4 Essential Steps To Preparing Your Skin For Shaving
Ever experienced skin irritation or even suffered from cuts and burns after shaving? Well, that means that you aren’t preparing your skin well for shaving. According to dermatologists and other medical professionals, it’s not about the method of shaving, but how well-prepped your skin is before the shaving procedure that affects the quality and cleanliness of the shave. At first glance, shaving seems easy. All you have to do is pick up the razor and drag it across your face. However, doing so can be detrimental to your skin over time. As such, here are the correct steps to prepare skin for shaving.
Wash Your Face
Before doing anything, it’s important to get a clean and smooth surface that’s free of grime and dirt. If you shave during the evening, your face is most likely filled with much sebum and other environmental pollution that can potentially clog your pores. Therefore, washing the face with a suitable facial cleanser helps to provide a good base for shaving.
Apply a Pre-Shave Oil
Even men who take extra precaution in shaving their mustaches or beards may leave out this product - a pre-shave oil. Pre-shave oil is arguably the best defense the skin has against potential redness, irritation, or burns as it provides a protective barrier against the razor. By getting your hands on a good quality pre-shave oil, it not only softens the facial hair in order for the blade to run smoothly but also nourishes the skin at the same time, offering moisture and hydration.
Apply a Clear Shave Gel
One thing we have to get out of the way: do not ever use just water and soap to shave. This is a recipe for disaster as plain soap coats the skin and makes the surface slippery, making it difficult to achieve a clean shave. What’s more, the blade can get dulled over time, as it is difficult to rinse the product off after each shave. Therefore, in order to prevent your skin from getting hurt and your shaver from being damaged, it’s much wiser to apply a clear shave gel. A gel basically functions as a lubricant by creating a barrier between the skin and razor, ensuring a smooth and clean shave each time. While there are other alternatives available, we recommend opting for a clear shaving gel as it allows you to see where the razor is at, making it more convenient and safer to use when you’re styling your facial hair.
A good quality shaving gel would be the Uplift Provisions Company’s Clear Shave Gel, that’s infused with plant extracts to soothe and re-hydrate the skin. Since it’s a water-based formula, the gel won’t gum up on your blade, so you can wash it clean easily after each shaving session. Other ingredients formulated in this product include arnica, which reduces the risk of razor burns, spirulina, which brightens up the skin, and cactus, which helps retain moisture in the skin.
Apply Aftershave
No, aftershave does not simply function as a cologne. Instead, it brings about a number of benefits, such as re-hydrating the skin, reducing any irritation or swelling, preventing skin damage, and so much more. Therefore, no shaving routine is completed without applying a splash of aftershave at the end.
