how to get a great shave men

Let’s Talk Man Shaving: How to Get a Great Shave

Shaving is a rite of passage for men, and knowing how to shave properly can make all the difference in your appearance, skin health, and confidence. Whether you do it every morning or only shave your face occasionally, knowing the perfect shave routine will make your skin happy. Find out how to shave smoothly, including how to shave your face without shaving cream.

Attention, Shaving Men! Here’s What You Need to Prep Before Your Shave

There’s more to men’s shaving than just a razor. Whether you’ve been shaving for years or are new to it, here are some supplies all shaving men should consider keeping handy to ensure a clean shave. BTW, while we realize that many men use electric shavers, this article is strictly about wet shaving, using soap, a razor and water. 

A Clean Shave Begins With a Cleanser 

If you’re eager to get a clean shave, make sure you’re starting with a clean surface! Always use a gentle cleanser or soap to wash your face before you start shaving.

An Exfoliating Scrub Can Help With a Clean Shave

This is not something you need to do every day, but occasionally scrubbing away the dead skin cells on your face to create a smoother surface and prevent clogged pores will promote a smoother shave. It can also reduce the potential for ingrown hairs. 

Use Pre-Shave Oil to Prep Your Skin

If you’re wondering how to get a close shave, pre-shave oil can be helpful. It creates a protective film over your skin, allowing the razor to glide over your face more easily. Plus, this is great for keeping dry skin moisturized.

Choose a Moisturizing Shaving Bar or Cream

When it comes to  shaving properly, choose an excellent shaving soap bar or cream. It’s essential  to create a moisturizing lather that helps you achieve a clean shave. And that’s where an exciting new shaving soap bar from CleanO2 comes in. More on that at the bottom of this post.

Read more: Are Shampoo Bars Good For Hair?

Use a Shave Brush and Shaving Mug/Lathering Bowl

No perfect shave routine is complete without a shave brush. A brush serves two purposes. It acts as a whisk, generating the thick dense foam that makes for a great shave. It also serves to apply the lather to your face, prepping the hair so that your hair is evenly coated and softened before shaving. Brushes can  also help your hair stand upright for a smoother shave. 

The shaving mug or lathering bowl also services to purposes. It can store your shave bar between uses. And it helps whip up a rich lather. Some people use a simple bowl for both purposes. Others have a separate container for each purpose; a small bowl for storing the soap and another slightly larger bowl, often with textured or ridged sides and bottom, to help aerate the lather quicker. 

Choose the Right Men’s Shaving Razor

Of course, to shave your face at home, you need a good-quality men’s shaving razor. The best razor for a man’s face depends on your hair type and preference, but the most important thing is for the razor to be sharp and clean before shaving.

Read more: Why is my hair so frizzy and unscented antibacterial soap

And Here’s How to Shave Properly to Get the Best Results in 5 Steps

Not sure which way to shave your face? Not to worry – here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how to shave properly.

  • Step 1: Prep your face. If you haven’t just gotten out of the shower, be sure to wash your face with warm water and a gentle cleanser. Alternatively, you can apply a hot towel over your face to help open your pores and loosen your hair, which will help prevent ingrown hairs.If you use a pre-shave oil, massage a few drops into your beard and let it hydrate your skin for a minute. .
  • Step 2: Lather up! Wet your shaving brush and use a circular motion to work soap into the bristles of the brush. You may want to apply a few drops of hot water to the shave bar a few minutes before shaving, to soften the soap.  Using your mug or bowl, whisk the soap into a dense foam . You may have to add a few drops of water, but once it’s ready, the soap should form pointy peaks, like a meringue or whipping cream. 
  • Step 3: Slather the lather. With your brush covered in lather, use small circular motions to spread the lather across your face, so that your hairs stand upright and become easier to shave. Once you’ve applied one layer, you can go back and apply another with more lather from the bowl. For the second pass, you can almost “spoon” it on your face with the brush. Enjoy the lather and the scent!
  • Step 4: The shave itself. Pick up your men’s razor and start shaving in the same direction as your whiskers grow. After the first pass, you may see and feel that once isn’t enough.. Lather up again and go against the grain to clear up the remaining hair with less resistance.
  • Step 5: Treat yourself. The trick to a great shave is to not limit the ritual to the shave  itself! Once the hair is gone, it’s time to soothe your skin by rinsing with cold water to close your pores and then following up with some moisturizer. 

You may have questions…What’s the difference between a shave cream and shave soap??

Now that you know how to get  a smooth shave, let’s look at some common questions about shaving...

A shave cream, as the term suggests, is softener than a shave bar. That’s because it contains more moisture. As a result, it tends to lather quickly.

With a shave bar, it can take longer to work up a lather. But the lather you get will tend to be firmer and denser, with tiny tight bubbles. The bar will usually last longer than the same weight of shave cream. Typically much longer. 

You might want to get both a cream and a bar. The cream offers convenience. Using a bar is more about self care. There’s a time-honoured ritual to getting that perfect lather and shave. 

One note about creams. They contain more moisture (read water) than bars, but they don’t necessarily moisturize your skin better. For that, you’ll want oils, butters and humectants. Oils and butters act as a barrier to hold in the skin’s own moisture. Humectants serve to attract moisture to the skin.

How Often Should a Man Shave? 

How often you shave your face depends on the look you’re going for and how fast your hair grows. Some men need to shave daily to maintain a clean-shaven look, while others may only need to shave every other day.

Keep in mind that shaving removes some skin cells along with your hair, so it’s a good idea to give your face a rest and a chance to recover sometimes. Luckily, stubble is in style!

What’s the Best Time to Shave?

The best time to shave your face is after a shower. This is because your pores will be open, and your skin will be clean of the natural oils and dead skin cells that tend to accumulate in your razor. 

Start Adding CleanO2’s Brand New Shaving Soap Bar to Your Perfect Shave Routine

Now that you know how to give yourself a smooth shave, you’re ready to stock up on a great shaving product to create your perfect personal  shave routine. CleanO2’s shaving soap bars provide a dense, persistent lather that delivers superior glide and rich moisturizers so that your skin is left soft and baby’s-bottom smooth.

What’s In It?

This palm-free shave bar contains more than 25% butters for an extra moisturizing shave. The cocoa butter creates a great slip for your razor, and the potassium carbonate softens the water so you get the perfect shave every time, no matter how hard or soft your water is at home, in your hotel room, or camping creekside.

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