A Guide to the Perfect Shave

On average, a man will shave approximately 20,000 times throughout his lifetime. If the average shave took 10 minutes, this would mean that men spend the equivalent of almost 140 days or 5 months shaving. But are we doing it correctly? In order to assure that you are making the most of your time and getting the best result from your razor, follow Christian Acuña’s step-by-step guide to the perfect shave below:

Preparation
Shaving– it is a daily ritual for most men yet it may damage and remove up to two layers of skin in the process. It is therefore imperative to prepare in order to protect the skin and experience a better shave.

The Basic Steps

Always shave after or during a hot shower but never before. The hot water helps to loosen up pores, cleanses the skin and softens hairs for a closer shave.
Before shaving, lightly exfoliate your skin to prepare the skin and to soften the beard, allowing the razor to glide easily. Once or twice a week, especially before commencing a shave, an exfoliator scrub should be used to help eliminate dead cells, excess sebum and residues from the skin surface. It will also assure a closer, safer and longer lasting shave.

Lather

It is important to use a good quality shaving gel for a close and comfortable shave. Christian Acuña shaving gel contains organic soothing aloe vera to prevent razor burn and redness.
Lather up a dab of your shave gel with a shave brush or your fingers to soften and raise the hair away from the skin. If you are uninitiated with the use of shaving brushes, it may be worth trying as they help generate a rich and warm lather, soften and lift the beard, open pores, bring sufficient water to the skin and help to gently exfoliate the skin.

Shaving

The most important rule of shaving is to always shave with the grain first – in the direction of hair growth. Shaving against the grain first can cause ingrown hairs and razor burns.
Ultimately, the brand name of the blade is far less important than the state it is in. Never use a blunt blade as it is distressing to the skin, causes redness and irritation and fails to evenly shave skin. The moment you feel your blade is not performing properly, replace it. You can also submerge the blade on mouth wash for a few minutes or longer to kill all the bacteria that accumulates between shaves and this simple technique will avoid any cross-contamination to your skin.

However, the blade is just one part of the equation. Finding a good razor to provide proper weight, balance and comfort for better control is also extremely important.
Putting great amounts of pressure will not change the outcome of the shave so long as the blade is clean and not overly used. Always glide the razor across the skin with a gentle pressure and if you are aiming for an even closer shave, re-lather and shave lightly across or against the grain, using small strokes to prevent irritation or razor burns. Around the neck area, where hair grows in different directions, run your finger along the skin to feel and adjust accordingly to shave with the grain. Use hot water to rinse off the blade when shaving. After you have finished, rinse the face thoroughly and pat dry.
If you have cut or nicked yourself whilst shaving, try using an aftershave block to stop the bleeding. We feel the need to use a post-shave serum that relieves razor bumps and ingrown hairs and calms irritated skin directly. Christian Acuña Organic Aftershave is simply the best shaving companion.

Moisturise

The last but often ignored step which is no less important than the shave itself, is to moisturise using an alcohol-free moisturiser balm or gel to soothe, refresh and regenerate the skin and to help close the pores. Christian Acuña moisturises collections are nourishing, soothing facial moisturisers that hydrates the skin, calms razor burn and helps to heal nicks. If you have dry or sensitive skin, try CA Organics normal to dry moisturiser for sensitive skin.

Visit us at our on-line store for a range of shaving products to suit your needs.

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