# Share your shaving tips **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 3, 2006, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085 "2006-10-03T06:51:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ender\_Will](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Ender\_Will](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ender_Will)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/1 "2006-10-03T06:51:23Z")
Inspired by [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=390495). I’m 22 and have been shaving regularly for, oh, six or seven years now. And I really suck at it, so this thread is as much for my education as it is for you to share and boast. I don’t cut myself or anything, but I don’t get a particularly close shave (there’s always a sandpaper-y feel, even immediately afterwards, and my beard isn’t very thick) and have a tendency to not get high enough up on my sideburns, so they creep down over time. I suppose that since I started the thread I’m obligated to share _something_, but I don’t have any good tips. The only thing I can think of is to use an electric razor/hair clipper to knock down the goatee or beard to a level that a manual razor can handle, but I’d hope everyone would have figured that out by now. Anybody got any revelations that will open my eyes? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/2 "2006-10-03T19:01:49Z")
[QUOTE=Ender\_Will] Anybody got any revelations that will open my eyes? [/QUOTE] Nothing really earthshaking, but in your linked thread, \*\* Frylock’s \*\* advice to shave with the grain is probably the most essential pearl of wisdom about shaving that anyone has to offer. I’d add that you shouldn’t expect to be completely baby’s-butt smooth everywhere, at the least, you’ll feel kind of rough if you rub your face against the grain of the hair. List of basic things: [ul] [li]Use a sharp, new razor[/li][li]Use quality shaving cream/gel/soap. There’s a difference between something like Edge and $0.50 Barbasol cream.[/li][li]Shave after you shower. The hot water/soap will soften your beard up nicely.[/li][li]Try to only cover an area once- don’t repeatedly shave an area, because that will irritate it.[/li][li]Clean your razor often while shaving.[/li][li]Shaving every day is easier and less painful than doing it every other day or more infrequently.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/3 "2006-10-03T19:03:29Z")
I shave IN the shower, at the end, once my face is nice and ready… get a shower mirror and give it a try… faster, cleaner, and much easier… ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/4 "2006-10-03T19:39:50Z")
[QUOTE=bump] [ul] [li]Clean your razor often while shaving.[/li][/ul] [/QUOTE] Wet and lather your face with hot water, rinse the razor (often) with COLD water. Dunno way this works but it does. Personally, I just use a trimmer to knock it down once in awhile. I only use the razor for special occasions. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/5 "2006-10-03T20:24:41Z")
1. If you share a permanent razor with your Mom, make sure you check to see if she has replaced the old blade before assuming it’s still dull and bearing down on your shin. 2. Decide to just shave your pits from now on. ---
**Author:** ![StinkyBurrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@StinkyBurrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StinkyBurrito)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/6 "2006-10-03T20:42:05Z")
I use an electric razor. The kind with the straight cutters in a line with a foil screen across them. I do a quick job with that just to ‘knock back’ most of the hair. Then I get in the shower. Near the end I lather up with a gell shaving cream for sensitive skin and shave with a cheap 2 blade Bic razor. I try not to shave with the same razor more than 3 or 4 days. I rinse the blade well after each stroke and even knock it against the side of the shower to get the hair out. I wouldn’t say that I go with the grain all the time, but I do my best to not go against the grain. My grain seems to be fairly eratic. I still get ingrowns or pimples where my neck creases under my chin, but it’s not too bad. On another shaving related note, I don’t understand shaving AFTER you get out of the shower. Don’t you end up with hair and shaving cream all over your face and down your chest requiring you to hop back in the shower? It seems better just to do it in the shower. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/7 "2006-10-03T21:03:20Z")
Prior to lathering, rinse your face with **cold** water. This will cause the skin to be a wee bit less puffy, so you get a slightly closer shave. For the same reason, don’t shave within a half hour after you wake up. Most men get good results by shaving **towards** the jawline. That is, **down** on the cheeks, and **up** on the neck. On the chin, go **sideways** around the curve. Shaving scrapes off dead skin cells and moisture along with the hairs, so follow your shave with a little hand lotion. Find and view W.C. Fields’s hilarious shaving scene. I recommend it to your attention. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/8 "2006-10-04T01:38:20Z")
Hmm I go against the grain and typically have no issues-perhaps my fine hair isn’t robust enough to cause trouble… ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/9 "2006-10-04T01:44:31Z")
[QUOTE=John DiFool] Hmm I go against the grain and typically have no issues-perhaps my fine hair isn’t robust enough to cause trouble… [/QUOTE] Yeah, me too. In fact, my facial hair is fine enough that I only do the full “gel/razor/hot water” shave maybe once a week. The rest of the time, I can usually do it dry. Of course, I do have a mustache/goatee combo, so it’s really only needed on my cheeks and neck. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/10 "2006-10-04T02:06:29Z")
My breakthrough discovery was to grasp the concept that shaving is essentially scraping one’s face. I’d been having too many problems with nicks with a plain razor, so for many years I’ve been doing a just-get-by job with an electric razor. I still use the electric razor mostly - it’s faster, and I feel I can use it safely without fully waking up. The blade razor is a closer shave. With the scraping the face idea, I’ve think I’ve got a better feel for shaving; what angle to hold the razor, and how to tell when I’ve covered an area pretty well. (My hair is blond, so it doesn’t stand out all that well.) Start by getting the face wet, probably hot water is better, but warm will do - and let the water soak into the hair to soften it up. Use shaving cream if you prefer, but I’ve found that I don’t really need it. Scrape until smooth. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/11 "2006-10-04T02:08:03Z")
Gentle does it. Don’t really need to get all of it in one pass. ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/12 "2006-10-04T02:37:29Z")
I hate shaving. About half the time I wear a full beard, but sometimes a goatee and currently mustache and muttonchops. I echo the new sharp razor, good cream, and shave in the shower advice from above. The best advice I ever heard I read somewhere, it’s the only time I have ever seen this but it does help a lot. When you put the shaving cream on your face (which should be after spending some time in warm-to-hot water) don’t just dab it on. Really rub it in and give your face a good massage while doing it. This supposedly prompts the oil glands in your skin to do their thing and adds another layer of lubrication to the event. The article went on to say shave with the grain on the first pass, then feel of your face and where it is still rough - shave that patch against the grain. I had always heard this was a no-no, but when I started using this technique, I started getting the smoothest shaves of my life. Oh yeah, and do the lotion thing afterwards. An older brother taught me most of my early shaving lessons and he would splash rubbing alcohol on after a shave – that’ll get you going in the morning! 😮 ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/13 "2006-10-04T04:06:33Z")
[QUOTE=Ender\_Will] Anybody got any revelations that will open my eyes? [/QUOTE] [The Master’s apprentice speaks.](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mshave.html) ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/14 "2006-10-04T04:21:54Z")
I get the best results with short strokes in the direction of my nose, except at the furthest-out cheek regions where it’s straight up. The exception is with my new Braun electric shaver, which is bar none the best electric I’ve ever owned – _except_ that it won’t shave my neck clean for love nor money. I have to finish the neck off with my Mach 3. Any clues here? ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-shaving-tips/375085/15 "2006-10-04T04:45:57Z")
Never, ever dry shave with a regular razor. Man, I hope this leg rash goes away soon.