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Tip 1: Prep The Shaving Surface
You could argue that this is the most important part of shaving. It’s critical that your skin is prepped to prevent:
– Barber rash
– Acne
– Ingrown hairs
– Razor bumps and other skin conditions.
We want the skin to be well lubricated and your facial hair to be soft.
To do achieve this shave immediately after a warm shower or take the time to moisturize your face with a warm wet towel. Ideally you let the warm water do its job for 1-2 minutes, the amount of time depends on the thickness of your facial hair.
Next we want to apply the pre-shave lotion. The goal here is to further soften the hair and provide the base surface over which the razor will glide. In this video I am applying the pre-shave lotion by hand, I am also using a high-end pre-shave lotion without oil – although oil is popular it can be more difficult to clean off the razor.
Preparation of the shaving surface is one of the most important steps in quality shave but ironically is the most neglected step due to the extra few minutes it takes.
Find a way to make this habit and you’ll notice a dramatic difference.warm and wet whiskers.
Tip 2: Apply Shaving Cream
Most men use a poor quality shaving cream.
Unfortunately, the kind widely available in aerosol cans is convenient, but full of chemicals that have nothing to do with giving you a great shave and instead are all about propellant, odor masking, and appearance.
A quality shave cream should have simple ingredients and focus on one thing – creating a layer of lubrication between your sensitive skin and a razor as it glides across its surface.
The first step in using a quality cream or soap is to build up a lather. Creams contain more water and are easier to lather in general, but both require the use of a bowl or cup and brush to whip up the lather.
A badger hair brush is a gold standard for shaving cream application – the reason you want to use a brush instead of your hands is that it better places shaving cream on the face and around the base of the hair.
To apply the cream you want to get a small amount in your hand (about the size of a nickel) and work it over to get an even consistency. Use a wet brush to apply the cream to your face.
Whip the shaving cream up in your hand before you put in on your face. The brush is necessary because you want to achieve a thick lather when spreading the shaving cream on. The lather will be in the brush and you simply apply using large circular motions.
Tip 3: Two Minute Wait (Teeth Brushing Time)
After you have prepped your face and put the shaving cream on, you want to wait a few minutes to allow the shaving cream to set in and bond to your stubble.
Take this time to do other meaningful tasks during your morning routine such as brush your teeth or apply lotion to your body. This way you are multi-tasking.
Fret not – the shaving cream will not dry up during this time. Putting on a thick lather from the brush will prevent this from happening.
An often neglected step, the 2-minute wait between cream application and shaving is not set in stone. Instead, think of it as a recommendation for men with extremely tough beards.
I personally find this step a great time to multi-task. Ideas are:
- Brushing your teeth – the two minutes is perfect for this vital morning grooming chore
- Reading a quick book chapter – time yourself and see if you can read 2 pages in 2 minutes.
- Checking out what’s new on RMRS via our FREE app – the quickest way to get your daily dose of style!
Tip 4: Choose Your Blade
Cartridge Razors – they’re fine for when you travel or if shaving is just a chore you do….. but if shaving is something you want to enjoy, an art form to perfect……let’s step up.
For the last 100 years, the only two options for men who really wanted to enjoy the art of shaving were the safety razor and straight razor.
Gents – that was until now. For this demonstration,I’ll be using the latest in shaving technology – the One Blade Razor.
Spending over 1 million dollars of research, the engineers at OneBlade created a beautifully designed tool that leverages the scary sharp Japanese Feather FHS-10 Single Edge blade.
Thicker than a typical safety razor blade, yet carefully housed in an award-winning razor handle design,the one blade is forgiving to use but delivers a barbershop quality shave every time.
Now – it’s been my go-to razor ever since I received it 2 months ago. Think of this as a straight razor shave that’s easier and safer to use than a safety razor.
Tip 5: Shaving Pass One
You want to shave with the grain of your hair.
This is especially true for the gents whose hair is thicker. Shaving with the grain will minimize the pulling and tugging which can be painful and irritate your skin.
Sometimes your beard will grow in different directions all over your face and neck. You should pay attention to the way that it grows when applying your oils in step 2.
a. Go with the grain if possible – this means shaving in the direction your hair grows.
Understand this is different for every man out there, Men with thin and light facial hair growth can often get away with ignoring this advice – if you have thick facial hair you know that shaving with the grain makes a big difference!
b. Short , small strokes followed by a quick cleaning of the razor.
c. Light pressure, let the razor slide smoothly along your face.
d. Try to avoid backtracking and shaving over the same area twice – you’ve removed the lubricant and doing this can lead to razor burn.
e. Pay close attention to hard to shave areas. For me this is the neck, especially underneath my jaw bone. Also, the area right under my nostrils requires special care and stretching of the skin and bending the nose.
The One Blade is hefty as compared to other leading razors. Let the weightiness and gravity guide it. You don’t have to use a lot of pressure and force.
Each stroke should be long and intentional. Be sure to completely rinse the blade off with warm water between each of your strokes. Shake the razor rigorously so that all of the excess will be gone. If there is too much water on the blade it will run off on your face and start to thin out/remove your shaving cream.
Tip 6: Shaving Pass Two
A huge misconception out there is that you only need one pass to get a perfect shave. Not the case gentlemen, your shave cream lather and razor may be perfect, but your technique is not.
During this pass you want to reapply the shaving cream in the exact manner that you did in step 2. Do not deviate from this method. Trying to use a shortcut can result in a bad shave. Take your time and do it right.
When using the One Blade, you want each stroke to be shorter. 1 to 2 inches is sufficient. This is a fine tuning method that will get hair that may have been left behind during the first pass. You want to stay with the grain during pass two.
Once you have completed your shave, you need to rinse your face with cool water. Cool water helps to close your pores and put rejuvenate your skin after the razor has been dragged over it.
Do I need to shave 2 or even 3 times? NO, this is up to you and your needs. In this video, we seek perfect, so I am showing the 2 shaves. But if it’s just a regular day, and you’re short on time…..no one but you is going to notice you missed a few hairs on your neck.
Can you shave against the grain the second time around? The answer is yes, assuming you are using a single blade razor. We don’t want ingrown hairs here, and multi-blade razors often lift the hair and then drop it below the skin line causing irritation and ingrwn growth.
Tip 7: Post Shave Care – Apply Aftershave
The important thing about applying aftershave that is should be a product that has the proper oils in it that will help to restore your skin.
Skin can become irritated from the contact of the razor and shaving cream can dry the skin out.
Aftershave is an important step in soothing your skin and replenishing moisture.
It has gotten a bad rap over the years. Many guys use it like a cologne and drown their faces in it – thus the scent is overpowering and can be offensive. As such, you should only apply what you need. Remember that it is not cologne so do not us it as such.
There are many different fragrances and product lines for aftershave. Experiment until you find the one that you like.
Perfect Shave Final Words
Shaving is like a rite of passage that all men must endure. You want to make sure that it is done correctly.
We tend to want things done quickly but that sometimes can lead to error. Shaving is no different.
An extra 10 minutes after your shower is worth it. Take your time and do it right – so that you can have the perfect shave.
Source : http://www.realmenrealstyle.com/
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