Shave in the Morning or at Night? The Real Answer

Every season I send out two patrols to test the same trail. The dawn patrol leaves at first light, quick and half-awake, eager to be back for breakfast. The midnight patrol sets out after supper, unhurried, with the whole dark night ahead of them. Every season the midnight patrol comes home with the better catch, and nobody comes back scratched up. I've learned to shave the same way.

So, the answer. For most people, the best time to shave legs is at night. You're usually less rushed, your skin has the whole night to settle, and by morning any redness has had hours to fade before deodorant, sunscreen, tight jeans or a sweaty commute touch it. Shaving in the morning works too, as long as you aren't racing the clock. The real rule: shave when you have ten calm minutes and your skin has a few hours to rest afterward.

Shave at night or morning? The side-by-side

Here's how the two patrols compare on the things that actually affect your legs.

Notice what's not on the table: hair doesn't grow differently depending on when you shave it. The difference is everything that happens to your skin in the hours afterward.

Why night is usually the best time to shave legs

Your skin gets a quiet shift

Shaving takes off hair and a thin layer of surface skin along with it. That's why freshly shaved legs can feel tight, a little tender or pink. At night, that skin gets six to eight hours where nothing much happens to it: no sun, no sweat, no tight waistbands. Pair that with a rich moisturizer before bed and you wake up to legs that feel soft rather than raw.

You're not racing a clock

I track best when I'm patient, and the same goes for a razor. The basics of a good shave (soak for three to five minutes, use a slick shave oil or gel, keep the blade sharp, let the razor glide with the grain) all take a little time. Evenings usually give you that time. Mornings usually don't. If you want the full step-by-step, my sisters wrote it down in how to shave your legs.

The puffy-morning tip

You'll see a popular tip online: skin can be slightly puffier first thing in the morning after hours of lying flat, so the hair may sit a touch lower and you get a less close shave. It's a reasonable idea, and some people swear they notice it, but I haven't found good research proving it changes your results. Treat it as a bonus reason to shave at night, not the main one.

When a morning shave makes more sense

The dawn patrol has its days. Shave in the morning if:

• Your stubble shows fast and you need smooth legs from 9 a.m. to midnight, like for a beach day or a wedding that runs late.
• You have a slow morning. A weekend shower with a few minutes to soak is just as good as an evening one.
• Your skin is calm and rarely reacts to shaving, deodorant or sunscreen.
• You shower in the morning anyway and night showers just aren't going to happen. A careful morning shave beats a skipped one.

If you do shave in the morning, protect the recovery window you're missing: moisturize right after, wear something loose if you can and give your skin a few minutes before sunscreen or deodorant.

Timing around deodorant, sunscreen and self-tan

This is where the clock really matters, and where most guides go quiet.

• Deodorant: Freshly shaved underarms can sting when deodorant hits them, especially with baking soda or fragrance in the formula. My own Natural Deodorant contains baking soda, so I shave my underarms at night and swipe it on in the morning. More on underarms in how to shave your underarms.
• Sunscreen: Don't skip it on bare legs, but give freshly shaved skin a little time before you apply it if it tends to sting. Shaving the night before a beach day solves this completely.
• Self-tanner: Shave and exfoliate about a day before you tan. Tanning straight over a fresh shave can leave a dotty finish as product settles into follicles. After you tan, wait until it's fully developed before shaving again, and go gently so you don't scrape it off.
• Body oils and scented lotions: Fragrance can tingle on fresh skin. Patch test anything new, and if your legs feel tender after shaving, use something plain until they settle.

Timing around workouts

Shave after you exercise, not before. Sweat, heat and leggings rubbing against just-shaved skin is a fast way to end up red and itchy. The easy plan: work out, shower, shave at the end of that shower, moisturize. If you train first thing in the morning, shave the night before and let your legs rest while you sleep.

Timing around events and dates

For a party, a date, a photo shoot or a big day, shave the evening before. You get a close result plus a full night for any pinkness to fade, and stubble rarely shows within 24 hours on most people. If your skin runs sensitive, give it two nights instead. Never try a new razor, a new shave product or an aggressive scrub the morning of something important. Test it a week out.

A night-shave routine that works

1. Shave at the end of your shower. Three to five minutes of warm water softens hair so the blade glides.
2. Use slip. A shave oil, gel or cream, never dry skin. Not sure which? Read shave oil vs. shaving cream.
3. Go light and with the grain. One pass, re-apply before you touch a patch twice.
4. Rinse cool and pat dry. No rubbing with the towel.
5. Moisturize while skin is still a little damp, then pull on something loose for bed.
6. Save deodorant, tanner and sunscreen for the morning.

If you get little red bumps a day or two after shaving no matter when you do it, that's a technique and skin question more than a timing one. My sisters cover it in razor bumps on legs. See a dermatologist if razor bumps turn painful, fill with pus or leave dark marks that won't fade.

My picks for a midnight shave

All of these are scented with my Amber Moonlight blend: gleaming amber, pink prosecco, moonlight peonies and amaretto creme. Patch test anything new on a small spot first, and keep scented products off broken or irritated skin.

• The Huntress Shave Oil Serum ($27, 2 oz). Coconut, sweet almond, jojoba and argan oils that give your blade slip. Use it before shaving, after, or both.
• The Huntress Body Frosting ($25, 4 oz). A whipped moisturizer with shea butter, cocoa butter, aloe and panthenol. It's my last step before bed on shave nights.
• The Huntress Natural Deodorant ($13, 2.65 oz). Aluminum-free, with baking soda, so I wear it the morning after an underarm shave, not straight after.

Want the shave oil with my hair oil? The Huntress Razor & Radiance Duo is $50.

FAQ

One last thing

The dawn patrol still goes out, and some mornings they do just fine. But when the catch really matters, I send the midnight patrol: patient, unhurried, with all night to finish the job. Shave your legs the same way. Give the razor your calm, and give your skin the dark hours to recover.

Every beauty has a story.

— The Huntress

Keep reading in The Princess's Vanity

• How to shave your legs without nicks or bumps
• Shave oil vs. shaving cream
• Razor bumps on legs: why they happen and how to prevent them