Best Shaver For Black Bald Head
When you’re shaving your head, finding the right shaver makes the whole process so much easier. The right electric razor should be easy to use, cut through your hair effortlessly and leave a smooth and even finish, and prevent any lingering problems like razor burn or skin irritation.
But finding a product that can do all this, especially as a black man, can be difficult. Which is why we’ve put together this list of the top shavers for your head in 2021.
The Best Black Men’s Head Shavers
Panasonic Arc 5
The Arc 5 is one of Panasonic’s best foil razors, balancing a reasonable cost against solid performance, which is why it comfortably takes the number one slot on our list.
It’s equipped with 5 nanotech blades that are ultra thin and flexible, so easy on the skin. They cut at a low angle, only 30 degrees, so leave hairs feeling softer, and less likely to cause skin irritation. As you shave, Lift-tech foils gently raise up individual hairs, for a close and even finish. The shaver head also has a full range of movement, so it’s easy to reach around to all of the hard to hit areas.
The motor is incredibly fast, cutting at 14,000 rpm, with a hair sensor that automatically boosts the power for denser patches or thicker hairs. It’s also a fantastic shaver for beards and moustaches, too, with a built-in detailing trimmer that pops out when needed.
Fully rechargeable with an LCD battery indicator, it can be used wet and dry, and with any shaving cremes or gels you want. It’s basically the best of everything we’ve looked at. Great performance, wide range of uses, and a decent price.
Philips Norelco 4500
Simple, affordable, effective, the Philips 4500 is one of the most popular budget men’s shavers on the market, and has been for a long time.
The proven design uses 3 low-friction rotary blades that pivot and flex to stay in contact with your skin throughout the entire shave and find every contour to trim all of the difficult to catch hairs.
It’s soft on skin, with Philips’ Skin Protection System, with a detail trimmer that helps you touch up sideburns and moustaches.
Fully usable in wet and dry, it can be washed for easy cleaning, charges in an hour for 50 minutes of shaving time, and can be quick charged in a few minutes for a single shave’s worth of power.
While the performance doesn’t quite match the more expensive products on the list, for what you’re paying, the Philips 4500 is an incredible deal.
Wahl Professional 5-Star Rechargeable
Wahl are known for their salon quality shaving gear, which is why it’s refreshing to see the 5-Star taking a different track. It looks and feels like an old school razor that you’d find in some 60s barbershop, but the performance is a little closer to the 21st century.
A dedicated professional level shaver, the 5-Star is designed from the ground up for commercial performance. It’s a dual foil design, with something unique to only two shavers on this list, gold plated foils for hypoallergenic shaving that’s incredibly safe on skin.
The rechargeable battery keeps the shaver running at maximum power for 60 minutes, and you can easily just plug this in and use it wired if necessary.
Tiny, at just 4.6 inches long and light at 5.8 ounces, it’s easy to hold and use, and the kit comes with everything you need, including cleaning brushes and foil guards.
As a professional shaver, one thing that’s worth pointing out is that this is a little harder to use than some of the other models we’re looking at here. But the performance speaks for itself, and once you learn the specifics, it’s perfect for clean shaven heads, fades, blends, and more.
Braun Series 9
By far the most expensive shaver on the list, the Braun Series 9 is an animal that’s packed with up to date technology and performance shaving power. It’s expensive, but if you want a piece of gear that can shave your head down, and still have more left over for your face, beard and anything else you want trimmed, the Series 9 will take it all in stride.
The shaving head is exceptional, with a twin foil backed up by two lifting foils that guide hairs straight into the blades. This means it can deal with longer hairs than most of the other shavers on this list, and it’s the perfect choice if you have exceptionally thick or curly hair.
The powerful motor and updated battery is exceptional quality, with a month of average use from a single charge. Most Series 9 models also come with a charging and cleaning dock, which is an innovation we’ve grown to love. It makes the whole clean up process so much simpler, and always ensures that your shaver is charged.
100% waterproof, this can be used wet, dry, or anywhere in between. Ruggedly built, it’s designed to last 7 years. It might be expensive, but it’s an investment, and one that will pay for itself a hundred times over.
Kibiy 5 in 1 Head Shaver
Simple but effective, palm shavers like this one are everywhere nowadays. We picked this model because it came highly recommended across hundreds of reviews, but also because it has a few smart touches that really sets it apart from some of the competition.
Shaving is done by 5 rotary heads, each mounted on their own individual pad that flexes to match the contours of your skull. As a dedicated bald trimmer, the finish is excellent, but it’s recommended that you don’t use this on hair longer than 5mm, as it will struggle to cut it.
Charging can be done quickly and easily from any Micro USB station, which means you can charge this from a plug, your computer, your car, hotel rooms. Wherever you are, it charges in 90 minutes for 60 minutes of use.
