When a man is coming of age, there is a rite of passage he must go through. If he is lucky, he has a father who will teach him. But he must learn to shave. Whether you are a guy who loves the Harvey Specter clean-shaven look or a guy who wants to look like the wild man in the wilderness, you still need to perfect this process. Every man needs some good shaving tips. If you are a father of a son, this is a ritual you are looking forward to teaching your son. And you will cherish that moment, among others, as they move on in their life.
If you aren’t someone lucky enough to have a father or grandfather you can look to for the wisdom of the shave, then you’re the person we’re looking for here. I remember my father teaching me. So it is important to pass on the information to you. In true Mark style, I reached out to my friends at Cutting Edge and got expert information from a leader in the industry.
Every man wants the close shave, the crisp line-up and the clean taper, and nobody wants the razor bumps that tag along with them. – Eddie Shabot, Chief Marketing Officer of Cutting Edge
Prep is half the shave
It may not seem like it, but shaving isn’t just something you jump into. There is a process to prepare your face or your head for scraping a sharp razor over it. Go figure. Shabot has a little bit of insight on the best way to prepare your face.
“Shave right after a warm shower, or hold a warm, damp towel on your skin for two to three minutes first. Softened hair cuts cleanly instead of tugging, which means less irritation from the very first pass.”
Go with the grain, and skip the extra passes.
One of the worst things about shaving is when you irritate your skin and create razor bumps. There may be an issue with sensitive skin, but most of the time there is a process you are doing or skipping that causes the very problem you’re trying to avoid. Here is how to avoid one of the most “irritating” effects of shaving.
“Hair on the neck often grows in several directions, so check your grain after a few days of growth. Going against it, stretching the skin, or going over the same spot again cuts hair below the skin line, and curly hair then grows back into the skin as a razor bump.”
Trim, don’t scrape
If you are the kind of person who struggles with razor burn and bumps, then here is an idea: Embrace the stubble. Look, stubble is in; it is your time. You don’t need to be clean-shaven (unless this is a job thing; when I was in the Army, it was a forced thing). Instead, adopt a rugged look.
“If you are prone to bumps, cutting to a short stubble is often kinder to your skin than a skin-close shave. A zero-gap T-blade trimmer like the Rechargeable Zero Gap T-Blade Trimmer gives a clean look without the curl-back that causes bumps.”
Line up with a light hand
When I was a kid, my grandfather was trying to teach me how to be a woodworker. He had one rule: do less than you need. Measure twice and cut once, sure, but he always preached that you can always cut more off if you need to; if you overcut it, then you lose an entire board. When shaving, the idea is the same.
“When edging your hairline or beard, work in small strokes and take off less than you think you need. It is easy to push a hairline back and much harder to wait for it to grow in.”
Use the right tool for every zone
Like woodworking, and everything else in a man’s life, there is the right tool for the job. It may feel like a lot trying to make sure you always have the right tool; a man’s room in the bathroom is limited, especially if you’re in a relationship. But trying to do the right job with the wrong tool makes everything more difficult than it needs to be.
“A T-blade for edges, a body trimmer like the LCD Full Body Hair Trimmer for below the neck, and a rotary head shaver like the Magnetic Blades 6D Rotary Head Shaver for the scalp. Using one tool for everything usually means more passes and more irritation.”
Keep your blades clean
There is no point in having the right tool if you don’t take care of it. I have had many shavers in the past where it stops working and I get frustrated that it is low quality. Only to take it apart and discover there is an entire forest stuck under the blade and choking the motor. What my grandfather said to me…”If you take care of your tools, they will take care of you.” Make sure you get a good brush to ensure your tools are always ready.
“Brush out hair after every use, sanitize the blade regularly, and oil it as directed. A dull or dirty blade drags across the skin and invites irritation.”
Treat aftercare like skincare
There is almost always a next step. I will quote my grandfather one more time: “When you think you’re finished, look around and do one more thing.” Once you finish shaving and you’ve put your tool away, look in the mirror and do one more thing.
“Rinse with cool water, pat dry, and finish with a fragrance-free, alcohol-free moisturizer. Hands off any bumps, because picking is what turns irritation into a dark mark. Daily SPF on shaved areas helps keep post-shave marks from getting darker and lasting longer.”
Shaving in the mirror is a masculine moment. A time to think about the day ahead. Or anything that is on your mind. Turn this process into second nature, and you just added fifteen to twenty minutes to your thought day.
