When you were younger you couldn’t wait to get older and start shaving. For most of us shaving was this mystical rite of passage to manhood.
Now when we are older it seems that shaving is more like a chore, all those razor burns and rashes, cuts and the occasional ingrown hair. But it doesn’t have to be like that, follow these tips and you can get an awesome and enjoyable shave. It works 60% of the time, every time.
1. WHEN TO SHAVE
To save time and get up fresh and ready to go in the morning I suggest that you shave right before going to bed. Since you will prep your face with warm water your facial muscles will be relaxed from the shave, thus allowing you to get a better night’s sleep.
2. TOOLS OF THE TRADE
You really don’t need any fancy gadgets, you just need a good shaving brush, a razor, safety razor, or a disposable razor, whatever suits your fancy and a quality shaving soap.
As for the soap if you want the best shave possible you will need a quality soap, with the higher fat and glycerin content. The lather will be better and thus you will get a better shave. Personally I don’t recommend shaving foams and gels, they contain surfactant chemicals that lubricate your skin in the short run , but the longer you use them the harder it is for your skin to lubricate naturally, also the mineral oils in the canned shaving gels can clog your pores.
Usually I use a Palmira shaving soap and Proraso soap which i wholeheartedly recommend – the green one, it really makes a good lathery foam that has a nice eucalyptus smell.
3. PREPARATION
It is ideal to shave right after taking a shower, when your facial hair follicles are relaxed and your pores have opened up. If you didn’t shower at least wash your face with warm water for a couple of minutes before you shave.
Some guys will tell you that it is better to shave when you wash your face with cold water, since you can get ingrown hairs when you shave with a warmed up face. If you shave your face correctly there is nothing to worry about, just enjoy that warm feeling on your face.
Now wet the brush under warm water so that it becomes primed for use. Shake off the excess water.
Take your brush and use a circular motion to pick up the soap from the bowl. Do this until the brush is looking like the one on the picture.
Then put a bit of warm water in the bowl and use circular motion to make you lather in the bowl, just imagine that you are making whipped cream. It will take some experimenting, if you add too much water the lather will be too wet, too little and you will get a thick lather.
After you made your lather apply it on your face.
Just like whipped cream
4. THE SHAVE
The two most important thing that you need to remember is to always use a fresh blade and to let the blade do the work, just gently touch your face with the razor and let the blade lift and slice the hair.
When you shave go with the grain – the direction that your hair grows in.
This step is purely optional and you can forgo it. You re – apply the lather and shave against the grain, just one pass is enough. This will make your face feel baby smooth. A bit of caution though, practice with a non aggressive razor first because you can get a bad razor burn.
5. AFTER THE SHAVE
Rinse your face with cold water to clean the excess lather from your face and to constrict the pores which will stop minor nicks if you have any. Also don‘t forget to rinse your shaving brush.
Always use a aftershave balm or splash to show some love to your skin and leave it smooth and nice.
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