With Modere’s newest product offering being an exciting range designed specifically for men’s hygiene, I thought it might be a good time for a ‘refresher course’ on how you fellas can get that perfect shave. You know the shave we’re talking about? The shave where your face is almost pre-pubescent, where that ‘shaving rash’ as we like to call it simply doesn’t appear anymore…Oh yes, it’s possible!
A lot of men think they know how to shave “Oh I just whack on a bit of cream and off we go”. No. That’s not how you shave. Allow me to share with you my technique that’s taken me years to perfect through trial and error (and many tiny bits of torn up toilet paper), but once I discovered it, I never got shaving rash again. Ever. Now unless you’re in the Armed Services where it’s long been mandatory for men to shave every day, in real civilian life, it’s not. It might have been once upon a time, but c’mon folks, it’s 2016 and even the whitest of collars isn’t required to shave every day, in fact, the white collar profession has seen a resurgence in the ‘scruffy’ look, the ‘five o’clock shadow’ and the ‘three day growth’ is coming back faster than you can say Cold Chisel. Righto, let’s get to it:
Step 1. Firstly and most importantly you want to allow your chin whiskers grow to the right length. This is always overlooked by men suffering from constant shaving rash. I let my whiskers get to between 2mm and 5mm in length before I take to them with a sharp object, you don’t have to get out the ruler it’s just an estimate! This way you’re not agitating the skin too frequently, nor are you ‘pulling’ at the hairs as you shave. For me, I shave once a week, I could push that to twice a week, but once is enough (and my beard grows quite quickly). This step is more important than you think when it comes to reducing the dreaded rash.
Step 2. Take a long, hot shower. I know, it’s kind of frowned upon, but in Australia we all pay our water rates based on the value of our properties, not so much on how much water we use. So fellas, exercise your right to a wash that’s longer than 30 seconds! A good hot flow of water to the face will relax the skin and prep your whiskers for a nice close shave.
Step 3. Apply Modere Men’s Shave Cream immediately after your shower. Yep, you can dry everywhere else, but don’t allow your face to dry. You want to keep your face wet and then apply the cream either with your hands or a shaving brush, whatever floats your boat. This will result in a wet and thick lather that’s ready for the razor.
Step 4. Use a decent razor. Some men like to get away with the cheap and cheerful twin or even single blade razors, but with the option of using 3, 4, or even 5 bladed razors these days means less strokes – which means less chance of irritation. Now that I’ve got that off my chest, it’s time for you to shave. Personally, I shave both with and against the grain. I know a lot of people have been told to shave with the grain, but I think that’s a load of shaving cream. To begin, I like to shave up my neck to my jaw line all the way around. Then I tackle my sideburns, tash, chin, and the rest of my face all the while being careful not to press too hard or lightly for that matter. Smooth even strokes is the name of the game.
Step 5. Once I’m satisfied with my shave, it’s time to wash off the excess lather. I like to do this with warm water first and then splash on some cold water to close the pores on my face and prep it for some Modere Post Shave Balm. A small amount of this balm lightly massaged into the face and neck makes for a nice cooling finish. I then go forth and conquer the day. So there you have it, it’s not rocket science, fellas. It’s five simple steps that took me nearly 25 years to perfect! Give it a go, I’d love to hear if my technique works for you, or if you have a technique of your own that results in the ‘perfect shave’. Do share!