My son has about the same facial hair amount as your son, and all he needs is to use the dry razor (Mach 3 again) on chin and upper lip about once a week. So you may not need to go the whole shaving cream route yet.
While I now have a beard, the mirror in the shower is a sound idea
- I thought I copyrighted it
- it does not need to be mist free, the odd swipe of water fixes that
For the bits of my face and neck that need depillation I use a Gillette G2 and ‘Simple Soap’, it is useful having a pin around to remove the gunge that accumulates between the blades.
In my opinion the trick is to be able to get the job done with the simplest materials and least hassle, turning it into a ritual invites vulnerability.
I use a Gillette Good News disposable. Two blades is plenty. I tried a Sensor a number of years ago, and the shave was too close. That is, the sharp li’l whiskers were below the skin line, and as they grew out over the course of the day, it felt awful.
Move the razor fairly slowly. Don’t go zip, zip, zip, or you’ll get razor burn.
After many years, I finally figured out that the way to get whiskers out from between the blades is to hit the razor against the side of the sink. With a non-disposable razor, you may take out the sink though.
I personally think gels are disgusting, and I loathe citrus smells in anything but fruit. With that in mind, my opinion is that Noxzema for Sensitive Skin is the best shaving cream out there.
I gasped so loudly when I read this, that my co-workers came into my office to see what was wrong… :eek:
I personally use a Mach3 (whick I like pretty well) and Gilette shaving cream (which I don’t like as much, but it gets the job done.) I tend to start by going with the grain and finish by touching up a few spots against.
I would encourage your son to shave the entire beard/mustache area, just to get into the habit, rather than just upper lip and chin and having to expand out from there. Shaving your entire face and shaving just the chin are two entirely different propositions and he may as well learn it all in one go rather than drawing the process out.
I’d agree with hajario that it can be tough to get the right amount of cream and no more. I still regularly get too much and I’ve been shaving with a razor and cream for 3 years. (I used an electric before that.)
Also, though half the Google ads seem to be about pubic shaving, I would recommend against giving your son any lessons to that effect. That would just be creepy beyond words. :eek:
Here are my recommendations (from a 20+ year daily blade shaver):
[ul]
[li]Use quality shaving gel/cream. Don’t get Barbasol or Foamy. King of Shaves or Gillette Complete multi-glide gel are my favorite. The new Edge shaving product in a tube is pretty good too. Proraso or L’Occitane shaving cream in a tube are great, but pricey, and you have to use a brush.[/li]
[li]Shave with the grain. It’s not absolutely important to be baby’s butt smooth- leaving a little bit of stubble is ok.[/li][li]Don’t use an alcohol-based aftershave immediately afterward. It hurts like hell. Get one of the aftershave balms like Nivea for Men, or L’Occitane CADE.[/li][li]Shave after showering.[/li][li]Take your time. This is probably the most important one. I only cut myself when I get in a rush.[/li][li]Rinse your razor really often.[/li][/ul]
Since the kid is just starting, I’ll guess his beard hairs aren’t too thick yet. If so, my opinion is that he shouldn’t need any special preparation beyond some lubrication. Possibly just a layer of hand soap (re-applied if necessary) would suffice.
When his beard gets tougher, all of the above posts will come into play. I’ll add my own.
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Ideally use just enough pressure to keep the blade on the skin. Too much pressure WILL result in nicks and razor burn regardless of any preparation.
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Don’t try to squeeze too many uses out of a blade. Razor burn will occur.
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As Dex’s article notes, if he wants a closer shave, he can do a second pass against the grain. Or a second pass across the grain and a third against it.