The invention relates to an electric shaver (1) comprising a cutter unit (3), an electric motor (4), a load detector arranged to detect a load current of the motor (4) and a controller. The controller switches the average voltage from a first level to a second level once the load current exceeds a first threshold value (TH_TH), and switches the average voltage from the second level back to the first level if the load current falls below a second threshold value (TH_TL) and stays below the second threshold value (TH_TL) for a predefined time period. By operating on a lower energy consumption when the cutter unit of the shaver is not in contact with the skin, energy is saved without the need for a proximity sensor.