the-best-razors-will-make-burn,-bumps,-and-ingrowns-a-thing-of-the-past

The Best Razors Will Make Burn, Bumps, and Ingrowns a Thing of the Past

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There’s no reason to settle for shaving devices that leave you with ingrown hairs or a bad case of razor burn: Invest in one of the best razors for men instead and banish post-shave irritated skin forever.

If you’re experiencing consistent irritation, you might need to switch up your general approach—either by overhauling your shaving regimen entirely or revisiting the canonized rules of razor hygiene. But if you’ve already done all that, the tool you’re using is likely to blame. So we took it upon ourselves to test out the best razors for men and relay our findings to you. Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of our favorites, all of which—when paired with a proper skin care routine and an appropriately sharp blade—delivered a baby-smooth shave each and every time, razor bumps be damned.

But first, a few hard-hitting questions culled from the audience—that’s you!—to aid on your quest.


The Absolute Best Razors, At a Glance 


What type of razor gives the closest shave?

Any razor will always leave you with a closer shave than even the best trimmer or electric razor. But to keep your razor in tip-top shape, replace the blades often—and don’t forget to brush up on your technique.

Is a 3 or 5-blade razor better?

That’s entirely up to you, bud. You can get a wicked clean shave from a single-blade safety razor, but multi-blades tend to be more comfortable because each blade is doing less work (and subsequently, less scraping).

What razor should I use for my pubic hair?

Trick question: We don’t really recommend using a blade down there. Instead, invest in a groomer specifically designed for your nether regions, get waxed, or just tidy up the old-fashioned way with some scissors.

What about an electric shaver or a beard trimmer?

Both are excellent ways to keep your whiskers in check, but beyond the scope of this article. Check out our guide to the best electric shavers if you’re blade-averse and the best beard trimmers if you don’t need to go all the way baby-faced. 


Whether you’ve got sensitive skin and opt for the comforts of an old-school safety razor, or prefer the carefully weighted high-tech a multi-blade razor offers, there’s a pick here that’s right for you.

The Best Men’s Razor Overall 

Harry’s “Winston” razor

Our longstanding favorite in this field, Harry’s Winston razor has that “bounce” you look for in the best razor for a close shave: It’s weighted perfectly to give you the right amount of pressure, glide, and precision that you need. It’s also one of our favorite designs too, with the sleek aluminum body and matching silver grip. Last but not least, is the efficiency of Harry’s razor-replenishment service— these 5-blade Swedish-steel heads come to your door for less than $2 per piece.


The Best Single-Blade Razor

Supply single-edge safety razor

The Shark Tank -backed Supply uses a nifty sliding installer to load single bare-metal blades straight into its sleek metal frame. Many new safety-blade shavers don’t love handling a bare blade—Supply’s razor takes care of that. Consider it driving automatic compared to the manual-transmission double-blade shave from more traditional razors. You still get a close, smooth shave from a simple single-blade design, but without the fuss.


The Best Gillette Razor

Gillette SkinGuard Razor

We all want peace and harmony between blade and skin. Gillette’s Skinguard razor and blades are the solution, since they are designed to lubricate the skin and precisely modulate the blade’s pressure. The dual-blade razor doesn’t shave quite as closely as, say, a 5-blade cartridge, but that should be music to the ears of anyone with sensitive skin.


The Most Innovative Razor

Leaf Shave hybrid razor

The new razor from Leaf combines much of what we love about cartridge razors—multiple blades, a pivoting head—and combines those virtues with sharp, inexpensive safety blades. The Leaf lets you decide how many blades to stack. A single blade is a lot like a traditional safety razor that happens to pivot, but stack three and you’ve got a serious close shave razor—not for the faint of heart. This is one of the more exciting new shaving products in a long time.


The Best Inexpensive Cartridge Razor

Dollar Shave Club 6-blade cartridge razor

More blades isn’t always better, but in the case of Dollar Shave Club’s mighty 6-blade cartridge blades, it delivers an impressively tight shave. Opt for the Gillette on this list if you prefer a cartridge for sensitive skin, but if you tolerate the shave just fine, this hyper-close razor is a game changer.


