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2torial
#0566:
Learn2 Get
a Clean, Close, Comfortable (Facial)
Shave
Don't shave corners when it comes to clean
shaves!
Man's morning obstacle course: matching a shirt
to pants, then a pair of socks to both. Running a
comb through the tangled mop on your head. And
then? Running a very sharp blade repeatedly across
a very important part of your body. But shaving
doesn't have to be scary: follow one of the simple
regimes in this 2torial and you'll never fear the
razor again.
And if it's any consolation there's good news:
shaving is one reason that men tend to age well.
When you shave you exfoliate (i.e., remove dead
skin cells from) your face every day. It's like
starting every day with a new face. So look at this
2torial as a celebration of rejuvenation.
Most shaving mishaps are caused by dull, dirty
razors and insufficiently prepped beards. Make sure
all your equipment (and your face) is clean, warm,
and wet. Don't be macho, be methodical: each minute
of preparation is worth ten of face scraping.
Gather all of your implements before beginning, and
do give your beard hairs a chance to stand to
attention.
Remember to optimize your equipment: insert a
new blade in your manual razor (if it needs it), or
clean the heads in your electric. Regarding manual
razors, choose whatever you like but consider that:
1.A pivoting head can help negotiate odd
angles, funny bumbs, and bony places. If you find
it hard to pay a lot of attention to what you're
doing, these will be a bit more forgiving than the
rigid ones.
2.A single-bladed razor is less
irritating than a double-bladed one. Although a
double-bladed razor may give a technically closer
shave, it does so at the cost of hitting more skin.
You'll need to decide if the tradeoff is
worthwhile.
 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.
 Soak the skin
After rinsing your face, soak the washcloth
again in very warm water and place it on your beard
(or over your entire face if that's comfortable).
The moist heat will soften the whiskers and make
your skin supple, which will reduce razor burn.
Hold the washcloth there for a couple of minutes,
while you think about what to have for breakfast or
what to wear to work. Relax!
 Lather up
Wet shave:
Not obligatory, but an undeniable pleasure is
a shaving brush (no, you don't need to use a
straight razor with it). Regardless of the type of
shaving cream you use (see Step 6), a brush
is a delightful and effective way to lather up. The
motion of the bristles lifts up the whiskers and
softens them even further...and there's something
cheering about swirling the brush around your face.
- Fill the sink with very warm water.
You remember the definition of "very warm,"
right?
- Immediately apply your shaving cream
(or foam or gel) with your brush or fingertips.
Work it into a lather using circular swirling
motions. Spread it evenly over your face, and
make sure that it completely covers your
whiskers--and be honest to yourself about the
location of your whiskers. Don't neglect the
facial areas that don't show up in a full-on
mirror view, such as underneath the chin and the
backward-facing part of the jaw.
Dry Shave:
After soaking your beard dry it well (again, rub
against the growth pattern). Splash on toner.
Finally, dust with cornstarch or powder; the skin
should be absolutely dry before using an
electric shaver.
 Get that razor swinging
Wet shave:
The direction you shave in is important. You may
seem to get a closer shave going against the
grain (against the direction in which your
whiskers grow), but this practice damages the hair
shaft and the whiskers grow back thicker and
tougher. If you're in the habit of shaving this
way, it'll take some time to retrain your beard.
But after two or three weeks of shaving with the
grain, you'll get a closer shave that will also be
easier on your skin.
- Dunk your clean razor into the
sinkful of hot water. Make a short sweep down
one side of your face with the grain.
- After every few swipes, again dunk
the razor in hot water and continue until you've
uncovered every centimeter of skin.
- Shave methodically. Patches of
unshaved or slightly shaved skin are rather
unsightly, and the sign of careless grooming.
Any order will do, as long as you stay with it.
Here's a sample order to give you an idea: the
sideburn and upper cheek of one side, the
jawbone, the entire neck area below the jawbone
on both sides, the sideburn and upper cheek on
the other side, the lower jaw and chin, and
finally, the upper lip.
- Stop the bloodshed: many shaving cuts
are done during the movements between sweeps of
the razor, not during the actual shaving motion.
To reduce the incidence of shaving cuts, avoid
moving the razor horizontally against your skin.
Instead, lift the razor an inch or two (2.5-5
cm) off the surface of your skin and place down
on the new location to be shaved.
Dry shave:
- Adjust the razor--if you have the
option--for your whisker type. Grasp the razor
firmly but be flexible. Flip the "on" switch.
- Pick a spot, say, by the hinge of your
jaw. Then move upward, going against the direction
of hair growth. If your shaver has three rotating
blades, circular movements are best. With a
straight-bladed razor, try long repetitive strokes.
Chins can be difficult; feel free to maneuver both
types for the best effect.
 Master the tug
This is a technique performed by your free hand
(the one that's not holding the razor), while you
shave. Although it's not too difficult, its key
role in producing a good shave warrants a new step
for it. You'll need to keep the fingers of your
free hand fairly dry to do this correctly.
Wet shave:
- Choose an area of skin that you're
going to shave. Place the fingers of your free
hand just outside the soaped-whiskers area (or
on a place you've just shaved.)
- Using those free-hand fingers, press
down slightly into the skin and tug the
skin taut against your face.
- Shave this area of skin where the whiskers
are slightly lifted off. Remember to shave
with the grain of your whiskers.
- Dry the fingers of your free hand if
they got wet in the last tug, and find another
area to shave.
