Editing Shaving (section)

== Shaving methods ==
Shaving can be done with a [[straight razor]] or [[safety razor]] (called 'manual shaving' or 'wet shaving') or an [[Electric razors|electric razor]] (called 'dry shaving') or beard trimmer.

The removal of a full beard often requires the use of scissors or an [[Hair trimmer|electric (or beard) trimmer]] to reduce the mass of hair, simplifying the process.

=== Wet shaving ===
There are two types of manual razors: straight razor and safety razors. Safety razors are further subdivided into double-edged razors, single edge, injector razors, cartridge razors and disposable razors.
Double-edge razors are named so because the blade that they use has two sharp edges on opposite sides of the blade. Current multi-bladed cartridge manufacturers attempt to differentiate themselves by having more or fewer blades than their competitors, each arguing that their product gives a greater shave quality at a more affordable price.
[[File:Vintage Gillette Safety Razor, Old Type Set, Made In USA, Circa 1920s (19844414006).jpg|250px|thumb|A Gillette 'Old Type' safety razor, the first razor to use double-edge blades]]

Before wet shaving, the area to be shaved is usually doused in warm to hot water by showering or bathing<ref name=aad_shaving/> or covered for several minutes with a hot wet towel to soften the skin and hair. Dry hair is difficult to cut, and the required cutting force is reduced significantly once the hair is hydrated.<ref name="zoe-2012"/><ref name="observations-beard"/> Fully hydrated hair requires about 65% less force to cut, and hair is almost fully hydrated after two minutes of contact with room temperature water. The time required for hydration is reduced when using higher temperature water.<ref name="observations-beard"/>

A lathering or lubricating agent such as [[shaving cream|cream]], [[shaving soap]], gel, foam or oil is normally applied after this. Lubricating and moisturizing the skin to be shaved helps prevent irritation and damage known as razor burn. Many razor cartridges include a lubricating strip, made of [[polyethylene glycol]], to function instead of or in supplement to extrinsic agents.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Braun|first1=David|title=Razor component and lubricating strip|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/EP0276094A2/en|access-date=23 November 2014}}</ref> It also lifts and softens the hairs, causing them to swell. This enhances the cutting action and sometimes permits cutting the hairs slightly below the surface of the skin.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wet Shaving or Dry Shaving? Blade vs. Electric Shaving {{!}} Gillette |url=https://gillette.com/en-us/shaving-tips/how-to-shave/wet-dry-shaving-comparison-razor-vs-electric |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322090845/https://gillette.com/en-us/shaving-tips/how-to-shave/wet-dry-shaving-comparison-razor-vs-electric |archive-date=2022-03-22 |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=gillette.com |quote=[T]he lifted hair is cut and then pulls back below the skin’s surface...}}</ref> Additionally, during shaving, the lather indicates areas that have not been addressed. When soap is used, it is generally applied with a [[shaving brush]], which has long, soft bristles. It is worked up into a usable lather by the brush, either against the face, in a [[shaving mug]], bowl, scuttle, or palm of the hand.
[[Image:Shaving2.jpg|thumb|left|Closeup of a disposable razor shaving stubble off the underside of a chin. The direction of razor travel is the same as the direction of the stubble hairs or 'grain'.]]

Since cuts are more likely when using safety razors and straight razors, wet shaving is generally done in more than one pass with the blade.  The goal is to reduce the amount of hair with each pass, instead of trying to eliminate all of it in a single pass.  This also reduces the risks of cuts, soreness, and [[ingrown hair]]s.  [[Alum]] blocks and [[styptic pencil]]s are used to close cuts resulting from the shave.

==== Aftershave ====<!-- This section is linked from [[The Lone Ranger]] -->
{{Main|Aftershave}}

An aftershave lotion or balm is sometimes used after finishing shaving. It may contain an [[antiseptic]] agent such as [[isopropyl alcohol]], both to prevent [[infection]] from cuts and to act as an astringent to reduce skin irritation, a [[perfume]], and a [[moisturizer]] to soften the facial skin.

=== Electric shaving ===
[[Image:Philips Norelco 9700 Rotary Electric Shaver (30973817280).jpg|thumb|280px|A rotary-design electric razor]]
[[File:Huachang Shaver HC-6800-1473.jpg|thumb|Oscillating blades of a foil-type shaver]]
The [[electric shaver]] (electric razor) consists of a set of oscillating or rotating blades, which are held behind a perforated metal screen which prevents them from coming into contact with the skin and behaves much like the second blade in a pair of scissors. When the razor is held against the skin, the whiskers poke through the holes in the screen and are sliced by the moving blades. In some designs the blades are a rotating cylinder. In others they are one or more rotating disks or a set of oscillating blades. Each design has an optimum motion over the skin for the best shave and manufacturers provide guidance on this. Generally, circular or cylindrical blades (rotary-type shaver) move in a circular motion and oscillating blades (foil-type shaver) move left and right. Hitachi has produced foil-type shavers with a rotary blade that operates similarly to the blade assembly of a reel-type [[lawn mower]]. The first electric razor was built by Jacob Schick in 1928.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Features |first=Chris Carter last updated in |date=2014-11-06 |title=6 November 1928: Jacob Schick patents the first electric razor |url=https://moneyweek.com/355143/6-november-1928-jacob-schick-patents-the-first-electric-razor |access-date=2024-08-15 |website=moneyweekuk |language=en}}</ref>

The main disadvantages of electric shaving are that it may not cut the whiskers as closely as razor shaving does and it requires a source of electricity, usually a [[rechargeable battery]]. The advantages include fewer cuts to the skin, quicker shaving, and no need for water and lather sources (a wet shave). The initial cost of electric shaving is higher, due to the cost of the shaver itself, but the long-term cost can be significantly lower, since the cutting parts do not need replacement for several months and a lathering product is not required. Some people also find they do not experience ingrown hairs ([[pseudofolliculitis barbae]], also called razor bumps), when using an electric shaver.

In contrast to wet shaving, electric shave lotions are intended to stiffen the whiskers. Stiffening is achieved by dehydrating the follicles using solutions of alcohols and a degreaser such as [[isopropyl myristate]].<ref name=Ullmann>"Hair Preparations," Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim (2006). {{doi|10.1002/14356007.a12_571.pub2}}</ref> Lotions are also sold to reduce skin irritation, but electric shaving does not usually require the application of any lubrication. This is called Dry Shaving.

Mechanical shavers powered by a spring motor have been manufactured, although in the late 20th century they became rare.  Such shavers can operate for up to two minutes each time the spring is wound and do not require an electrical outlet or batteries.  Such type of shaver, the "Monaco" brand, was used on American space flights in the 1960s and 1970s, during the Apollo missions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19930369000 |title=Shaver, Mechanical, Apollo – Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum |publisher=Airandspace.si.edu |access-date=2012-10-20 |archive-date=2016-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306145935/http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19930369000 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Trimmer ===
[[File:Huachang Shaver HC-6800 - Beard Trimmer-1796.jpg|thumb|Blade set of a hair trimmer]]
A trimmer has two adjacent blades, each with teeth on its cutting edge. One blade oscillates alongside a stationary blade so that the teeth cut any hair that falls between them. The main advantage of a trimmer, unlike shaving tools, is that longer beards can be trimmed to a short length efficiently and effectively, including as preparation for shaving.