Shave. Secrets for the best shaving results!!
Let’s face it, shaving is an invasive activity. Applying a sharp metal blade to your face cuts hairs but also removes microscopic layers of skin and can cause irritation.
Simply rules
Shave in the shower
Shaving should be your final step before leaving the shower. The warm moisture of a shower makes hairs soft and plump and opens your pores. Here you have some tips for getting the best shaving results.
Lubricate
A performance shaving formula should form a slick lubricating cushion to allow shaving blades to glide without scraping. Leave it on your face for a minute before shaving. Some believe that pre-shave oils are unnecessary and are sold to supplement the inadequate lubrication of most shaving products.
Use a face scrub
A gentle scrubbing massage will help open pores, prime follicles and raise stubs for a closer shave.
This exfoliation removes dead cells and impurities that can cause acne, ingrown hairs and infection. It will also smooth and renew your complexion.
Use a sharp blade
Discard shaving blades after four or five uses. Unfortunately, they don’t stay sharp enough for more than that. Use gentle strokes; don’t put too much pressure on the blade.
Avoid irritants
They can damage your skin and create microscopic swelling. Avoid anything that tingles, stings or numbs during or after shaving, when your skin is vulnerable. Stay away from alcohol or strong plant extracts such as menthol, peppermint or citrus.
Post-trauma soothing
Don’t skip this step; it is important to calm irritation, balance your skin’s moisture content and prevent potential problems such as ingrown hairs or clogged pores. No alcohol! You need proven functional anti-inflammatory and pore-clearing ingredients.
For special occasions
Shave in two steps. First, shave with the grain with very light pressure. Second, reapply a coat of shaving cream and shave against the grain for super-close and smooth results.
You know the tips, now the basics you’ll need for a proper shave. Sure, you may feel like you’re on a Bravo reality show when you start stocking your medicine cabinet with oils and creams, but you will quickly see and feel the benefits of using a more complete shaving kit.
Preshave products
Before shaving, use an exfoliant scrub and hot water to open your pores. Ideally, you should shower before shaving, but simply wrapping a hot, wet towel around your face for a minute also works. Whichever method you choose, the goal is to get your skin supple and warm, and your whiskers fluffed.
Oils
Using a preshave oil is a must. It will soften facial hair and open skin pores to ensure a close shave.
The best preshave oils and creams use natural oils, such as coconut, sunflower, olive or other oils drawn from plants. Unlike mineral oil, natural oils are low on the grease factor, so they won’t clog pores and cause damage to your skin. Also, keep your eyes open for preshave oils that contain antibacterial agents; these will help guard against breakouts and painful cuts.
Oils for electric shavers
All electric shavers come with blade oil. Use it. It’s in your face’s best interest. Just put a dot of oil on the shaver’s cutting block or blades, turn on the unit, and let the oil work its way through. This will help the shaver work properly and protect your hair from being ripped out by rickety blades.
There are also skin oils like Lectric Shave and Jack Black that are specially formulated for electric shavers. These oils make the hair stand up for a smoother cut, as well as create a sleek surface for the shaver to glide across.
Shaving powders
There are two types of shaving powders. One is a depilatory powder, which is used mostly by black men to avoid razor bumps and ingrown hairs. The other kind is meant for use with electric shavers; it works like shaving oil, softening the hair and fluffing it up.
Find out which lathers and razors you should use to get that perfect shave…
Shave products
You’re almost ready to put a razor to your skin. But first, you need a buffer between the skin and the razor that’s got a little more substance than mere oil. Enter shaving lather.
Cream/foam
Shaving creams and foams are similar, but foams have more air and come in a can, while creams come in a small bottle or tube. Both soften whiskers like shaving oils, but they also moisturize and lubricate the skin. One of their biggest advantages is that they rinse easily from blades. To get the best results from both, be sure to massage them into your beard with your hands or a shaving brush for a full minute.
Many creams and foams also contain aloe to heal the skin and guard it from drying out. The best of these lathers are glycerin-based. Steer clear of creams and foams that contain numbing agents like benzocaine and menthol, as these will close your pores and prevent proper exfoliation.
Shaving soap
Ah, the classic. This is what old British generals used while shaving with a straight razor over a wash basin. Like shaving cream, it’s made for application by brush, and must be mixed in a shaving cup or bowl. When properly lathered, shaving soap definitely does the job, but because it’s soap, it might dry out your skin.
Gel
shaving gels have become very popular over the past 10 years, as they create a slick surface that maximizes the razor’s glide. However, their disadvantages are that they don’t wash off blades or faces easily, and they can clog pores.
Brushes
When it comes to obtaining a perfect, creamy lather, only a badger hair brush gets it right.
As it applies the lather to your face, its hairs exfoliate, massage and fluff out your whiskers to ensure they’re “standing at attention” when the blade moves over them.
Boar bristle brushes are stronger and thicker (and cheaper) than badger hair models, but they’re not as flexible or as soft on your face.
Post-shave products
Post-shave products will relieve burn, dryness and razor bumps, and some will even help heal cuts.
To make it simple, look for aftershave balms and gels that contain vitamins C and E, natural oils to moisturize and aloe to help heal the skin. Post-shave products with built-in sunscreen are also a solid purchase.
Aftershave is heavy on the alcohol and will dry out your skin. Avoid it. If you are going to use traditional aftershave, though, pat it on gently. And don’t overdo it; a little goes a long way.
