How To Shave Your Head

Shaving your head is a low-maintenance haircut style for men who want a stylish and ruggedly handsome look. A shaved head can be a bold statement that exudes confidence and raw masculine energy while offering a smooth and clean-cut style. As a military-inspired haircut, a clean-shaven bald head can create a functional business professional style or a cool and simple cut that can be paired with a beard for a sexy vibe.

Whether you have thinning hair, a receding hairline or just prefer an easy cut, there are many reasons to shave your head bald. If you’re struggling, head shaving can be a daunting process the first time around.

To inspire you, we’ve compiled this guide on how to shave your head. From shaving tips to products, explore the best ways to shave your head to get a smooth bald look.

Shaving Your Head

Buzz Your Head with Hair Clippers

For starters, you will need quality hair clippers for a smooth, close trim. The best men’s hair clippers are made with self-sharpening blades, a powerful motor, and a rechargeable battery with a long run-time. Ideally, you’ll want to invest in a waterproof design for dry and wet use as well as easy cleaning. You’ll also want to choose cordless clippers for convenient use.

We recommend professional barber clippers from one of the best brands in the grooming industry, such as Wahl, Andis, Oster, and BaBylissPro. Guys can also just use a powerful beard trimmer capable of cutting through thick hair.

When buzzing your head, you will need a three-way mirror and a clean area with good lighting. The mirror will help you buzz the hair in the back of your head and behind your ears and neck. Lighting is also an essential piece because it will reveal any spots that are uneven or not completely trimmed.

Use your hair clippers with no guard and start trimming down the hair on the top of your head. Start slow and run through the same area multiple times to make sure you buzz everything off. Once you get your hair down to the shortest buzz cut, you are ready to prepare your scalp for a shave.

Prepare Your Scalp By Washing and Exfoliating with Warm Water

Before you slather on the shaving cream and start shaving with a razor, you’ll want to prepare your scalp. If you want to do this efficiently, take a shower with warm water and wash your head to cleanse and exfoliate your head.

The best way to shave your hair is immediately after a shower because the warm water will open up your pores, relax your skin, and soften your hair. This process will ensure you get a clean smooth shave without skin irritation or razor burn. Washing also helps clean the pores out and avoids unwanted ingrown hairs later on.

We recommend using a high-quality shampoo and conditioner to keep your hair and skin hydrated and nourished. Natural hair care products like Brickell Men’s Daily shampoo and Conditioner Set will stop your skin from drying out and protect your scalp.

Use Shave Oil To Lubricate Your Head

Just like shaving your face and beard, you will want to apply pre-shave oil for extra lubrication. Shaving oil will further soften and moisturize your skin and hair for an easy shave.

This is going to act as an additional barrier between your head and the razor, allowing the blade to glide while protecting your scalp from cuts/nicks, razor burn, and ingrown hairs.

We recommend a pre-shave oil with all-natural ingredients such as jojoba, castor, coconut, sunflower, and avocado oil. Be generous and rub this shaving product into your scalp until you’ve evenly coated your head all over.

Apply High-Quality Shaving Cream

Once your head is lubed up, you’re ready to use shaving cream. The best shaving cream for men who shave their heads is made by HeadBlade HeadSlick Shave Cream.

This shaving cream product is specially formulated with lubricants to get a close, smooth shave on your head. Water-soluble and easy to use, you’ll want to invest in a quality cream to shave your head.

Shaving cream is one of the most important shave products, especially if you have sensitive skin. A top-rated cream will keep your scalp moisturized and won’t irritate your scalp, cause inflammation, or result in razor burn.

Once you have chosen a good shaving cream, apply a light layer all over your head. Use your mirror to check that you’ve covered every part and are ready to start shaving.

Choose A Good Razor

When choosing a shave tool, you’ll want to pick a razor designed for shaving your head. Some guys like a cartridge razor like a Gillette or Bic, while others prefer a safety razor. If you’re a beginner, it’s better to start with a cartridge razor for an easy, smooth shave.

