How short must my hair be before using foil shaver? After #1 guard ok?

[moose]

Trying to google foil shaver after #1 blade doesn't work.  Newbie here.  Female.  Have had a #1 buzzed head off and on for a decade or so.  I'd like to go shorter but paranoid about nicking myself if I take the guard off my trimmer.  Can I foil shave on a #1 cut or will that jack up the foil shaver? 
This has also come about because I have used the same cord (ugh) trimmer the entire time (the shame) and am looking to purchase a new trimmer and possibly a foil shaver.  Thoughts? 
I never realized this topic went beyond just grabbing my trimmer and taking 10 min to shave my head every so often.  Looks like I have a lot to learn 
THANKS

[Magoo]

Welcome  to SBG , I think you would be better to take the hair down to  #0 . That is without the guard on the trimmer. You probably could do it with a #1 , but it might tend to pull your hair and take much longer to do. At any rate that is what I have done.

[reddog]

I agree with Magoo, at least from with no guard on the clippers. Even with that, it will take awhile for a coil shaver to go through it. A foil shaver works great with 1 or 2 days growth.

[moose]

Thank you, I got a mild amount of liquid courage and went down to 0 ... which looks awesome (what took me so long?!?).  Within an hour I was ready for the foil shaver.... but will wait until tomorrow. 

[reddog]

Not much difference in looks from a O to shaved, but there is a huge difference how it feels. Absolutely awesome how a smooth bald head feels. That's why so many of us here shave our head every day. We're hooked on the baby butt smooth feel.

[Magoo]

Thank you, I got a mild amount of liquid courage and went down to 0 ... which looks awesome (what took me so long?!?).  Within an hour I was ready for the foil shaver.... but will wait until tomorrow.

       Good show !    Actually many of us find shaving with a regular razor easier and faster than a foil shaver. But of course everyone has his preference.

[moose]

Thank you both very much!  I went into a local barber shop that guys around here rave about... did the "fancy" hot towel, straight razor shave.  You're right, it doesn't look all that different but it certainly feels amazingly different.  The barber was super cool and gave me a few tips for staying bald at home (shave forward first to avoid bumps).  Part of keeping my hair buzzed was the simplicity and low maintenance.  I'm not sure I'll find keeping it bald as low maintenance as trimming it every 3 weeks or so.... but I'll see what the next day or two brings.  I'll also read up here on the forums for your pro tips for at-home maintenance.  Either way, I'm/ no longer afraid to take the guard off my trimmer (though I definitely need a new one).  While my husband could absolutely care less, I'll also see what he thinks of the dome as well when he gets home from work 
THANK YOU!

[Magoo]

Good to hear the head shave went well . The 3 week buzz cut I understand , because with the cold winter weather that is what I am currently following.

[reddog]

Congratulations moose, I'm sure it takes more guts for a woman to shave her head than for a guy. Even tougher to find a husband that will embrace it.

Yes, there is nothing low maintenance about maintaining a shaved head. Some guys only shave a couple times a week, but I shave every day because I like it smooth.

[moose]

I’m a lucky, lucky lass!

[moose]

PS I very much appreciate this forum because there isn’t much at all for bald women. If you google shaved head for women, you get buzzcuts- which are GREAT and my go-to. But, I couldn’t find anything on bald by choice. Thank you, gents!

[reddog]

There used to be a couple of women shavers here a while ago. I think most of the guys here are intrigued by bald women, or at least very accepting. We all have a common like to sport a shaved head.

Moose, you never know, you might be a trend setter. Seems women are much less likely to make the jump to go smooth. You didn't mention what your husband thought of your headshave. I'm sure it looks awesome!

[chuck63]

I usually cut mine down to a zero and switch to a foil shaver before going to a wet shave with a razor.  I’m ready for the weather to warm up so I can go bald again.  It is a lot of maintenance shaving with a razor, but it feels a lot smoother than going over my scalp with a foil shaver.  The foil shaver is handy for a quick once over, though.  Congrats on taking the plunge by going bald!

[moose]

Thanks, gents!  My husband likes it!  He always insists I do whatever makes me happy, he never cares about hair and stuff (which is freaking fantastic, score!).
So I said I was going to just do it one-and-done and then I decided that doing it once wasn't really giving it a proper go... so I bought a razor and noxzema (per barber but will research here as long as I don't fall into a rabbit hole of new obsession) and did it myself again.  Easy breezy.  I worked yesterday and it was quite the hit with every bald guy telling me what razor to buy haha.
I feel the razor was getting clogged w/ the noxzema so I spent a ton of time rinsing the razor while shaving but so far so good.  I anticipate giving it 30 days but, if not that, at least a week.  I would rather give it some time for my skin to adjust and then go from there.  At this moment, I still anticipate going back to a buzz but we will see if I get sucked in. Encouragement is always welcome