Intro:
Before you begin
Step 1:
Prepare your skin
Step 2:
Soak the skin
Step 3:
Lather up
Step 4:
Get that razor swinging
Step 5:
Master the Tug
Step 6:
Cope with the bloodshed--wet shave
Step 7:
Moisturize your mug
Step 8:
Experiment with the eco-shave--a conservation-minded approach

Aloe vera: juice of the aloe vera plant, known to soothe burns and irritations and aid healing.

Exfoliating lotion or scrub: preparation that removes dead, dull, surface layer skin cells. Exfoliation softens and smoothes, keeping pores clear and ingrown hairs at bay.

Ingrown hair: hair that changes direction, growing back under the skin instead of breaking through it. May form pimples at the surface and become infected.

Loofah: a dried plant that can be used as a sponge. Loofahs are abrasive, often used to exfoliate body skin.

Razor burn: describes any post-shave irritation. Common causes include placing too much pressure on the blade, dull blades, harsh soaps, and alcohol-containing products, to name a few.

Styptic pencil: a shaver's best friend. Stops minor cuts like magic. Just moisten and apply.

2torial #0566: Learn2 Get a Clean, Close, Comfortable (Facial) Shave (Continued) Prepare your skin Chronic razor burn? Or only at certain times of the year? Temperature, humidity, even diet and stress can alter your skin's thickness and resilience. The key to getting a clean, close, comfortable shave is prepping your beard properly. Some men feel that exfoliating their skin wih a loofah once or twice a week makes their daily shave much more comfortable (see Tips and Keywords for more details). Find what techniques work for you and modify them to suit the seasons. Wet your face and the wash cloth with very warm water. Very hot water is drying to skin and damaging to pores, so let's define "very warm water" as just on the edge of hot: if you stuck your hand into a basin of this stuff you wouldn't automatically pull it out. Soap the cloth, but not enough to make it slippery. With firm yet gentle pressure soap up the skin, moving against the direction the hair grows: coax the hairs up off the surface of the skin. Step 2