When looking for a quality razor, guys should consider the number of blades and the effectiveness of the lubricant strip attached. The Gillette Fusion5 ProGlide and ProShield are excellent men’s razors for the job.

If you plan on shaving your head regularly, you may want to invest in a safety razor or high-quality head shaving products like the HeadBlade. These types of razors will give you the closest and smoothest shave while minimizing skin irritation and burn.

Naturally, a single blade gliding across your head is a risky endeavor and should be reserved for experienced head shavers. We recommend the Merkur Safety Razor with a long handle or one of the top-rated razors from HeadBlade.

Shave Your Head Bald with Light Gentle Strokes

When shaving your head, you’ll want to take your time, be precise, and not use too much pressure. Start with slow, short strokes in the direction of your hair growth. If you go too fast, you may miss hair or nick yourself. Start shaving the side of your head and remember to rinse your razor with warm water every few strokes to keep the blades clean and smooth.

After your first pass, use a mirror to check the sides and then re-apply cream as necessary to clean up. For men who are comfortable handling a razor, apply oil and shaving cream again and cut against the grain for the closest shave.

Once you’ve finished up the sides, move to the top and start at the back of the head. You’ll want to shave in the direction of your forehead. After you’ve shaved the entire head and covered every section a few times, you can decide to shave against the grain for a closer trim.

At this point, you should have a clean-shaven bald head. If not, apply another round of oil and cream to repeat the process with extra attention on any remaining hairs. Once you’re happy with the result, you can move onto washing, exfoliating, and moisturizing your scalp.

Wash Your Bald Head

Like your face after shaving your beard, it is important to rinse your head and wash your scalp with cold water. Cold water will help close up your pores, tighten the skin, and soothe your scalp. Cleansing and exfoliating also play a part in helping you avoid ingrown hairs and razor burn. If you have sensitive skin, you can apply an ice-cold towel to control inflammation.

Apply A Post-Shave Lotion To Soothe Skin and Prevent Ingrown Hairs

Afterwards, you should apply an alcohol-free aftershave with natural antiseptic and moisturizing properties. A quality aftershave lotion or balm will clean your scalp, protect and nourish the skin, and reduce irritation and burns. The best post-shave products often have tea tree oil or witch hazel for their natural antibacterial benefits. Similarly, choose a lotion made with all-natural organic ingredients to maximize hydration.

Protect Your Scalp with SPF Sunscreen or Moisturizer

Men with bald heads are prone to sunburn so you’ll need to start wearing sunscreen to protect your scalp against the sun. You can avoid painful sunburns on your head while keeping the skin moisturized by applying sunscreen with sufficient SPF. A light, fast-absorbing daily moisturizer with SPF 20 protection will do the trick. We recommend a product with a non-greasy formula so you can easily reapply every few hours and consistently keep your scalp hydrated and protected.

If you’re not taking care of the skin on your head, you will quickly start to notice burns and dry, flaky skin, which is both uncomfortable and unsightly. A lotion for your scalp is also necessary to care for and maintain your skin to avoid wrinkles.

When it comes to head shaving products, we suggest you invest in the best razors, oils, creams, and lotions. Like manscaping, maintaining a clean-shaven head requires patience and warrants proper care with the right tools.

Shave Your Head Bald with An Electric Razor

If you don’t have the patience for a traditional razor, the good news is you can use an electric razor to shave your head bald. Electric shavers are easy to work with, convenient and fast to use, and still get you a close smooth shave. However, you can’t expect the same results and it won’t last nearly as long as a cartridge razor.

With an electric razor, you will get a clean shaved head for a few days depending on how fast your hair grows back. The benefit of electric trimmers is they minimize irritation, cuts, bumps, and ingrown hairs because these grooming tools won’t break the skin.

We highly recommend the foil shavers from Andis and Wahl, but you can use a rotary head shaver as well. The best way to shave with an electric razor is to still trim the hair short with clippers and then use this shaving tool for a bald head.