Tips for the Perfect Wet Shave
Are your current shaving practices leaving you red and irritable? Do you approach your razor blade with a nauseous mixture of fear and disdain? Then read our indispensable guide to shaving…
Once properly established and refined your shaving ritual should be less a chore and more an opportunity for private indulgence, leaving you feeling clean and refreshed.
Serious exfoliation
Unless you suffer from a Benjamin Button-esque infliction, it’s likely that you’re going to have to shave on a regular basis from now until your dying days, so now’s the time to recognise the importance of pre-shave preparation. An exfoliator (1) performs the unglamorous job of ridding the face of dead skin and excess oil, and removing dirt from your pores. The process serves to eradicate puffiness leaving you feeling fresh-faced and wide awake.
Pre-shave lubrication
A pre-shave oil (2) acts to further prepare the face; essential oils and gylcerin soften hair cuticles, appeasing any rebellious growths before their imminent removal, necessary when facing all but the most insignificant of stubble.
Best shaving cream and badger hair brush
The next step is to apply a high quality shaving cream (3); the canvas on which your craftsmanship will take place. Naturally such artistry requires the finest of implements; there’s a reason that badger hair brushes (4) have stood the test of time, they are as much a statement of character as they are a practical shaving tool, and a finer investment than most financial institutions these days. The cream should be applied with light brush strokes that are more renaissance painter and less amateur exterior decorator.
Using your razor blade correctly
Once sufficiently lathered, reach for your well-crafted blade (5) and gently begin at your sideburns, working down in the direction of hair growth. Move onto your cheeks and jowls, taking care to note any changes in hair direction; using smaller, controlled movements will help avoid razor-rash or in-grown hairs. Rinse thoroughly with ice cold water to close your pores and remove any remnants of cream or oil.
Essential post-shave skincare
With your skin silky smooth and glowing with newness, you are as vulnerable to any harmful environmental conditions as Salman Rushdie is in downtown Tehran. At this stage there are a number of post-shave creams and after-shave balms (6) available; you should be using products that will replenish lost moisture and help with skin regeneration while avoiding anything containing alcohol which may dry out the skin and tighten pores over follicles, leading to in-grown hairs.
For the perfect wet shave, we recommend the following:
(1) Malin + Goetz Jojoba Face Scrub
(2) D.R Harris Arlington Pre-Shave
(3) D.R Harris Arlington Luxury Lather Shave Cream
(4) Murdock Silver Tip Badger Brush – Ivory
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