There is nothing more exciting than seeing those first few hairs begin to grow above your top lip and across your chin. A sure sign of manhood, these hairs should be celebrated and then dealt with.
This means shaving. Until you have enough man-juice flowing to make a proper attempt at wearing a moustache a clean face is the way to go. Patchy, wispy attempts at a moustache must be avoided at all costs.
In this instance, approach your dad, uncle or an older brother and ask them to show you how to shave. Take their advice and the information detailed below.
Equipment Required
Shaving gel or cream: Sensitive skin gel is a good place to start. Shaving cream is a little old school these days but gets the job done.
Shaver: Buy a quality shaver with replaceable blades. There are many on the market to choose from. If you can afford it, go for the quality brands and avoid the cheap disposables as these often have inferior blades that may end up cutting you.
After shave balm or cream: This stops your skin from breaking out in a rash after you shave. If these are too expensive, use a cheap alternative such as Sorbolene cream.
Preparation
Preparation is the key to accomplish most things in life and shaving is no different.
1: Soften up the skin to loosen the hairs by having a hot shower. Shave immediately after having a shower. If you don’t have time for a shower, run a cloth under hot water and compress it against your face for at least a minute.
2: Leave a bit of water on your face and place some shaving gel in your hand. With gel a little goes a long way. Gently lather the gel onto your face until you have a nice even consistency. Make sure to lather up your neck down to the T-shirt line. Neckbeard is a real thing, don’t join the club.
Technique
Just like sanding a piece of wood, go with the grain when you shave. This means following the direction the hairs are growing. Never go against the grain, this can cause cuts and irritated skin.
The hair on your face grows in a downward direction and this should be your movement when shaving.
1: Gently place the shaver under your sideburn and bring it down until you think it is full of shaved hair. Most importantly, rinse the shaver after each stroke to remove the hair it contains. If you don’t do this your next stroke won’t be as effective.
There are two methods for this. To save water, fill the basin with hot water and swish the blades through after each stroke. Or the preferred method, give the shaver a quick blast of hot water from the tap to dislodge the hairs. Or shave in the shower is another option.
2: Work your way towards the mouth area but stop before you reach it and shave the other side of your face. You should be left with shaving cream in the shape of ‘Homer Simpson’. Now comes the tricky part and can lead to the odd nick or two.
3: Stretch your top lip over your teeth and making small movements shave the top of your lip. Make sure you get the corner of your mouth as this is often missed and will be noticed. Once the top lip is done, stretch your bottom lip over your bottom teeth and making small strokes complete the goatee portion of your face. You should now be staring at a clean face with cream still on your neck.
4: The neck can be quite tricky and has the potential for a ‘miss’ when shaving. The best technique is to begin on the jaw line and stretch the skin upwards.
Make small strokes until the jaw line is clean. Now you can run the shaver up your neck to complete the job. Remember to follow the direction the hair is growing.
This means upwards strokes for the neck. Stop along the T-shirt line of your neck. This gives a clean-cut look which is sure to impress.
5: Once the shave is completed, wash any remaining cream off with warm water and run your hand across your face. This allows you to detect any misses by ‘feel’ rather than sight.
6: Shave any missed patches you discover.
Common misses include the corner of the mouth, directly under the lower lip, below the corner of the jaw line and the bottom of the neck.
Once you are satisfied apply an after-shave cream. This adds moisture to the skin and stops any irritations occurring. Moisturise every morning and every evening to keep the skin looking its best.
Cologne
A nice aftershave or cologne can set you apart from the pack. I’m not talking about Sex Panther here, but something subtle. The key with cologne is to not overdo it. Spray a small spritz against either side of the neck and then one spray on the wrist. Rub your wrists together and you are good to go. If you use too much, the smell is overpowering and looks like you are trying too hard.