Dry shave:
The tug technique works for an electric razor,
too. In fact, you have it even easier, because your
fingers don't get wet with shaving cream and water.
- Choose an area of skin that you're
going to shave. Place the fingers of your free
hand on your skin, either outside of your beard,
or on a place you've just shaved.
- Using those free-hand fingers, press
down slightly into the skin and tug the skin
taut against your face.
Shave this area of skin where the whiskers
are slightly lifted off. Remember, with an
electric razor, to shave against the grain of
your whiskers.
Rinse off
Grab that wash cloth again and rinse it in tepid
water (neither hot nor cold), wring it out and
press it to your face.
- Don't wipe--you've just shaved and
you don't want to irritate your face even more.
The tepid water will gently close the pores that
the hot water opened.
- The final touch: Feel around with
your fingers to search out any missed patches.
Make a pass against the grain to feel for any
rough spots. Spots often missed are the rear
portion of the jaw both above and below the
jawbone.
Next, gently pat your face a clean, dry
towel. Of course, you've already thoroughly rinsed
out your trusty implements, your razor and (if you
have one) your brush.
 Cope with the bloodshed--wet
shave
Perhaps you were feeling a little foggy this
morning and oops! You cut yourself. Here are some
techniques to stop the flow:
- The old tried and true: tear off a
tiny piece of tissue paper, just slightly larger
than the cut, and apply it to a bleeding cut.
Leave it on for at least five minutes (ten
minutes for a deeper cut) and tug off. Often the
wound will dry up nicely, leaving only a small
red dot.
- Styptic pencils: Yow! These
camphor-tipped sticks can sting a little, but
they work very well and quickly for small to
medium cuts. Moisten the tip, dab it on to the
wound and watch it dry up.
If you've really slashed yourself:
Swallow your pride and pull out the antiseptic
and small elastic bandages. Sure it might look a
little funny, but it's not as bad as an infected
cut on your face. If you're lucky the wound will
heal up enough by midday and you'll be able to
remove the bandage.
 Moisturize your mug
Smooth on a moisturizer or aftershave balm to
prevent your skin from drying. An electric razor is
easy on skin; still, a moisturizing routine adds a
silky finish. On the other hand, wet shaving can
leave skin vulnerable to alcohol and oil: the
former can burn; the latter clogs pores. Test any
scented lotions for mildness before slathering them
on.
- Some men like the invigorating feeling of
splashing an alcohol-based aftershave on
their faces. These products also have an
antiseptic quality that can help heal nicks and
cuts, but they also tend to dry most faces.
Most men find that balms feel better. A
less expensive, but very effective product, is aloe
vera gel. It soothes razor burn and moisturizes
your skin, and it does this without using any long,
difficult-to-pronounce chemicals. It's also
available in a non-aerosol spray.
 Experiment with the eco-shave--a
conservation-minded approach
If you're like most people, you don't have time
to replant a rainforest or clean up the world's
oceans--instead, you can experiment with a more
sustainable and less disposable lifestyle, and you
can start with your daily shave. You'll reduce the
amount of trash in the world's landfills, help
shrink the hole in ozone layer, and you'll save a
lot money on toiletries, too.
Razors:
- Try an earlier model--a double-edged
(single blade) razor that fits inside a
larger metal casing. Aside from being far less
expensive, you only throw away a thin sliver of
metal, which will rust and biodegrade a lot
faster than blades set in very durable
plastic.
- Regardless of the disposable razor that you
choose, experiment to see how many times you can
use it--most disposable razors are good for
up to three shaves, or even more. It largely
depends on the thickness and strength of your
whiskers.
Shaving brush:
Regardless of the type of shaving cream you use
(see below) any variety can be applied, with
excellent results, using a shaving brush. This
accessory, too, is enjoying a resurgence in men's
department stores and even large drug stores. A
natural bristle brush is the most commonly sold;
the less expensive nylon-bristle brushes are
available in some areas, and by many accounts they
work well enough. Some companies even sell a kit
with a brush, a cake of shaving soap, and a mug in
which to make the lather.
Shaving cream:
Sure, you need to lubricate your face, but that
lubricant doesn't have to come in a can. Here are
some options:
- Shaving cream in a tube: good-quality
shaving cream is sold in plastic or metal tubes.
Squirt a thumbnail-sized blob on a shaving brush
and massage into the skin, using a circular
motion. Although the container needs to be
thrown away, at least it has no gases harmful to
the atmosphere. Also, it biodegrades much more
quickly than a more durable metal can that's
made to contain pressured gas.
A cake of shaving soap: This option has
the least amount of packaging, but also may require
some experimentation to find a brand that works for
you. (Some men are very pleased with the
lather from a good-quality facial soap, so that's
another option.) Use it this way: carve off
a large chunk of the cake--large enough so you can
wedge it in the bottom of a coffee mug. Thoroughly
moisten the brush with hot water, and insert it in
the mug. Swirl it around the mug for 30 seconds or
so, until you've produced a generous amount of
lather. If the lather isn't rising, drip a little
extra hot water into the mug. Apply the lather to
your face, and replace the brush to the mug. That
way, if you need more lather during your shave, you
can swirl up a new batch from your mug of plenty.
And when you're finished, leave the cake in the mug
to dry out.Tomorrow morning, it'll be waiting for
you. Note: Wedging the cake into the mug is
important--this holds the cake firmly in place
while you're working up a lather.
-end-
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