Doing away with the ever-trendy beard? While you’ve probably gotten your shave strategy down to somewhat of a routine, let’s face it, there’s nothing better than a high-quality barber shop shave. We enlisted the experts at Baxter Finley Barber & Shop to give us the scoop on how to get the most amazing wet shave EVER.
What you’ll need: one Hot Towel, a Handful of Shaving Cream, one Soft Badger-Hair Brush, a couple dabs of After-Shave Balm.
Step 1: Inspect the direction of your hair growth
Don’t shave for a few days so you can see which direction your hair grows, since it’s always best to shave in that direction. While this may not provide the absolute closest shave, it’s better for your skin (e.g. way less irritation).
Step 2: Clean and scrub
Next, you’ll want to wash with your favorite facial scrub and then finish cleansing your face, as you normally would. The scrub basically exfoliates away dead skin cells, lifting facial hair, which then gives you a smoother shave with fewer ingrown hairs. Try to always exfoliate before you shave for best results!
Step 3: Hot towel and steam
The best time to actually start shaving is right after your shower OR you can apply a hot washcloth to your beard for about 30 seconds to soften your facial hair, which makes it easier to shave.
Step 4: Apply your shave cream
Experts recommend using the badger hair shave brush to apply shaving cream since it will help evenly disperse the cream and lift up your facial hair but, if you don’t have one handy, you can also apply the shaving cream with your hands. Allow the cream to sit on your skin for at least 30 seconds.
Step 5: Start with the sides of your face first
Start on the sides and go in the direction of your hair growth (as mentioned earlier). Hold the razor firmly, use short strokes and don’t add any pressure or push the blade into your skin. For the closest shave, hold the blade to your skin at about 30 degrees.
Step 6: Move to the neck
The neck is a problematic area for shaving since neck hair tends to grow in different directions around the Adam’s apple. Make sure to go slowly and follow the hair growth direction.
Step 7: Move to the lip and chin
You want to do this area last as to allow the shaving cream to have the longest amount of penetration time here. If needed, you can add water to what’s left if your skin feels on the dry side. Use your free hand to stretch your skin, creating a fat area for your blade to shave.
Step 8: Cold water clean up
Follow your shave with a quick splash of cold water or use a cold washcloth to close your pores.
Step 9: Apply after-shave
Finish the shave by applying your after shave balm, which should be soothing and, preferably, anti-bacterial.
