Which head shaver to choose? A buying guide

You can shave your head at home with three kinds of device — and each gives a different result. We explain how they differ and how to shave without irritating your skin.

A shaved head only looks good when it’s smooth and even — no missed patches at the back and no irritation behind the ears. The catch is that the tool most people start with isn’t actually made for shaving. Before you buy anything, it’s worth knowing how the three types of device you’ll find in search results differ.

A clipper without a guard — that’s not shaving yet

A clipper with the lever at its shortest setting usually leaves 0.5–1 mm of hair. Up close that’s a visible shadow, not smooth skin. A clipper works well as the first step: it shortens longer hair before the actual shave. A shaver pulled through hair several centimetres long will tug and clog.

A foil shaver — close, but slow on a large area

A foil shaver (like the ones for your face) shaves very close to the skin, but it has a narrow, flat head. On cheeks that’s an advantage; on a head it’s a problem. The skull is round, so a flat foil only touches the skin along a thin strip and you have to go over the same spot again and again. The back of the head and behind the ears are the hardest, because you can’t see what you’re doing.

A multi-head rotary shaver — designed for the shape of your head

Head shavers usually have four to seven round cutting heads mounted flexibly in a round body. Each head moves independently and follows the curve of the skull, and the body sits in your palm like a computer mouse. That means a single pass covers a large area and you can shave the back of your head by feel, without a mirror.

With this kind of shaver, three things matter most:

the number of heads — more heads mean a larger shaving area and fewer passes,
constant motor speed — cheaper shavers slow down as the battery runs low, and that’s when they start pulling hair,
easy cleaning — a removable head you can rinse saves a lot of time after every shave.

How to shave your head without irritating your skin

Shorten your hair before the first shave. If it’s longer than a few millimetres, go over it with a clipper without a guard first.
Don’t press. The heads should rest against the skin on their own. Pressing hard won’t give a closer shave, but it does increase the risk of irritation.
Move in circles or straight lines — see which works better for your hair. At the back of the head hair grows in different directions, so go over that area twice at different angles.
Shave regularly. If you shave every 1–2 days, the shaver deals with very short hair and works fastest and most gently.
Clean the head after every use. Trapped hair and dead skin dull the blades and encourage irritation.

Our model

The Owell OW 2960 is a head shaver with six rotary heads — almost twice the shaving area of a typical three-head shaver. Heads with double cutting rings shave down to 0.1 mm, and Constant Cutting Precision keeps the motor speed steady until the battery runs out. The head attaches magnetically: after shaving you remove it in one move and rinse the blades under running water. The 1400 mAh battery lasts up to 120 minutes, and charging is via USB-C.