Remington apart, for example, you’ll rush to clean yours!

When heat builds up, the dynamic parts of the razor can come under significant stress. Your razor could break down, become dull, or even injure you. Cleaning your razor and using electric shaver lubricant regularly is vital to helping maintain a close shave, keeping you comfortable, and protecting your electric razor.

It's time to talk about the actual lubrication.

Before you even begin to lubricate your razor, it’s vital to make sure you adequately clean your razor.

You should always follow your manufacturer's directions carefully (and when in doubt, defer to those), but this section will provide a loose outline for you to be able to thoroughly clean your razor.

How often you clean it is up to you. You should factor in how often you shave and how thick or long your beard is when you do shave. If you're rinsing your shaver every time you use it, you might not need to deep clean it as often. I recommend to clean it more often than not; taking a few minutes to do so once or twice a week saves time in the long run.

Another thing to consider is purchasing a self-cleaning shaver. Some have cleaning stations that clean, dry, charge and lubricate your shaver with just the press of a button. These can be more expensive, and you still have to keep an eye on them as they’re not foolproof, but if you hate spending the extra time on maintenance, you might love a shaver with this feature!

To clean your shaver, you’ll usually be able to pop off the head piece without needing to use any tools. Be very careful with the foil, if that’s the type of razor your cleaning, and of course be careful with the blades, which can be very sharp! Some razors come with cleaning kits that include brushes for cleaning out the nooks and crannies of your device, but if not a toothbrush is a popular option. Since this is my face, I don’t like using an old toothbrush that can breed bacteria; instead, I prefer to use a new toothbrush that is dedicated to this job.

When you’re cleaning, make sure you pay careful attention to where everything goes--you don’t want to struggle with putting your shaver back together! Be thorough and carefully dislodge as much sediment as possible. When you’re finished, you should be able to pop all the pieces back together.

The final step is the actual lubrication. It’s important to use the right kind of oil, and I should note here that cooling sprays that are popular (especially on trimmers used for hair) are not oils and do not act as lubricants. Oil is special for its viscosity or thickness. You need something with a good level of viscosity to be able to adequately cushion the friction building up inside your device.

You also do not want to use a heavy oil, such as WD-40, though oils for small machines, such as sewing machines, will work just fine. The amount of oil you use depends on the size of your trimmer, but do not use a lot. Too much oil is often as bad as too little and can drip, cause your razor to rust, or deaden the blade.

Typically, I recommend three drops of oil, one in the middle and one on each corner. You’ll want to apply the oil while your trimmer is running, and then let it run for a few seconds to allow the oil to work into the gears. That’s it!

If you’re looking for some great electric shaver lubricants, here are two I recommend:

The con, however, is that the Shaver Saver has an overpowering smell. If you’re planning on oiling your shaver daily, this will quickly saturate your bathroom. You will, at a minimum, need to make sure your fan is running on high. That said, this product has long been a favorite thanks to how easy it is to use!

Thanks to how long this product has been in production, it’s something of an industry standard, which builds confidence when making your purchase!

My only concern is that sometimes the viscosity of an aerosol isn’t as thick as you might hope. If I’m putting my shaver through a lot, I want to make sure it’s getting a nice thick oil treatment. That said, this aerosol will work perfectly for most.

Using an electric shaver lubricant doesn’t have to be difficult, but it does need to happen regularly! Regular cleaning and lubrication will keep your shaver in top condition, which will mean a great, comfortable shave for years to come.