Learning to shave is a rite of passage for every man, but as Educator Jordan discovered first-hand, it’s still something many men have no idea about. He breaks down the best way to shave at home to get the cleanest, nick-free shave.
Men need more education on how to shave. I realised it when I walked in my dad shaving. I was watching my dad shave and there was blood all over his neck; he was applying far too much pressure, rubbing the razor in every direction – all on the first shave. This was just creating blood spots and cuts on his poor skin. Thankfully, I didn’t have enough stubble when I was younger for him to teach me how to shave and by the time I did, I was barbering and learnt how to do it the right way. So I want to teach more men how to shave so they don’t have to put their skin through this either.
The first thing to keep in mind is that the prep of the face is just as important as actually shaving itself, because shaving without prepping the skin could create irritation or cause spots and ingrown hairs. The best time to shave is on a clean face, preferably just after showering because the steam from a hot shower softens your face and opens your pores, making it a better surface to work with. Ideally you also want to exfoliate the areas you’re going to shave with a mild exfoliator to further prep the skin.
For the next step, you want to use a shaving foam, cream or gel (whatever you find works best for your skin). Once you’ve applied the product, you want to make sure that your razor is clean, following packaging guidelines when you’re unsure. Always go with the growth on the first shave. You can choose to go with the growth or against the growth after this, but it is not recommended to go against the growth if you know that your skin gets quite irritated.
When shaving, you don’t need to apply a lot of pressure. A low or medium amount of pressure will do. If you feel that you’re needing to apply a lot of pressure to remove the hair, adjust the angle of the razor, or replace your razor as it may be blunt. Certain areas will naturally need more pressure to remove thicker hair.
Now for the actual shaving technique. Using your free hand, stretch the skin to create a flat smooth surface for you to shave across. This will allow you to get a closer shave. You may end up pulling some funny faces, but manipulating your face such as pulling your mouth to one side will also help create a smooth surface. Holding your razor at a 45 degree angle, aim to clear about an inch of hair at a time, lowering your free hand and pulling the next part of skin taut each time.
Once you’ve done the first shave, wipe the excess product off. Have a look at your skin and see how it has reacted. If you do want to go against the growth, re-foam up and then go against the growth. Areas you have to be careful with are the neck, under the chin, and the jawline as these tend to be prone to irritation.