Can You Cut Your Hair with a Razor? What to Know Before Trying

Whether you’re trying to achieve a sleek and stylish skin-close buzz cut or add volume and texture to a long hair do, razors are often the best grooming tool for the job. However, mastering the technique with styling or shaving razors can be challenging. Until you do, you might endure a few cuts, frizzy dos, and split ends.

With that in mind, this guide discusses what you need to know before trying to cut your hair with a razor. We’ll discuss the main types of razors, the biggest risks of using them, and alternative grooming tools that you might want to consider.

What Does “Cutting Hair with a Razor” Actually Mean?

When we talk about cutting hair with a razor, you might assume we mean using a razor rather than clippers or a shaver to achieve a buzz cut or a skin-close shaved head (find out how trimmers compare with shavers if you sport a buzz cut). Of course, you can use a traditional razor to achieve as close a shave as possible, but there are types of razors designed for cutting and styling long hairdos as well.

While this article primarily focuses on shaved heads for proud baldies, it’s worth discussing the two main types of razors available, each serving a different purpose.

Styling Razors vs. Shaving Razors

Commonly also known as feather razors, styling razors are often used by barbers to – as the name suggests – style hair rather than achieve a skin-close shave. These razors feature a guarded blade that minimizes the risk of cuts to the fingers, skin, and scalp.

You can use styling razors to add shape and texture to your hair. While scissor cuts tend to leave hair relatively flat and uniform, styling razors achieve softer edges and give you more control over shaping. If you want your hair to look voluminous or even slightly messy rather than super clean, you might want to try swapping out the scissors for a styling razor.

Shaving razors, on the other hand, enable you to cut your hair right at the surface of the skin. Whether you’re one of the two thirds of American men with male pattern baldness by age 35, or you just appreciate the clean-shaven look, shaving razors can usually achieve a closer shave than any alternative. However, it’s worth noting that some of the best electric head shavers can now achieve almost as close a shave – and without the risks of shaving razors.

What Are the Risks of Cutting Your Hair with a Razor?

As mentioned, styling razors feature guards that significantly reduce the risk of cuts. However, these razors still pose plenty of risks to your prized hairstyle. For example, using a feather razor on dry hair can result in frizz and split ends.

Mastering the technique with a styling razor is essential – razors can pull and stretch hair while causing discomfort until you’ve perfected the correct angle (about 45 degrees). On top of that, using a styling razor effectively is challenging without training. You might want to let a barber cut your hair with a razor, but make sure your barber thoroughly disinfects the razor before use so that there’s no chance of you ending up with an infection.

Many men use shaving razors at home to achieve the sleek bald look. However, while it might be easier to shave than style hair with a razor, the risks are numerous. For starters, there’s the risk of cuts. Most proud baldies have experienced plenty of cuts while using a sharp razor. If your razor is slightly dull, you might experience irritation, bumps, and burns, particularly if you have sensitive skin.

Using a shaving razor also carries the risk of causing ingrown hairs, which can be incredibly painful and even result in cysts if left untreated. While rare, especially if you sterilize your razor, infections are possible. Bacteria and contaminants can enter the body through tiny abrasions, including razor cuts.

Is Using a Razor Bad for Your Hair?

There’s nothing inherently “bad” about using a styling razor on most hair types, but it counts on you mastering your grooming technique. You can only use styling razors on wet hair, otherwise split ends and frizz are likely outcomes. Also, if you have curly, coarse, or damaged hair, you might end up with uneven cuts, overthinning, and split ends. However, frequent cuts with styling razors pose no risk to the long-term texture or growth rate of your hair.

Similarly, using a shaving razor poses no risk to your hair health because these grooming tools cut your hair right at the surface of the skin without affecting hair follicles. In other words, shaving razors only remove visible hair that is already dead. Naturally, frequent cuts, burns, and bumps aren’t great for your skin, but shaving razors otherwise are not “bad” for your hair.

A Safer Alternative: Shaving Instead of Cutting

If you’re tired of enduring cuts and burns when using traditional razors, you might want to consider switching to an electric shaver. Some men still prefer old-school head shaving because of the super close cut that razors can achieve. However, today’s latest electric shavers can achieve almost as close a shave – the difference can be imperceptible. Better still, head shavers are much safer than traditional razors.

Take our Groomie® BaldiePro™, for example, which features five rotary blade heads that cut your hair from every angle. Thanks to its guards, the BaldiePro™’s blades never come into direct contact with your skin, instead cutting your hair just above the surface. Coupled with specs like a super fast 10,000 RPM motor and its patented SmoothShave™ technology, the aforementioned features minimize the risk of cuts, burns, irritation, and – most importantly – ingrown hairs and infections. The BaldiePro™ also comes with accessories including a nose and ear trimmer, plus clippers with multiple guards, perfect if you’re building the complete men’s grooming kit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Cut Hair with a Shaving Razor?

You can cut your hair with a shaving razor without damaging your hair’s health. Moreover, styling razors can be used to add texture, volume, and shaping to most hair types of just about any length, while shaving razors can achieve the closest shave of any alternative. However, mastering the technique with razors is crucial to avoid cuts, bumps, burns, irritation, and ingrown hairs.

Does Cutting Hair with a Razor Damage It?

Cutting your hair with a razor poses no risks to your long-term hair health because it only cuts visible, dead hair without impacting your hair follicles. Incorrect technique can result in frizz, split ends, and irritation to the scalp, but these impacts are temporary. If you’re worried about these risks, consider swapping out the razor for an electric head shaver.

Electric Head Shavers Provide a Safer Alternative to Traditional Razors

Styling and shaving razors can be excellent grooming companions for those who’ve mastered the technique. Many men choose traditional razors because they can achieve a skin-close finish, while barbers often use styling razors to achieve cuts that scissors and shavers simply can’t parallel.

However, if you’re a proud baldie who has suffered their fair share of razor burns and cuts, and potentially even a few painful ingrown hairs, you might want to consider purchasing an electric head shaver.

Take a look at the Groomie® BaldiePro™ head shaver kit, which has been purpose-designed for proud baldies, giving a cut that’s almost as close as a traditional razor without the risks – or hard work. You can buzz your entire head in as little as three minutes with this grooming essential.