Archive for the ‘SHAVING FOR MEN’ CategoryHow to Shave with Straight Razors : How to Begin a Straight Razor ShaveFriday, September 4th, 2009
Expert: Joyce Moreno Duration : 0:1:54 Men-U Premier Shaving Brush & Men-U Shave CrèmeFriday, September 4th, 2009
Duration : 0:1:19 King of Shaves Guide to the Perfect ShaveFriday, September 4th, 2009
Duration : 0:3:55 Shaving for Men – How to Get That Designer Stubble LookThursday, September 3rd, 2009
At Shaving for Men we have previously looked at how the beard is very much back in vogue, and have looked at various types of beard. This blog is going to concentrate on how to perfect that Designer stubble look.
The slightly more rugged look is all the rage, and the designer stubble look can contribute to this, and even help define your face. Let’s face it, it is a cool look. With the trend for facial hair being big at the moment, you can even wear the designer stubble look in a smart office (although make sure it is kept smart.
How to Get it?
Now don’t think that opting for the designer stubble look means an extra ten minutes in bed, as you no longer have to shave. To get a smart cool look will require some effort on your part. And it needs to be maintained, to avoid looking scruffy.
The first stage will be to grow the beard out a bit, you want to get it to a stage where you can then cut it back. You will need to decide how you want to handle the neck beard part, but having a neck beard can look scruffy, so this all depends on how long the stubble look is, and also the colour of your hair. If you, like me, have a light haired beard, then you may want to grow it a little longer, as those with dark beards can look more defined with shorter stubble.
Having grown a few days of stubble, and this will depend on how quick your hair grows, you want to get a beard trimmer, that you can set to grade 1. I first mark out the shape of the stubble with a razor blade first, and tidy up the neck beard part, and then gently cut in the shape with the edge of the shaver without a guard. Give yourself a few millimetres grace in where you define it, as you can tidy up later.
Once you have shaved away and tidied up the bits you don’t want, and you should have the basic shape you want remaining. Then take the trimmer set to Grade 1, and shave all over the beard. This keeps it a uniformed length, and neat and tidy.
If you work in a very smart place, you may want to make sure the stubble is very precise and neatly trimmed, and neck beard part freshly shaved, so it looks like a clear conscious grooming decision, rather than you just got up late. For the more casual environment, and look, you could do this the night before event and probably leave a bit longer.
Up Keep?
You need to keep on top of things, and the more precise the designer stubble you want, the more up keep. I revisit the stubble every 2-3 days with a trimmer at grade 1, and tidy up any neck beard growth and the cheeks. Again, this will depend very much on how quick your hair growth, and how trim and tidy you want it to be.
Make sure you keep the face cleansed on a regular basis, and apply a facial scrub to keep the skin looking bright, and the stubble conditioned.
Recommended Beard trimmers:
Remington High Precision PG410 Designer Stubble Rechargeable Beard Trimmer Kit Remington Professional MB320C Diamond Mains Rechargeable Beard Trimmer The Hairy Ape – Shaving for Men and Body Grooming optionsWednesday, August 26th, 2009
Take a look at male cover models, and images screaming down at you from bill boards. Plenty of six packs and big arms, but not a body hair in site. So faced with these images of hairless Adonis looking back at us what should the hirsute man do? Manscaping is ultimately down to personal choice, even if that is influenced by the request of a partner. Even if you like a bit of hair on your body, it is still worth trimming and keeping the garden tidy. Generally the fashion at the moment, especially in women’s top ten lists of likes and dislikes in a man, the smooth, hairless back and chest is the essential look. If people are making jokes about your ape like appearance, then maybe it is time to man up, and explore the possibilities of manscaping. What are the options available when it comes to controlling the body hair. There are three main options you can go for when it comes to tackling the thorny/furry issue of your man-hair. Shaving for Men, Wax for Men, Laser Treatment. The modus operandi of your hair removal is very much down to choice, hair coverage and ultimately what it is you are looking to achieve. If you have a hairy back, say, that you want to get rid for as long as possible, then wax for men, or laser treatment are your best options.