The Best Safety Razor

Bevel safety razor

If you’re prone to shaving bumps, ingrown hairs, and irritation, then you should consider the switch to a safety razor. Bevel’s safety razor is weighted perfectly to give you a smooth, single-blade shave that won’t ravage your skin. There’s a learning curve, but if you master it, this razor will be the most comfortable way to get cleaned up. It’s a cost effective way to shave, too: Safety blades are much cheaper to replace than cartridge heads.


The Best Heated Razor

GilletteLabs heated razor

Gillette’s product innovation team recently launched this heated razor, in a successful effort to emulate the classic hot-towel shave. It does more than just feel good: the heat helps open the pores for a smooth, irritation-free shave. It’s powered by a rechargeable warming bar and has a flex-disc head that rotates with the contours of your face.


The Best Disposable Razor

BIC Flex3 disposable razors

Do you shave infrequently enough to mess with high-tech setups or subscription services? Or, do you shave so frequently that you often run out of replacement blades? In either case, it’s wise to have some disposable razors at the ready. BIC’s pivot-head, aloe-strip blades are especially sharp on first use. 


The Best Razor for Guys With Beards

Trim touch-up blades

Maybe you prefer some scruff, or a full beard, but you still need to clean up the perimeter. And maybe the standard-fare cartridge blades just aren’t cutting it given the way they obscure your mustache and beard border. That’s where these Trim vertical blades come in handy: They work a lot more like a straight-razor shave from the barber to help you shave clean lines where you need them.


The Best Electric Razor

Philips Norelco electric shaver and trimmer

We love a multitasking grooming product, and Philips Norelco’s OneBlade trimmer-shaver can handle just about every hair-taming task you assign. Be it facial hair or body hair, it can trim, shave, or detail as you need, wet or dry, and has interchangeable blades for every use; it even comes with a skin guard for those more precious, sensitive spots. It’s rechargeable and gives up to an hour of use with each full battery.


The Best Straight Razor

Parker SR-1 barber straight razor

Not many men are brave enough to “keep it straight edge”—but this is a terrific introductory blade for the straight-curious among us. The blades are replaceable, eliminating the need to keep sharpening them. Instead, you can sharpen your skills, whether it’s a full-face shearing or a beard/mustache detailing. Just keep it steady, Sweeney Todd.


The Best Drugstore Razor

Harry’s 5-blade cartridge razor

The shaving game is permanently up-ended: Harry’s has expanded into new categories and entersed drugstores and grocery stores: The millennial-fave, digitally sold, subscription-shave godfather is going after the shelf mainstays (Gillettes, BICs, Schicks, and such). Its standard 5-blade cartridge razors and refills deliver sharp, smooth results every time, and in a variety of bold colors no less. You can even head to the drugstore now for the razor, and then enroll in the brand’s automatic blade refill program online.


The Best Dry-Skin Razor

Schick Hydro Skin Comfort 5-blade dry-skin cartridge razor

As cringey as a dry-skin shave sounds, many guys swear by it—and experience little-to-no side effects. (Bless them.) Schick’s Hydro Skin Comfort razor deploys ceramides and coconut into the skin as it glides over the skin, contained inside 7 cushioning “gel pools”. We’d still suggest a soothing post-shave moisturizer, but something tells us the dry shavers disregard any and all advice (besides this razor recommendation, we hope).

Plus 5 More Razors We Love

Merkur short handle safety razor

Merkur’s specialized safety razor is an ideal choice if you’re new to shaving and worried about slipping up—its short handle lends itself towards easy maneuverability, helping you keeping mistakes to a bare minimum as you go.

Feather stainless steel folding handle razor

You wouldn’t julienne your veggies using any old knife would you? Your face deserves the same consideration. It’s tough to beat Japanese stainless steel under any circumstances, but especially when it comes accented by a grippy resin handle and a spring-mounted blade.

Dollar Shave Club 6 blade starter kit

DSC’s subscription is tough to beat in terms of sheer value, but if you want to give the brand’s blades a test run before committing to a monthly re-up, start with this one-time purchase and feel it out from there.

Bulldog natural bamboo razor

Bulldog’s no-frills grooming products have won it a legion of fans since the brand was founded in 2005. This handsome bamboo handle number comes with five tempered steel blades, all wrapped in recyclable packaging that reflects the brand’s committment to sustainability.

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