The wet against electric argument is usually conducted as a matter of taste, which is why it never resolves. Framed as an engineering question it becomes tractable: a blade cuts the hair at or below the skin surface, an electric shaver cuts it at or slightly above. Everything else follows from that.
Closeness and irritation are the same axis. You cannot have a maximally close shave and minimal follicular disturbance, and the correct choice depends on which end of that axis your particular skin and hair put you.
Section 01The axis
Below the surface, closest, highest risk
At or just below the surface
At the surface
At the surface
At or just above the surface
Slightly above the surface
Well above the surface, no follicular contact
Section 02The decision tree
Do you get ingrown hairs or pseudofolliculitis barbae
Move down the list: foil electric, or a single blade with the grain. This factor outranks every other consideration on this page.
Do you get razor burn but not ingrown hairs
Either tool can work. Fix technique first, using the razor burn troubleshooting path, before changing hardware.
Do you need to look clean shaven every day
Wet shaving delivers closer results. If you also get ingrown hairs, a foil electric daily is often a better trade than a blade every other day.
Do you shave two or three times a week
Wet shaving is straightforward at this frequency and the skin has recovery time between shaves.
Do you have eczema, seborrhoeic dermatitis or active acne in the beard area
Electric, on a longer setting, and shave less often. A blade over inflamed skin spreads inflammation and can spread bacteria across lesions.
Do you travel constantly
Electric wins on practicality. No water, no cream, no blade in hand luggage questions.
Section 03The comparison, without the romance
| Wet, cartridge | Wet, safety razor | Foil electric | Rotary electric | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Closeness | Highest | High | Moderate | Lower |
| Ingrown hair risk | Highest | Moderate | Low | Low |
| Razor burn risk | Moderate | Moderate to high | Low | Low |
| Skill required | Low | Moderate | Low | Low |
| Time per shave | 05 to 08 min | 08 to 12 min | 03 to 05 min | 03 to 05 min |
| Running cost | High | Very low | Low | Low |
| Suits coarse curly hair | Poorly | Moderately | Well | Well |
| Suits fine straight hair | Well | Well | Adequately | Adequately |
The running cost difference between a safety razor and cartridges is large enough to be worth mentioning, and it is the reason safety razors have a following that has nothing to do with skin. That is a legitimate reason to choose one, provided you accept the learning curve on angle and pressure.
Section 04The hybrid approach
The most useful thing on this page for most men: you are not obliged to use one tool on the whole face. The cheek and jaw usually have straighter hair growing in a predictable direction, and they tolerate a blade well. The neck, particularly under the jaw and at the base, has hair growing in several directions and is where almost all ingrown hairs occur.
The hybrid protocol
Total 05:30- 01
Blade on the cheeks and upper jaw03:00
With the grain, single pass, after three minutes of warm water. This is the area where a blade delivers its advantage with the least risk.
- 02
Foil electric on the neck02:00
Dry, on the longest setting that gives an acceptable result. The neck is where the problem concentrates and where the extra closeness of a blade buys you the least.
- 03
One moisturiser over everything00:30
No separate products for separate zones. Fragrance free, applied to damp skin.
Section 05Electric shaving technique, which does exist
Electric shaving is treated as though it requires no technique, which is why so many people conclude it does not work for them. Three things matter.
- Shave dry skin, not damp skin. The opposite of wet shaving. Moisture on the skin causes the foil to drag. If your shaver is rated for wet use with foam, that is a different mode and works, but half wet skin with no lubricant is the worst case.
- Go against the grain, gently. Again the opposite of the blade rule. Electric shavers cut above the surface, so the ingrown hair mechanism does not apply in the same way, and against the grain lifts the hair into the cutting element.
- Clean and replace the heads. Foils and cutters wear out. A shaver with worn heads pulls hair rather than cutting it, which produces both irritation and the impression that electric shaving is inherently uncomfortable.
Do not shave over inflamed acne lesions, cold sores, or any open or weeping area with either tool. A blade can spread bacteria across the face and a cold sore can be spread across the shaving area. If you have an active cold sore, do not shave over it at all until it has crusted and healed.
Section 06How to run the trial
Four weeks per method, one variable at a time, using the same measures as everything else in this publication: count of ingrown hairs at the end of each week, and a zero to three score for burning after each shave. Four weeks is enough because shaving problems appear on a timescale of days rather than months.
Do not change your razor and your cream and your frequency in the same fortnight, for the same reason you do not add two actives at once. The related documents are the ingrown hair protocol, the razor burn path, and the assessment protocol.