Wax for men is less permanent than laser treatment, and can result in a real smooth finish, although you’ll have to keep on top of it every 8-12 weeks, depending on hair growth. Waxing does hurt, but no more than a quick slap on sunburn, and the results are quick. There are lots of places that specialise in waxing for men – and it is worth checking these places out as they will be used to removing men’s hair, which tends to be thicker and stronger than ladies body hair. The more experienced the wax therapist, the less the pain and quicker the job. Laser treatment is more expensive and requires a few treatments, but can result in permanent hair removal, so you need not worry about it ever again. If you are looking to get rid of your back hair once and for all, then this could be a good option. Laser treatment can be used all over the body should you want to be totally hair free all over.
Shaving for Men is the cheapest option, and also, inevitably requires more regular maintenance, which can be a hassle. You should trim down the main hair so it is more manageable (see my shaving the chest tips). The general tip if you are shaving yourself is if you can’t see where your shaving don’t do it – or get a willing partner to help (good luck).
For large areas (back and chest), whilst perfectably acceptable to shave, it is probably worth getting it waxed.
Whatever you decide, embrace the Shaving for Men philosophy and don’t be afraid to manscape. Word of warning, once you start …
PS – more and more companies offer special body groomers, such as these from the Grooming Lounge: Grow a ‘tache for charityTuesday, August 25th, 2009Yes, it is that time of year again, where you can legitimately grow a moustache. So if you have been thinking about a designer beard, then now's the chance to try by growing a moustache and at the sametime raise money for the male cancer charity Everyman Shaving for Men – Discover how to get the Perfect Wet Shave?Sunday, August 23rd, 2009Shaving for men is a daily necessity for most men, but you must not see it as a a habitual grind. Shaving for Men should be seen as an opportunity for a bit of quality time for yourself, and the benefits of taking your time are many-fold. You will exfoliate the skin, allowing the skin to breathe and it will look brighter and fresher, making you look younger. It maybe that bad experience of wet shaving, as a result of doing it incorrectly, put a lot of men off the wet shave, but done correctly it will not cause razor-burn, or rashes, and will leave you with that soft smooth skin so favoured by women. The Preparation So how do you go about getting that smooth close shave? Well, as with most things, preparation is key. You need to make the beard softer and open the pores, and the best way to achieve this is with a hot shower, or applying hot water to the face. Traditional barbers use the hot towel treatment to get this effect, and there are some skin products that act as a hot towel treatment such as, a The Real Shaving Co. Pre Shave Hot Towel Mask Next you need to apply the shaving cream. Some people like to apply shaving oil prior to this, to help the lubrication of the skin, but with a good quality shaving cream you will not need to. You should use a brush, as although you can use your fingers to apply you’ll never get that luxuriant lather feel that you do with a brush. In addition the brush can help with a very gentle exfoliating quality, whilst also lifting the hairs and priming then for shaving. With a brush you only need to apply a small amount of cream, as a small amount will go a long way and lather up nicely. Use light circular movements to maximise the lather, and take your time and enjoy the process. The Shave You need a new clean razor for men preferably with three or more blades or at least a razor where the blades are not dull, and remain sharp. Some razors for men have an indication strip on them to let you know when it is time to replace them. Check the direction of the grain of your beard by stroking your fingers across you face, just as you would with a piece of wood. Always, always shave WITH the grain, as it is when you shave against the grain that will cause razor burn and rashes. The razor blade needs to glide gently across the face, so don’t apply too much pressure on the razor. This will also minimise the chances of cuts and nicks. Use short gentle strokes, and keep the razor rinsed on a regular basis to avoid clogging. If you are shaving after a few days growth, then it is sometimes worth shaving twice. Post Shave Remember shaving for men is should be an enjoyable experience and done correctly will give a small smooth close finish that will be appreciated by others who get close to you. A new Razor for men and a new way to order.Thursday, August 20th, 2009Blades by subscription? Is this the future of new razors. A Revolution againts the big razor companies starts here. Viva Raz Wars Shaving For Men – Get that Designer BeardWednesday, August 19th, 2009Shaving for men is under going a revolution. The Beard is the new fashion accessory of choice for the man about town. So I’m going to talk about beards, despite my blogs being all about shaving. Now, if you are on the subway or train, or next time you take a walk around take a look at the number of guys supporting beards, or that unshaven look, Have we all suddenly just become lazy and can’t be bothered? No, beards are back, big time – and more importantly the designer stubble look. This is not laziness, in fact far from it, as some designer beards require a lot of care and attention, even to give the impression of that rugged unkempt look. Shaving for men is an artisan skill.
