How Men Should Shave Beard?

Tuesday, July 10, 2012, 10:28 [IST]

A clean shaved beard is all that attracts a woman. So, if you are going to shave for the first time or even if are used to it, there are few steps where men usually commit mistakes. If not shaved properly, your skin might get rashes or even cuts. Thus, here is a step by step guidance to shave beard.

Tips for men to shave beard:

Long or short beard: Stand in front of the mirror and check if your beard is long or short. Short beard can be trimmed or shaved easily. But, long beard cannot be shaved off completely at a go. Often, the blade of the razor gets damaged after you use it on long beard. This is because the capacity of the blade is to cut short hair. So, check if your hair is an inch long, prefer trimming with scissors before shaving them off.

Trim: While trimming, make sure the beard hair is dry. Trimming wet hair can pluck your hair thus leading to bumps and redness. So be very careful while trimming. If you can hold the beard hair, hold it and then trim the strands of beard hair. You can either use electric clippers or scissors. If in a hurry, go for electric clippers.

Wash with warm water: After trimming the beard hair, wash your face with lukewarm water. Warm water opens the skin pores, exfoliates the skin and softens the hard beard hair. This is one of the most effective shaving tips to make the grooming session easier for men. Do not wash with hot water. Hot water makes your skin prone to rashes. You can even rub your face with a towel soaked in warm water.

Shaving oil: Before applying the shaving cream, always apply a shaving oil to your wet face. Keep the shaving oil in front of you and apply immediately after washing the face with warm water. The shaving oil spreads evenly if the beard hair is wet. Shaving oil makes it easy to shave with the razor and also prevents razor burns.

Shaving cream: After applying the shaving oil on the beard, apply a shaving cream with the help of a shaving brush. Wet the shaving brush with water and then add few drops of shaving cream on it. Spread the cream across the beard and let the foam come up. Let the cream set on the hair for few seconds or a minute. This softens the hair and makes it easy to shave.

Razor: Before picking up the razor, check its blade. The blade should be appropriate for the skin. Check if your skin is too sensitive, if the beard is thick etc. Shave small sections and keep cleaning the blade to prevent clogging and avoid getting skin rashes. This also makes shaving an easier process. Use short and light downwards stroke to shave effectively. Do not forget to pull the skin tight.

Wash: Wash your face with warm water and rub your palm over it. Check if you have shaved completely or not. Rough patches or little hair that is left should be shaved off.

After shaving, wash your face with cold water and then apply a shaving balm or an after-shave lotion. Aloe vera gel is a natural after-shaving balm to prevent dry skin, razor itches and burns.