How To Get A Perfect Shave

First, you must have the following items on hand : A sharp razor, Shaving cream or soap, Warm water and A steady hand.

The razor. You’ll choose based upon looks and sex appeal (think of the great commercials!), but it’s the performance that matters. Different beards and skin types will do better with different blade configurations. It you have a light beard or sensitive skin, too many sharp things scraping you skin isn’t a good idea, so a twin blade might be just fine. If you’re as hairy as a bear, you need all the cutting surfaces you can get.

1. Buy a razor with disposable blades. No need to waste all that plastic on new handles each time with disposable razors. The type of blades you want to use will determine the handle.
2. Keep your razor clean. Rinse it frequently while you’re shaving, clean it well when you’re done. Ritual grooming products has a Razor Rinse that disinfects the blade to reduce razor bumps and burns.
3. Change your blades often. The average cartridge is good for 4, maybe 5 shaves. Beyond that, you’re asking for a blood bath, since dull blades cause drag, which cause nicks and cuts.
4. Use a pre-shave oil. A dab of oil rubbed into your beard prior to applying the shave cream will blunt the impact of the blade on your skin, making for an easier shave.  Try Anthony Sport, which is affordable and made by a well-known player in the men’s grooming field.

Multi-blade razor:  Multiple blades (3 or more) provide as close a shave as most guys want or need. You know the drill: each blade cuts your beard progressively closer until you have a face as smooth as a baby’s butt, or something like that. The Gillette Fusion’s five-blade system offers what many guys consider to be the best shave for the money. (Which is good, considering the cost)

Safety Razor:  A back-to-the-future choice. Safety razors offer the closest shave short of a straight razor. Using one takes some practice, but the shave is fantastic and in the long run the old-school razor blades are cheaper than cartridges (try $5.00 for 10 as opposed to $28 for 8 cartridges). Merkur, one of the only safety razor manufactures left, makes a nice product. Try one of the adjustable razors to control the closeness of your shave.

Next, the shaving cream/soap. The cream or soap should soften your beard and make it easier for the razor to its job. You want something that doesn’t dry out your skin while setting the beard up for slaughter.

1. No more aerosols. I know you have fond memories of the can of Edge or Barbarsol that was in your “welcome to college” kit, but that time’s past. There’s not much other than gas and some fragrance in the can.  Advertising aside, you want a cream or soap, not foam from a can.
2. Moisturizers are a good thing.  It’s the “m” word that makes guys cringe, but you want a shave cream or soap that has oils and moisturizers, like shea butter, olive oil, maca nut oil, silicone, or glycerin to help the razor glide over your face with minimal drag while softening up the beard.
3. Wetter is better. You want to get as much water on your face as possible to soften the beard. Basically the shave cream’s job is to make the water wetter.
4. Use a brush. Many of the popular shave creams tout themselves to be brushless, but a good shaving brush helps saturate the hair and lifts it to get it ready for the reaper. Badger hair is considered the best.

Lab Series Maximum Comfort Shave Cream. After the initial surprise of having your face feel all icy-hot, the stuff really smooths the glide of the razor and giving a slicker shave than anything else we’ve tried.  Comes in a 3.4 oz. tube or 8 oz. jar and lasts.

Sharp’s Kid Glove Shave Gel. The first thing you notice about the Sharps is that it’s Shrek-green. The second is that it’s really slick. The green comes from the botanicals (aloe leaf extract, rosemary leaf extract, algae extract) used to heal the face while shaving. The slick is glycerin, a non-oil based lubricant that helps the blade glide along your face. In 3.4 oz. tubes.

Art of Shaving Sandalwood Shave Cream. The sandalwood helps with my occasional battle with razor bumps and the glycerin and coconut oil reduce the road rash that shaving can give. The razor didn’t get clogged from the shaving cream and my face was as soft as I can ever remember after a shave. In 3.4 oz. tube.

Steps to a Great Shave

1. Shave after you shower. Post-sleep puffiness causes a spotty and accident-plagued morning shave. A good face wash and scrub gets your face off to a great start. It’ll also soften your beard in advance.
2. Use warm to hot water for your shave. Keeps the blade clean and your beard soft.
3. Apply pre-shave oil to your face prior to the shave cream.
4. Apply shave cream/soap with a brush to get the best application. Use a dollop (around the size of a quarter) and add more water as necessary to get full coverage.
5. Shave with the grain of your beard – in the direction of the hair growth – to minimize razor bumps and burn. Then shave across the grain for a closer shave.  Never against the grain.
6. Clean the razor after every stroke. A clogged razor leads to nicks and cuts.
7. Go slow, especially at the neck and jaw line. You may need a second pass to ensure you did a good job.
8. Rinse your face in cool water to close pores and cool your mug. It just had a rough time.
9. Take care of any nicks and cuts with a styptic pencil or post-shave balm. Don’t anything with alcohol in it.
10. Use a face lotion with SPF 15 or above. You can get quality ones as cheap as $8 at the drugstore.

Thanks to Be Better Guys for this elaborate and very helpful shaving tips.

(Image : Newscom)

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Will Smith

Nine times out of ten he dutifully reaches for a razor and removes the growth, but every now and then he is unable to resist the temptation to get creative with the shaggy canvas before him. It’s at this crucial moment that bad grooming decisions are made—and lives destroyed.

I can’t help but chuckle at the “lives destroyed” part. Who knew goatee could ever relate to being disastrous, or deadly for that matter.

Did you know that goatee comes in 3 ways? The French fork, the musketeer, and the Vandyke. Just the names alone could give you an idea of how each goatee looks like. Before you make a life altering decision about your facial hair, drop that razor, go to DETAILS and read more about the goatee.

(Image : Bauer-Griffin)

Post from: She Knows Best

Image details: Premiere Of Sony Pictures’ "Hancock" – Arrivals served by picapp.com

I just found this look from Thomas Jane untidy. His face needs some grooming. Unbuttoned shirt that’s showing more that we really need to see from a Man’s chest. The final straw, the folded short sleeves. I could ignore the chain hanging from one his jeans pocket but Dude needs to shave. Oh and button his shirt. And unfold the already short sleeves shirt. I mean, if you’re going to a Will Smith movie premiere, whom you know is going to dress up to the nines, at least make an effort to look tidy, heh.

Post from: She Knows Best

*Copyright b5media 

We have a new Men’s Grooming blog here at b5media’s Beauty and Style Channel. How clever it is to call it Manscaping 101? I know how you guys love to groom and smell nice so check the mighty Tris Hussey over at Manscaping-101. Then come back here at She Knows Best and see our latest finds in Men’s Fashion and Styling to compliment your well-groomed self .

WIN SHIRTS FROM THE RYDE. CLICK HERE!!

Post from: She Knows Best