A closeup of a young man shaving his beard off with an electric shaver.
Learning how to shave is actually quite easy, but figuring out how to do it right every time is actually quite challenging. The reason for this is that every man and woman around the world has a distinct pattern of hair, meaning that the hair on their face and body doesn’t go the same way. We will discuss shaving options for both men and woman. Men tend to have the trickier option as some will have little swirls of hair on their neck, while others have facial hair that goes every which way. It is a challenge to do a good job shaving every time, especially with a safety razor.
Knowing how to shave.
The first thing that you will need to do is find which tool is the best for you. Straight razors are great for men, but they can cause a lot of damage if you aren’t coordinated or you don’t know how to use them properly. Safety razors are usually the best choice, as they use a multiple blade or double blade cartridge that is designed for safe use. An electric razor is very easy to use, but it doesn’t get as close a shave as the regular razors.
For argument’s sake, let’s say that you are using a safety razor with a multiple blade cartridge. It is time to get your face wet, preferably with warm water. The warm water will help to open the pores in your skin, which means that you can cut the hair closer to the roots. The water will also soften your skin, making it easier for you to cut the hair without cutting your skin. Most experts recommend shaving after a warm shower, as your skin will be softest at this point.
Get the shaving foam or cream, and put it on your hand or even better consider using a shaving brush. This will make sure to lather it up into a thick foam, then apply it gently to your skin. You will usually apply it on your cheeks by moving your hand from your ears towards your chin, and applying it on your neck by moving your hands from the bottom of your neck up to your chin will also be the best way to go. Apply it on your mustache region, around your mouth, and anywhere else where it is needed.
electric shaver and Manual Shaver
How to shave different body parts.
Make sure to hold your razor properly as you begin shaving, and find the direction your hair is pointing in order to shave with the grain.
Starting with the face…
- Your mustache hair is likely pointing towards your mouth, so shaving from your nose towards your lip is usually the most effective way.
- Your chin hair is often pointed downwards as well, so going from your bottom lip towards your chin will often get the grain. However, the chin is one of the trickiest parts, as there is often hair going every which way.
- Your cheek and jawline hair is usually pointed towards your chin, but some people find that the hair is pointing straight downwards. Find out which way the hair is pointing in order to know whether you need to shave with the ear to chin motion or the cheek to jawbone motion.
- Your sideburns are almost always pointed downwards, so using a simple down-stroke should clean the sideburns up nicely.
- Your neck hair is where the swirls usually are, and it will take a few tries to figure out which way you need to shave to get those hairs. Most people shave using a down to up motion that starts at the bottom of their neck hair and goes towards the jaw, which tends to be the most effective.
When shaving body parts other options come into play. Especially for the woman… Consider soaking your legs first and let the warm water penetrate the hair and the tissue. While many woman use a lathering soap, some have found that hair conditioners such as Dove leave the skin extremely soft and smooth eliminating the dryness after shaving. Consider exfoliating your skin before shaving any large body part. The elimination of these dead skin cells will provide a smoother glide for the blade leaving less chance for cuts.
- Because body hair is typically lighter and softer than facial hair, the effects of shaving against the grain can be more advantages than doing the same with facial hair since ingrown hairs are less common. Women tend to do better with the disposable razor. Depending on the body part, you would need to figure out what direction the hair is growing in. Since leg hair generally grows downwards, they should be shaved starting with the ankle. Be careful at the knees.. It is best to stretch the skin in the area to reduce the chance of cuts.
- Some woman will wait until they get out of the shower and apply hand lotion to their damp skin. This allows them to shave and moisturized at the same time.
You will usually remove the shaving cream with each stroke of the razor, but make sure to wash all the cream off and do a touch up to your face to be sure that you have shaved everything off properly – with no random hairs scattered around. Mastering how to shave isn’t rocket science but one you get it down its like riding a bike.
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