If you don’t want to buy expensive balms and creams, simply splash cold water on your face to close your pores, pat it dry and finish with a basic moisturizer. If you break out after shaving, stick with a water-based moisturizer.
And if you really want to nip razor burn in the bud, eschew the cold water in favor of ice cubes. Rub one over your face and you’ll close those pores right up.
Finally, a styptic pencil is a good addition to any shaving kit. The pencil’s aluminum sulfate stops shaving cuts in a pinch. The pencil’s only drawback? It stings. If that’s too much for you, try using lip balm on the cuts instead.
With the knowledge to put together your own shaving kit, you can now seek out the brands and products that best fit your beard and, perhaps more importantly, they will make you look and feel your best.
Razors
Electric shavers
Electric shavers are convenient, fast and long-lasting. Nonetheless, despite years of innovation and advancement, they still result in a shave that’s not quite as close as one achieved with a safety razor. Yet, because electric shavers don’t shave off the uppermost layer of skin as do safety razors, they have the advantage of rarely causing razor burn or cuts.
There are two main electric shaver designs.
A rotary shaver has series of blades organized in a circular pattern on anywhere from one to three wheels. As you move the shaver across your face, the spinning wheels cut your beard like a lawnmower. Rotary shavers excel at cutting longer beards.
A foil shaver contains a thin sheet of metal perforated with hundreds of tiny holes. Underneath this metal sheet are one to four horizontal rows of tiny cylindrical blades. As you move the shaver on your skin, your whiskers enter the holes, whereupon the spinning blades cut them off.
Most fans of electric shavers believe that foil shavers provide closer shaves, but it’s really a matter of personal taste.
Find out if a disposable razor is better than a reusable one…
Reusable razors
Stay away from disposable razors and invest in a quality multi-blade cartridge safety razor (such as a Mach 3 or a Quattro) or a double-edged safety razor (like a Merkur). The old straight-edged razor is best left to the trained barber.
Razor cartridges (two to four blades) give the closest possible shave (next to a barber’s straight-edge) and cut hair at an angle. However, this angle and the closeness of its shave can cause the hair to grow back with a slight curl, which can ultimately lead to razor bumps and ingrown hairs.
Double-edged safety razors are classic with a single, well-sharpened double-edged blade. They don’t cut as close as razor cartridges, but they still shave well, and they prevent bumps and irritation. Their one big disadvantage is a tendency to cause shaving nicks.
A blade or cartridge’s longevity depends on how often you shave and how full your beard grows in. Most safety razor cartridges and razor blades last between one and four weeks.
Shaving Technique
Gently rub your fingers over your face to find out what direction your beard is growing. It may vary from one part of your face to another. Now pull the skin gently with one hand, while dragging the shaver against the direction of growth with your other hand. This will give you the closest shave. In the case of a rotary-type shaver like Philips, make small circular motions of the shaver head on your face. Remember, do not to press hard or go over the same spot repeatedly.
Sensitive Skin
Many men who have very sensitive skin report that it helps them to shave the most tender areas of their face (the neck area below the jawbone) first, and then move up to the tougher areas of their face in the areas between the ears, nose and mouth. Some shavers generate heat on their shaving surfaces and heat can cause irritation. So shave the tender areas of your face first while the shaver head is coolest.
Ingrown Hair
Ingrown hairs (also called razor bumps) are unsightly and painful. They result when the shaved hair gets trapped inside the follicle or grows back into the skin. It can cause scarring, redness and swelling (its medical term is Pseudofolliculitis Barbae or PFB).
1. Treat with active ingredients
-There are several products that claim to help treat ingrown hairs, but the reality is that Salicylic acid is the one active substance that can visibly improve razor bumps. It is a dermatological-grade ingredient that exfoliates, moisturizes, clears pores and can help prevent infection.
Use a post-shave product with salicylic acid so it remains on your skin the whole day (see below).
-Use only a non-acnegenic shaving cream specially formulated for sensitive skin, with lots of lubricating agents (foam-based shaving creams can dry and irritate your skin).
-Do not use any product that has alcohol, it will seriously worsen ingrown hairs by drying the skin and closing the pores.
2. Improve your skin’s surface
-Exfoliating (removing the upper layers of dead skin) is indispensable to manage ingrown hairs. Daily use of a gentle face scrub with glycolic and salicylic acid is particularly effective.
-Use a soft-bristle face brush and liquid cleanser in a circular motion on your beard to dislodge the tips of ingrown hairs, eliminate dead skin cells and clear follicles to allow hairs to surface unimpeded.
3. Adjust your shaving technique
-Shaving too closely is one of the triggers for razor bumps. Hair stubs cut too closely will get trapped inside the hair follicle and dig inward or sideways. Don’t worry, the disappearance of unsightly ingrown hairs will more than make up for the “five-o’clock shadow” appearance.
-To avoid shaving too close, don’t pull the skin when you shave; don’t put too much pressure on the blades; shave with the grain and use a single-blade razor.
-You will need to maintain this approach over time, as one extra-close shave will be enough to cause a recurrence of ingrown hairs that will take weeks to heal.
4. Treat already ingrown hairs
-Carefully lift the ingrown end out with tweezers, but don’t pluck the hair out; this will only make the hair regrow deeper.
-Using products that contain azulene, allantoin and witch hazel will help reduce the redness and swelling.
Source mensfashion.about shavers shavercentre
Comment by JD
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