5 mistakes every man makes when shaving

Gents focuses

By just avoiding a few simple mistakes, you can achieve the best shave ever -
We list 5 common mistakes and how to avoid them!

Sloppy preperation

Be sure to wash away dirt and bacteria before shaving, otherwise it can result in hair follicle inflammations and red dots. It will also be easier and a cleaner shave if the hair growth has been softened by a nice warm shower or warm washcloth placed on the face for a few minutes. This will lead to less irritation / red skin post shaving.

Dull razor blade

There is two sides of this problem. (1) The first one is that most people rinse the razor and/or blade in water thats to hot in between use. At temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, the hardening of the steel gradually deteriorates and the blade becomes dull. (2) The second one is that the blade is not replaced in time. To change the blade before it gets dull is real important to maintain a pleasant and comfertable shaving experience.

Don't check the direction of hair growth

If you have not checked in which direction your beard hairs are growing, there is a great risk that you will shave in the opposite direction.This is especially common on the neck. On the neck, the beard hairs can grow upwards. Or down. Or aside. Or in a vortex. Well, you understand the problem.Your skin will become red and irritated, and in the worst case you'll get red dots and hair follicle inflammations. So, most important of all, is that you follow the growth direction at least the first round of the shave. If you dont have sensitive skin it should work to shave in the other direction after that.

You dont use a high quality shaving foam

Does your skin get red and irritated after shaving? Then you are probably not using a lather that provides a sufficient barrier between razor and skin. Quite simply, there's too much friction, and you should definitely change to a different kind of shaving foam. If you want your morning routine to be quick and easy, we recommend one of Proraso's shaving foams in a jar, but if you have the time to spend a few more minutes lathering up the ultimate foam by hand, we recommend Benjamin Barber's shaving soaps - available in the scent of Black Oak, Oud, and Saffron & Leather. If you have sensitive skin you might need to strengthen the barrier further, for example with a pre-shave product. The pre-shave is applied before the foam and left on during the entire shave, you don't have to rinse it off.

You skip the post shave lotion

If you experience red dots and ingrown hairs on your neck, you probably have a surface of dead cells on the skin that prevents the beard hairs from growing out like they should. Remember to always use an after shave, it both soothes and moisturizes the skin, and reduces the risk of shaving irritations. You can also exfoliate continuously, for example with Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, to get rid of the dead skin cells.