Shaving for Men

Shaving 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. I find that you can either apply a very hot flannel to the face for a few minutes, or shave in the shower (if you have one of those fog-less mirrors).

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.
Once completed, splash the face with cold water to help close the pores. Pat dry with your towel, do not rub!

Post Shave
When you shave you remove a lot of the moisture from the skin, so you need to moisturise. This also keeps the skin youthful looking.

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.