Most men have some kind of shaving routine. Whether you've stayed clean shaven your whole life or rock a hefty beard, shaving is part of grooming - though how often you shave depends on your exact style.
While shaving may be ubiquitous, what isn't is how often you should shave. Does it depend on your skin type? Is every day too much? Is there some ideal frequency of shaving that would both prevent irritation and keep you looking great?
Let's find out.
How Often to Shave to Stay Clean Shaven
How often should you shave if you want a smooth, clean shaven look? In most cases, at least once a day - and maybe even twice. If you start every day with a shave to keep your face smooth, you're likely to notice quite a bit of 5 o'clock shadow by the end of the day. If you have an evening event to attend and your level of facial hair is a major factor, that could mean shaving twice daily.
If you're shaving as often as every single day, it's important to treat your skin right. Here's how to do it:
Exfoliate
We recommend exfoliating with our Renewing Face Scrub two to three times each week to keep your skin smooth, eliminate oily buildup, and prevent ingrown hairs. Use face scrub after washing your face. You don't need to scrub aggressively or use an abrasive tool - the jojoba beads and pumice particles in the scrub will do all the work for you, but gently enough to prevent any irritation.
Shave
Use our Smooth Brushless Shave Butter to lubricate, soothe, and protect your skin during the shaving process. Instead of using foaming bubbles - which don't do much to protect your skin - it leverages glycerin, jojoba, aloe vera, and fruit extracts to ensure a smooth, irritation-free shave.
Soothe
If you shave your skin as often as every day, the potential for irritation is high. Prevent redness, bumps, and itch by always following up with our Instant Relief Aftershave. It's alcohol-free, so don't expect anything harsh or drying. Instead, it's made with aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, coconut, and a variety of botanicals to soothe your skin and restore its natural barrier.
How Often to Shave for a Stubble Beard
To maintain a stubble beard, you're going to have to shave pretty often, but not as much as the clean shaven guys. An electric trimmer or beard trimmer will be an essential tool. No exact length is perfect for every guy, so experiment with trimming down a few days of growth to find the stubble style that's most flattering for you.
You will still need to shave your neck and upper cheeks fairly often in order to keep up your beard's clean lines. Make sure your stubble beard is intentional - not just the result of lazily choosing not to groom yourself. For the sharpest, cleanest lines, use a razor and follow the three-step exfoliate, shave, and soothe process outlined above.
How Often to Shave Other Parts of Your Body
A lot of guys are shaving and trimming a lot more than just the hair on their face. Body grooming is an important part of maintaining your aesthetic. Here's how often to shave other parts of your body in order to look your best and keep your skin in top shape.
How Often to Shave Your Chest
Some guys completely shave their chest for a smooth look that helps define their muscles. Other men just want to even things out and cut down on the thickness, so a regular trim is fine. In most cases, you'll do best shaving your chest every three to five days. That keeps things looking how you want without being so frequent that you risk irritation.
Whether you're shaving with a razor or using a trimmer, taking care of the skin beneath your chest hair is important. Just like when shaving your face, prepping the skin by exfoliating is a smart choice. Either way, always follow up with aftershave or moisturizer to soothe and restore the skin.
How Often to Shave Your Pubic Area
Do you want be completely bald down there or simply do some trimming for a not-quite-a-jungle look? If your aim to be hairless, you'll obviously need to shave your pubic area more often - as much as two to three times per week. Since the skin in this area is sensitive, however, you want to do everything you can to avoid ingrown hairs and razor burn. Less frequent shaving will help with that - as will shaving in the direction of hair growth, light exfoliation, a protective shave cream, and post-shave soothing with moisturizer.
If your goal is to trim your pubic area, you can use a body hair trimmer every week or two to cut down on the hair growth and keep your hairs at your desired length.
One thing you really want to be careful about when shaving your pubic area is stubble. After shaving, you'll go through a period of growth where the hairs are short, sharp, and rough. This can be uncomfortable for yourself and a partner, so be aware of that problematic growth period and use moisturizer to soften things up as much as possible.
How Often to Shave Your Armpits
The skin under your arms is sensitive and not the easiest to navigate with a razor. So, even if you want to have clean shaven armpits, we recommend caution here. Even guys who want absolutely smooth armpits don't need to shave more often than a couple times per week.
That's because shaving removes both the hairs above your skin and some of the outer layer of dead skin cells. Unless you have extremely fast growing underarm hair, you won't notice new hairs for a couple days.
If you're trimming your armpits, you can probably stick to once every week or two. This will keep the length fairly uniform without demanding constant grooming attention.
Armpit skin can be quite sensitive, so reduce how often you shave them if you notice excessive redness, bumps, itchiness, or other signs of irritation. Switching to an alcohol-free deodorant with non-irritating ingredients - like our Natural Deodorant - can help. It's made with soothing, odor-fighting ingredients including coconut oil, vitamin E, arrowroot, and shea butter.
How Often to Shave Your Arms
If you want to keep your arms smooth, you'll need to shave them about once a week. Any more than that won't accomplish much and could cause irritation. If your goal is to keep some hair but cut it down to a minimal length, use a body hair trimmer about once a week.
Stubble can be uncomfortable on your arms, especially when wearing long sleeves or tight fighting clothes. You'll want to keep your arms shaved to avoid this - or let the hair grow out far enough to stay soft but still short.
How Often to Shave Your Legs
Personal preference is the determining factor for how often to shave your legs. If you want them smooth, you'll need to commit to shaving two to three times per week. Otherwise, you'll get stubbly legs that feel prickly and uncomfortable.
Some guys with long, fast growing leg hairs prefer to trim them down without shaving - especially during the hottest months of the year. If that's your preference, use a body hair trimmer about once every week or two.
Shave, Trim, or Natural - It's Up to You
You've got lots of options when it comes to shaving, whether that's your face or anywhere else. You can let it grow, keep it trimmed, or stay smooth. Regardless, it's important to stick to a routine and a strategy that ensures you look your best without skin irritation.
