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Before Shaving

A lot of people I talk to think that shaving is just about chucking on some cream and letting the razor do its magic. Let me tell you how wrong they are! Preparation is very important and should be a big part of your daily routine.

I don’t think I need to mention that these people are usually suffering from razor burn or razor bumps or worse – if only there was a website for them to read the proper procedure. Oh wait – this one!

Preparing your face in the morning makes the actual process so much easier and more effective, giving you a much cleaner cut, look and feel.

Let’s begin!

Make Sure You Have the Correct Equipment and Supplies

Seems silly but you need to be prepared before you can prepare! Before you start, make sure you have the necessary items:

Hot water – preferably from a running tap
Face cloth
Sharp razor – if the blade is dull you will need to replace it or sharpen it if possible. It is not advised that you shave with a dull blade.
Foam/Cream/Gel/Oil - whichever one of these you prefer.
Badger brush (optional but recommended)
Pre-shave oil (optional)

Once you have what you need, you can move onto the next step. Click to read more about razors, creams, and brushes.

Determine the Direction of Your Hair Growth

This sounds a bit of a strange thing to do, but it is very important for you to know your face and in which direction your hair grows. This can be done by feeling around your face. Everyone’s face is different, but only slightly of course – you are unlikely to have anyone whose sideburns grow in an upward direction.

The reason this is so important is that you should never ever shave against the grain of your hair. Always go with the grain. So if you know which way the grain goes, so much easier it will be. This should be done first as you will make a mess if you try it later on after you lather up.

Also, don’t worry, you only really need to do this once. Unless you keep forgetting you don’t need to do this every time you shave because you will know which way the hair grows!

Clean Your Face

The first step is to give your face a damn good clean. There are a lot of oils, dead skin and bacteria etc. that can build up on your skin – especially in the morning. You don’t want all that interfering with your razor by clogging it up, nor do you want them to be smeared all over your face as you shave. A good face wash is perfect, preferably one that contains salicylic acid, and one that exfoliates is best. Exfoliating cream scrubs contains particles that actually scrub your face as you rub the cream over your face. They are very effective at removing unwanted dirt.

Once you’ve had a good scrub, rinse it all over and get ready for the next step!

Heat Up Your Face

Heating up your face is the next thing to do because this will open up the pores on your face and also make the hairs a lot softer, making them a lot easier to slice through. With your pores opened up, it is important that you have properly cleaned your face in the previous step, or bacteria will get into your pores and probably cause you pimples later in the day.

Many people combine this step with the previous step by washing and scrubbing their face under hot water in the shower. At the sink is not really effective, if this is where you do it, you should get a face cloth and soak it in hot water, then place it over your beard for a few minutes to get the hairs well heated.

Apply Shaving Oil

This optional step is great if you have particularly rough hair, and/or sensitive skin. Rubbing this in at this point (before the cream) will help protect your skin from the razor and also soften the hairs so they are easier to cut.

Now you are well and truly ready to lather up and begin!