The majority of men are thrown right into the deep end when it comes to shaving and along the way we, as men, have picked up a number of common, but unhealthy habits for our skin. The resurgence of Barbering has brought to light many of these habits that may be easily corrected with a couple of key elements.
1) First, if you’re going to be taking a razor to your face do yourself a favor and prep your skin as much as time will allow you. With a standard straight razor shave in a shop, there are over 5 preparatory steps taken before the razor touches the face. Doing just a couple will make a difference.
2) Use a pre-shave oil, like an Aveda Composition oil. Many oils will work although oils marketed “pre-shave” are specifically designed for softening the beard and are ideal.
3) Warm the skin to soften those pores and relax the skin. Using a hot towel works great for coverage, a quick tip is to wet a face towel and throw it in the microwave for about one minute and drape it over your face until it cools.
4) Apply your shave cream, or lather immediately afterwards and go with the grain. Do this before you think about shaving against the grain. This is one of those things that causes the most irritation. AFTER you’ve shaved with the grain you can go back against the grain after re-applying lather, but it’s not recommended if you’re not a daily shaver.
5) Use that same towel to wipe residue and apply a non-alcohol after shave. The Aveda After Shave is excellent and has soothing lavender and lemon scents.
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