So you either can’t or won’t wax it so you shave it. But shaving isn’t the best option for the skin and often creates more problems then it seems to solve. But okay, I understand, you are going to do it. So let’s leave the days of shaving with sharp stones and animal bones in the past and move into today’s more enlightened age – and trust me, I ain’t talking about bar soap, canned foam, and your daddy’s alcohol-based Old Spice!

Four Simple Rules to Shaving Anything

1. Soften hair by wetting the hair completely.
2. Shave IN THE DIRECTION of hair growth.
3. Avoid stroking the same place more than once.
4. Don’t pull the skin taut! Keep it relaxed.

Men Are Special: How to Shave A Beard

Unlike the rest of the body, the facial skin is very delicate and exposed to the environment. Since a man’s beard hair is generally coarser than the rest of the bodies hair, and often shaved on a regular basis, it needs special attention. The following techniques can be used on any unwanted hair, but is especially good for thick, coarse, hair.

Before Putting Blade To Skin

A good shave is only as good as the products you use, so get some good advice from a professional about cleaner, shaving cream, and post-shave serum. A good quality foaming or gel based shaving serum is best to shave with. The problem with over the counter shaving creams in a can is that they are too thick so clog the spaces in between the razor blades which leads to a poor shave and more nicks and cuts. Bar soap it designed for cleaning the skin and is therefore alkaline aka “stripping”. It dries the skin and hair shaft up leaving you with broken hairs and sensitized skin. My favorite shaving products are ones that are gentle and gel or cream based.

Prep

Believe it or not, bead hair is tougher than the edge of a razor blade, and shaving dry, un-prepped skin, as the majority of shaving creams, foams, and gels on the market tell you to, means you’re literally tugging on each and every hair on your face instead of neatly slicing it at the skin’s surface and moving on without irritating your skin. The best way to avoid this is to shave when the skin is warm and the hair totally wet, like after a shower. The warm water and heat softens both the hair shaft, and opens up the hair follicle for a closer, less irritating, shave.

While in the shower, or before wetting down for a shave, be sure to use a mildly exfoliating cleanser that will lift dirt, oil, and removed dead skin. It will also assist in lifting the hair off the skin for a close shave, and in the long run prevent in grown hairs. These two simple prep steps take about a minute and will prevent cuts, nicks, and razor burn!

Shaving

Follow the 4 easy rules at the top of this page.

For hard to shave areas try one of these tricks:

Angular face: Try shaving small areas with small, quick, gentle, strokes while the skin’s pushed up so that the hairs stand up.

Sagging face: Try pulling the skin in small areas taut, but not too tight, just enough to get into nooks and cranny’s!

Protection Post Shave

After shaving it is important to soothe and protect the new skin. Depending on your skin type depends on what you should look for. If you tend to get in-grown hairs use something that caters to them like Mancine’s In Grow Zone. If you have sensitive skin that stays red or is painful post shave try an aftershave with aloe vera, green tea, comfrey, or vitamin C.

Finally everyone needs SPF! If you don’t use any other skin care products be sure to finish with your sunscreen no matter what. For men I like to give them Epicuren’s Zinc SPF 20 since it has no odor and feels like nothing on the skin.