There are plenty of male models, actors, sport stars sporting that designer stubble come beard look. Brad Pitt, or Hugh Laurie from House, David Beckham the list goes on. Take a quick dip into the world of RnB and Hip Hop, and there are some major “designage” going on. Pieces of art requiring precision shaving work. There is a poster for Flo Rider, and he has a beard that probably requires a professional to keep so exact. So how do you get that designer stubble look? It can be tricky to get right. It is not just a case of stopping shaving, no that would be too easy. It requires attention, and depending on the exactness may need daily attention or attention every few days. I am mainly going to concentrate on the stubble look, and leave the precision work to the fine barbers up and down the country. Designer Stubble Look Now the stubble work does give that virile, rugged look which seems to be coming back in to fashion. Maybe it is a back lash against the whole metro sexual, yet ironically enough it is a very metro sexual thing to do. Even in my office I can’t but help notice in the last 2 months the designer stubble/beard look has been displayed by at least 2 work colleagues.
It seems it is becoming acceptable in the workplace, even those places wear the suit is still the uniform of the work place. The designer stubble look can work with a suit, but get it wrong and you just look like a scruff. If you do dress in a formal or smart way, then your beard should reflect that and be kept more maintained than perhaps if you are just a jeans and sneakers guy. So where to start? My first tip is to go away, take a holiday. Eh? I hear you say. The thing is you need to grow the beard out a bit, stop shaving for a few days. This is the transitional in-between part. If you work in a smart environment you may just look like you have suddenly just become lazy, or have not being going home at nights! That is why using a holiday or a few days off work as a good excuse to start growing the foundations. Clearly the length of time required will depend on the growth rate. Shaving for men is as individual as our faces. Get some clippers, ideally some beard trimmers. There are trimmers and shavers for men on the market targeted specifically at maintaining the stubble look. I picked up a pair for around £10 ($15), that are just small size clippers labelled at Stubble Controllers. They are just small clippers. Assuming you now have a few days growth you may begin to feel a bit itchy. It probably means it is at about the right length to shave down. You will also notice that you have a bit of a neck beard. The neck beard is the villain of the piece, and ultimately what gives the impression of scruffiness. We must eradicate the neck beard. You need to look under the jaw line. The main beard ideally should finish just under this. The Adams apple should not be covered by the main beard. Now it is ok to have some very short stubble here, just not the thicker main stubble of the beard section. It helps to have a little shadow or initial appearance of day old stubble here, so that the line of where the beard finishes does not look too perfect. (Unless of course you are going for a definite beard over just a designer stubble look.) If you look at the billboard posters, tv, or advertisements in magazines the men with designer stubble, it is always slightly more fuller on the face and chin section, and the neck beard is minimal to non-existent. It is personal choice and overall look you are going for, but if you have a hairy chest you DO NOT WANT the beard just to be a continuation of your hairy chest. That is a major turn off. Once you have established where you want the beard to finish just below the chin line, and the jaw bone at the sides, trim this down with the trimmer on zero setting. Now you should have a definite beard shape remaining, and not just a face full of unshaved hair. Now take a look at above the beard, does the current growth begin to infringe on the cheeks. You don’t want to look like wolfman. Depending on how precise you want to be you want a nice line down from the bit where the side burns finish to where it meets the moustache part of the beard. This maybe very minimal so trim down on a zero setting, or with a razor the stubble you don’t want. Now we have a nicely defined beard shape, but we want to give the impression of stubble. So now take the trimmer and set it for grade 1 or 1.5 – again this is very much personal choice. Just take the trimmer over the rest of the remaining beard, and you will have a nice uniform length, that at once looks rugged and stubbly, but at the same time not unkempt. This is a great look, and if maintained, and kept smart works well for the smart set who like wearing suits etc. Depending on beard growth you can maintain this daily or every couple of days. Sometimes I just trim down the main beard daily, and the neck part every 2 days. The key is it should be longer than any