When to Shave: Morning or Evening?

Should you shave in the morning or evening? Explore how sensitivity, puffiness, time, and lifestyle shape results and what is best for you.

Source: Pixabay

In his 1970 book How to Do Almost Everything, the writer Bert Bacharach advises men to shave “an hour or so after getting up,” arguing that “face puffiness after sleep retards a good shave.”

Since puffiness is not a factor before going to bed, it surely follows that shaving in the evening is more convenient.

But puffiness is not the whole story. Nor is convenience.

There are four reasons I don’t shave at night:

• An evening shave leaves me with stubble in the morning, which makes me feel scruffy throughout the day
• I’m usually too tired at night for anything more than brushing my teeth and a quick skincare routine
• I find shaving invigorating, which keeps me awake for longer
• Because my skin is more sensitive in the evening, nightly shaving eventually makes it sore

What’s Wrong with the “More Time to Repair” Idea?

I’ve spent years talking to men about their grooming habits, and it seems I’m not the only one to notice increased sensitivity at night.

After dark, the sleep hormone melatonin signals the body to rest and repair.

As a result, sebum production drops because daytime protection is no longer needed. Instead, resources are shifted toward restoration, leaving the skin surface less cushioned against blades and shaving lubricants.

To make matters worse, increased blood flow means cuts and nicks bleed more profusely, while lower cortisol levels reduce the skin’s ability to calm irritation such as razor burn.

So, even if it is often said that nighttime shaving gives the skin more time to heal during sleep, all you’re doing in effect is giving it more damage to repair.

If you only want to avoid redness and irritation after a morning shave, these can be reduced or prevented—more on that later.

How Puffiness Interferes with a Good Shave

It seems that nothing has changed. Bacharach’s advice to shave in the morning rather than the evening still stands. So does his advice on allowing puffiness to subside, which is more relevant now than ever.

It is possible to get a good shave with a puffy face, but only by stretching the skin.

But as Bacharach points out, overstretching can cause the razor to cut below the skin’s surface, leading to possible irritation. Back in 1970, men were still using single blade razors, so it was only a possibility. Today’s multi‑blade cartridges do this by design, making it a near certainty.

Squeezing a shave into a tight routine means either switching to a single blade razor and/or finding a fast way to decrease puffiness.

Fitting a Shave into Your Morning Routine

None of the real-world men I speak to shave at night because it gives a better result; they do it to save time in the morning. But how long does it take a practiced shaver? I need five minutes using a brush and safety razor; multi-blade cartridges are even quicker.

And despite Bacharach’s advice, puffiness doesn’t require an hour or so to subside.

Preparing for a Morning Shave

If you want a little time between waking and shaving, spend 20–40 minutes with a cup of coffee. I’ve heard that caffeine can cause skin sensitivity, but have never noticed it myself.

If you’ve no time for that, use a damp washcloth as a cold compress, placing it on your beard for five minutes before shaving. My preferred method is the cold-water shave, which reduces puffiness quickly while keeping the skin calm.

Temperature doesn’t affect whisker texture: to soften hair, you only need water. And pores cannot open and close, despite skincare marketing claims. It therefore makes no difference whether you shave before or after a steamy shower; what matters is that the beard is clean.

If you shower after shaving, lathering with a brush cleanses and exfoliates. For men using a brushless lubricant, a quick cleanse with micellar water does the trick.

The Fastest Way to Shave

Bacharach recommends that you “go after the fine hair first and leave the coarse hair till last.” He says “that gives shaving cream a longer time to soften the tough areas of your beard.”

And he’s absolutely right. This is how you get the closest shave with the fewest possible passes, which also prevents irrtation.

1. Begin with the cheeks where whiskers are soft.
2. Next is the neck. To avoid nicking the Adam’s apple, move it out of the way by swallowing hard.
3. Then go to the upper lip or mustache area. Start in the middle beneath the nose, working outward.
4. Finish with the chin where whiskers are not only at their toughest, but grow in all directions. As with the rest of the beard, shave with the grain first, then against it to take care of more stubborn hairs.

Keep the razor and beard wet throughout the shave.

End with a splash of cold water to reduce inflammation and constrict blood vessels. A styptic pencil is useful for small nicks.

For men who shower in the evening or prior to shaving in the morning, cleanse with micellar water before applying skincare products.

Source: Pixabay

Why Shave at Night?

Acne-Prone Men

If you’re acne-prone, shaving before bed could be more beneficial, especially during a breakout.

Wet shaving is more hygienic than dry, but use a safety razor. It cuts whiskers above skin level, reducing irritation and the risk of slicing pimples. Apart from that, blades cost a fraction of cartridges, so changing them daily won’t hurt your wallet.

Take your time. Never shave inflamed skin in a rush.

To reduce irritations caused by lubricant, create a barrier with a thin layer of jojoba or sunflower oil—yes, the type found in your kitchen cupboard.

If you have time, a pre-shave barbershop-style hot towel treatment mobilizes sebum. Over time, this reduces blackheads and improves skin texture.

Trying Out a New Shaving Technique

If you’re switching from cartridges to a safety razor, practice in the early evening or on a day when you’re not going anywhere.

A lot of men cut themselves because they skip the shaving brush or ignore blade angle. Always keep it at 45 degrees.

Go slowly at first. Within a few days, you’ll be as fast as with a cartridge, although a close shave may require two passes instead of one.

By the way, if you’re daunted by the idea of a safety razor, I (unhygienically) started shaving with my father’s at the age of 13—that’s how easy it is.

Men in Dirty Jobs

If your work isn’t appearance‑focused and you need to clean up at the end of the day, shaving when you get home is the obvious choice.

A late afternoon or very early evening shave avoids both morning puffiness and nighttime sensitivity.

My beard isn’t as dark as it once was, but when I was younger, I often shaved twice a day if going out in the evening, and the second shave was always more comfortable.

It looks like the best time is the most inconvenient for most men.

© 2026 J. Richardson