Wet and dry capable, the kit also comes with some nice extras, like facial cleaning brushes and a nose and ear trimmer.
Babyliss Pro Foil FX08
Another professional quality shaver, the Babyliss Pro Foil FX08 is a beast that boasts by far the longest run time on the list, with a monster motor that drives a pair of commercial quality foils.
It has the same style of hypoallergenic gold foils as the other commercial quality shaver on this list, the Wahl, which will basically eliminate sensitive skin issues for most people. According to the manufacturers, it can take a week or two for your body to adapt, so don’t worry if it takes a little while.
The included adapter is dual voltage, so it can be used anywhere in the world. Not that you’ll need to take the charger with you, as this has an absolutely ridiculous battery run time of 3 hours, triple the standard.
One other incidental benefit is how visually appealing this is. It’s sleek and stylish, available in 6 different finishes, and comes with a smart safety cover. This is a machine your partner will actually be happy for you to leave out in the bathroom.
Philips Norelco Shaver 510
The smallest and cheapest head shaver on our list, we would never recommend this for a main shaver, because in the long run it will end up costing you more, but if you regularly travel, or you need a razor that can be thrown into a gym bag, this is a fantastic backup choice.
A rotary style shaver, it’s equipped with two Philips self-sharpening rotary blades that follow the contours of your face, and last around a year before needing to be replaced. It’s also absolutely tiny, at just 2 x 3.5 inches, effortlessly fitting into the palm of your hand.
The main reason this isn’t recommended as a main shaver is the power supply. It runs on batteries, needing 2 AAs, (supplied) and lasting around an hour before they need replacing. Considering the price of a full, rechargeable shaver, if you keep your head shaved, you could be putting batteries in this every month or so.
But as a backup, the performance is consistently great, and it’s tiny enough to fit into any wash bag, jacket pocket, or car glove box, and go with you anywhere.
Our Best Head Shaver Buyer’s Guide
Specifics on the blades
If you’re buying a shaver specifically for the hair on your head, there are a few things that you need to consider.
Instead of looking for closeness, when buying a head shaver, look for a model that has foils and other cutting elements that are designed to lift the hairs and pull them into the blades.
This will let the shaver guide hairs that have grown or curled in different directions effectively, and makes it much simpler to have a smooth, even finish in a single pass.
A powerful motor
Black hair is slightly thicker and curlier on average, so a more powerful motor will be a big help when it comes to powering the blades through it. A weaker motor might catch hairs, snarling the blades or ripping them from your head instead of cutting.
Most modern electric shavers come with powerful motors but some have the option for a power boost, that spikes motor power and blade speed when it hits a thicker patch of hair. If you have particularly thick head hair, this is a great option.
Wet shaving options
While it’s not essential, wet shaving helps a lot of men deal with issues like razor burn and ingrowing hairs, especially if they shave with a good quality shaving crème or gel.
Not every electric razor is equipped for this, however. So look for a razor that is waterproof. If a head shaver can be used in the shower, or with shaving gels, it will tell you, and we will also mention it in our reviews.
Cleaning
Thicker, curlier hairs are more likely to get caught in a shaver and require a lot more cleaning. This is true for facial trimmers over head shavers in general, and it’s also true for black hair over other ethnicities.
Look for a head shaver that’s easy to clean. Some higher end models now come with dedicated cleaning stations. Alternatively, look for a model that can easily be washed clean under the faucet, which will save you a lot of time in the long run.
FAQs
Why as a black man do you need a dedicated head shaver?
The main reason you as a black man need to be careful when you’re buying anything that’s going to cut your hair is that black men have a higher tendency towards razor burn and razor bumps than other ethnicities.
This is because black hair tends to be thicker, coarser, wiry, and above all, damn curly.
Razor bumps and other skin issues are caused when hairs are cut too close to the surface, and end up curling back on themselves. This can irritate the skin, or cause ingrowing hairs and other issues.
Worse still, a lot of conventional razors are designed to cut hair at an angle. If your hair is particularly thick, this can basically turn each hair into a blade and leave them sharp enough to push back into your skin as they grow.
This issue can happen to anyone, but it’s especially likely for people with thicker, curlier hair.
What’s better, a rotary or a foil shaver?
There are two main types of electric shaver, a foil shaver, that uses blades arranged in horizontal cutting bars, and a rotary shaver that uses multiple rotating cutting blades attached to a set of flexible pads.
Which is best for you is a hard question to answer, because it mostly depends on you, your head, and the shape of your skull.
For men who have smoother, more even head shape, a foil shaver could be far easier and more efficient for you.
However, if you have a more complicated skull shape, with a lot of contours or other tricky spots, a foil shaver might be a better option as they will more effectively follow the shape of your skull, and result in a much more even shave.