shadow or stubble on the neck section. I find it ideal to do this the day or night before if you want the more natural look, as it gives it 12 or 24 hours to grow in, and therefore blends the line of where the beard starts and finishes under the jaw line. But if you want a more precise look here then that is fine. The overall impression you are trying to give is a bit of an oxymoron. When it comes to shaving for men, a well maintained designer stubble gives both the impression of rugged and at the same time, if done well, a man who takes a care in how it looks. It should look both casual, yet a conscious decision on your part to make a statement about your look. Hopefully those people we are trying to attract in life agree. Purely on anecdotal evidence, (i.e. a quick survey in my office), the women love the unshaven, stubbly look, while probably being totally unaware of the effort and attention we men have given this. A good analogy is women who wear the natural look when it comes to make up. They wear make-up that gives the impression of a “natural look”, yet it still required application and attention to detail. So to, the designer stubble look. Shaving for Men – Shaving the chestMonday, August 17th, 2009There are lots of reasons you might want to shave your chest, better body definition, personal preference or a request of your partner, reducing the added heat chest hair can create, or just general comfort. The old chest rug may not quite be assigned to the 70′s and the likes of hairy chest icons such as Burt Reynolds, Sean Connery and Tom “Magnum PI” Selleck, but nowadays it seems many prefer to go for the hairless chest look. So when it comes to shaving for men, where do we start? The various alternatives such as waxing, laser treatment etc, which can be expensive, shaving the chest is a cheaper option, but the draw back is it will require more regular maintenance. So here are my tips on chest shaving for men. Before you start consider the existing length of your chest hair. If it is quite long, or this is the first time, it is worth trimming down with a trimmer, probably with a guard on it, or it set to grade 1 or 2 depending on the fitness. You want to reduce the thickness and length, so it is in a fit shape to take a razor to it. You would not chop down a forest with a pen knife after all. It is worth having a shower before you start the shaving part, as this cleans the skins, and enlarges the hair ready for shaving. It is worth doing this in a shower or bath, or even putting down some newspaper, as basically there is going to be hair everywhere. If you do shave your chest in the bath keep an eye on the plug hole as it can get clogged up quickly, so keep the water running on a regular basis so it doesn’t clog up. Use a brand new razor for men, and be prepared to use more than one, depending on the quality of the blade. After all, there is a lot more surface area to cover than when shaving your face. Keeping the blade sharp is key to avoiding those nasty nicks and cuts With the chest wet, with warm water (it is ideal if you do this in a running shower), start applying a good quality shaving cream. The best method is to whip up some quality shaving cream in a bowl with a brush, and apply to your chest. Start by doing small sections at a a time. Don’t try to do long strokes from the neck line to the pubic area. As with the face, do not apply too much pressure with the blade. You want the blade to glide gently over the chest. A clogged blade will drag, and potentially nick, so de-clog on a regular basis by placing under hot running water. This is easier if you are in the shower. Be very aware of the sensitive bits, such as the nipples, and shave very carefully around them. Take your time and concentrate, not too much pressure remember. Wash down with cold water, if you can bare it, and pat dry. Make sure you don’t rub. Apply a light body moisturiser, preferably with a tea tree oil element, as this has antibacterial qualities. So there you go, a smooth chest. Bear in mind, it will need maintenance, so it is worth considering a good exfoliator daily as this will clear away dead skin cells, and keep smooth. Next time you come to shave, the hairs won’t be so long, so if you keep on top of it you will not need to use a trimmer. Shaving for men can have great effects. So take it easy and enjoy a smooth feel, and that more chiseled appearance , although it helps if you have a six pack to start, but that is why most male builders and models are smooth. |
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Learn how to begin a men’s straight razor shave with expert skin care tips in this free hair removal video clip.
See how the Men-U Premier, synthetic badger-free, Shaving Brush and Men-U Shave Crème work together to produce a rich, thick shaving lather.
How to achieve a smooth, close rash and burn free wet shave every time. For more info go www.shave.com
Twenty years ago images of the Tom 
