How to shave your face: the science behind shaving
A perfect shave:
Your daily shaving routine seems simple – even easy. Lather up, shave your face, rinse your face and expect to see perfect results.
But perfect results aren’t that easy to achieve, are they? Razor burn, shaving rash, bumps, nicks and cuts, missed hairs – a lot of things can be imperfect about your ‘perfect’ shaving routine, which can quickly make your morning shaving ritual feel like a chore.
However, many of these shaving mishaps can be minimized or avoided if you prepare correctly, have the right tools and adhere to the following 5 simple steps to shaving.
STEP 1: Wash your face
Start by washing your face with a gentle cleanser.
A perfect shave requires a clean surface. Washing your face before you start shaving will clear away skin oils, dirt and dead skin cells. Washing your face helps to hydrate your beard hairs, softening them, thus reducing the force needed to cut them.
STEP 2: Lather up
Next, apply your favourite shaving foam or gel. This enables the razor to glide with less friction. Shaving cream helps protect your face from nicks and cuts, and helps prevent shaving rash.
STEP 3: Shave – with an advanced multi-blade razor
Shaving with an advanced multi-blade razor – such as any of the razors in the Gillette Fusion5 family – is a must when attempting to achieve the perfect shave. When you’re selecting your razor, look for a multi-blade razor that has a pivoting handle, spring-mounted blades with a front pivot, a precision trimmer on the back of the razor cartridge, and lubrication strips.
It’s also important to remember that proper razor care is essential for achieving a perfect shave. Dirty or old, worn out razors present an increased risk for nicks, cuts and irritation. If your razor is still in good condition, you shouldn’t have to force your strokes or apply a lot of pressure – light, smooth strokes should be sufficient, and the razor should be doing most of the work. If this doesn’t seem to be the case for your razor, it may be time for you to replace your blades with new ones.
STEP 4: Rinse your razor
As you shave, rinse your razor blades often to remove any hair, skin or shave gel build-up. Don’t forget to follow proper razor cleaning techniques and abstain from tapping the razor on your sink; this can damage its highly engineered, precise parts.
When you’ve finished shaving, rinse your face with plenty of water to remove all the shaving gel or foam.
STEP 5: Moisturise your face
Protect your delicate face skin and enhance your perfect shave with aftershave balm or moisturiser. Post-shave moisturising rehydrates and soothes the skin, helping to protect it for the day ahead.
The better your regime, the better the shave. Gillette shave gels and foams, together with gillette’s advanced razors. Engineered for the perfect shave.
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