Every man knows that the first time they started to shave was a bloodbath.
Armed with a razor and maybe a shaving cream and zero clues, the first shave is usually rough and filled with razor burns. However, as we start to do it more often, we finally get the hang of it and no longer clumsily scrape away at our faces.
Or do we?
More often than not, once we found the shaving routine that does the job, we didn’t look above and beyond that. However, there’s a whole better way that we can be shaving.
There are simple changes to one’s shaving technique and routine that can be a massive game-changer to your shave.
If you’re tired of having poor shaving techniques, then here are ten shaving tips that you should know:
1. Take a hot shower
There’s a reason why professional barbershops cover your face with a warm towel before they start to shave you. However, since you’re not in a barbershop, you don’t have to prep the cloth and hot water.
Instead, you can save yourself time and effort by only making sure that you take a hot shower first before you shave.
The hot shower is going to warm up your face and the hair on it. Aside from that, it’s going to help ease up your pores. All of these will make your beard softer. Thus, making for a smoother shave than when you shave without a hot shower beforehand.
2. Have beard balm on hand
Shaving cream and a razor aren’t the only items that you have at home dedicated to your beard-care.
A beard balm should be a welcome addition to your beard arsenal, especially if you have a longer or fuller beard. Beard balm is a lot thicker than beard oil and has the consistency of pomade, which makes it great for dryer skin.
You can use beard oil to moisturize your medium to large-sized beards. Aside from that, its consistency makes it useful for holding mustaches and sideburns where you want them. Plus, it’s best for people with dryer skin since it’s a lot more hydrating, and some brands can even have their beard balm double as a moisturizer.
3. Prepare your skin
When you are shaving your face, what you are also doing is scraping skin cells and removing moisture.
The depletion of hydration in skin cells is what often irritates your skin when you shave. Therefore, you must moisturize your skin before you shave.
For this instance, a face moisturizer can work. There are also pre-shave oils that you can use for this purpose.
4. Invest in good tools
Investing in the right men’s razors for your particular use is going to help you a lot when you shave.
Safety razors or cartridge razors with lubricating strips will be better for people with sensitive skin than when they use a multi-blade cartridge.
With the right tools, you can reduce irritation and have a smoother shave.
5. Be smart about the lips
To avoid nicking your lips while you shave around it, make sure that you apply shaving cream and shave with the grain and not against it.
Don’t hesitate to pull your skin a bit to keep it nice and taut for when you shave tougher areas around your lips.
6. Stick to short strokes
Instead of shaving your beard off with one long stroke, you should shorten each stroke. It should be quick swipes on your beard so that you can adapt to the grain direction. Aside from that, shorter and faster strokes will reduce the likelihood of cuts when you shave.
7. Rinse your face with cold water
During the start of your shave, you’re supposed to expose yourself to warm water. Now that you finished shaving, you shouldn’t go back to the warm water. Instead, you should rinse off your face with cold water after the shave.
Cold water will help get your open pores to constrict again. At the same time, your minor cuts are going to calm down and not develop.
8. Use an Alum Block
This next step is the part of your shaving routine that will probably go above and beyond what you know about shaving.
An Alum Block should be part of your shaving aftercare, as it will help reduce redness and irritation after a shave.
It’s a white or clear-ish stone that you wet with water and then rub over the shaved areas. In particular, you should gently rub it on your redness and razor burns.
9. Apply a toner
There might be a few places here and there that you missed when you washed your face with cold water. Applying a toner all over your face after the shave is going to help you get rid of any excess debris from the shave.
10. Moisturize
If you leave it with a toner, then your skin is going to be quite dry. Therefore, your last step is to moisturize the skin after you finish shaving. The moisturizer should be on your face and neck, as it can help soothe your skin.
The ten shaving techniques listed above are all simple, but they are steps that will level up your shaving game. Once you incorporate these into your shaving routine, you’re going to start looking forward to your shave soon enough.
