We tackled shaving preparation in a previous post, and now it’s time to move on the next step: the actual shave.
Before that, let’s backtrack a bit. The whole Skin Care for Men 101 series came about because of a previous post on the SouthGain Blog, Anti-Aging Tips for Men. Our goal with this series is to share simple and easy skin care tips with the men in our audience, or at least their significant others.
Getting back on track, we’re discussing shaving technique and in the spirit of keeping things simple, we’ll get straight to the tips:
Lubricate
You’re standing in front of the mirror, your razor is sharp, and you’ve cleaned and prepped for your shave – now it’s time to shave, or is it? Before reaching for your razor, put on some cream, soap, foam, gel, oil, or other lubricant for shaving.
Your lubricant keeps your skin moisturized, keeps your hair soft, and helps your razor glide across your skin. All this adds up to a smoother, easier shave, and more importantly, minimal pain and irritation.
Before we move on the next point though, here’s a reminder: don’t skimp and use ordinary soap or low quality shaving foam. Doing so could dry out your skin, and you definitely don’t want that.
Keep it light
High-quality double and triple bladed razors usually have their blades mounted on springs. This allows the blades to follow the contours of your face, but more importantly, prevents them from cutting you when you press your razor into your face.
Despite this, it’s still a good idea to use a light touch when shaving. If you use an old-fashioned straight edge safety razor, the weight of the razor itself provides enough pressure to give you a close shave. You may need to press just a little bit when using disposable razors, but not too much.
Rinse your razor
After each pass, rinse your razor under running water to wash off hair, skin, and whatnot that could clog your razor. This ensures that the blade maintains good contact with your skin with each pass.
Go with the grain
When shaving, shave “with the grain,” or in the direction of your hair growth. This reduces the likelihood of nicks and cuts, as well as ingrown hairs and shaving bumps.
To tell which way the grain is, rub your hand in different directions against your stubble. One direction will feel smoother, and the opposite direction will provide significant resistance. The grain goes in the smoothest direction. Of course, you can also let your hair grow out a little – this way you can also see if you have any swirls or other unusual hair growth patterns to worry about.
If you have to, go across
You might not feel like you get a close enough shave going with the grain, but resist the urge to go against it. If you really have to get a closer shave, go with the grain first, lubricate again, then go across the grain.
Cool off
When you’re done with your shave, rinse your face with some cool water to get rid of loose hair and excess lather. Tap dry (don’t rub) with a clean towel, and apply some non-comedogenic (i.e. it won’t clog your pores) aftershave.
Finish up
If you’ve cut yourself, and we hope you haven’t, moisten some torn up tissue and apply as needed to your nicks and cuts. Just remember to take them off when the tissue dries up.
Don’t forget about your razor too. Rinse it out and let it air dry. Don’t wipe it with a towel unless you want to dull your blade (and you probably don’t want to do that).
This just about covers our primer on getting a good shave. Do you have your own tips to share? Did we miss out on anything? We’d like to know. Tell us in the comments below.