6 Shaving Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
As we move away from winter and into spring, you might be thinking about ditching the facial hair and letting your chin see the light of day again. Even if you’ve always preferred the clean-shaven look, are you definitely doing it right? Check out our top 6 shaving mistakes and how you can avoid them.
You probably learned to shave from your dad or other father figure in your life. Now, you might look to YouTube for techniques and tips on shaving products as well. What’s the best shaving gel? What does shaving cream actually do? There’s answers for everything – but what about the basics?
With so much advice and so many tips out there, alongside the fact that every man’s skin is different, you might not know where to start with a proper, healthy shave.
Let’s dive in to some of the most common shaving mistakes and what you can do to make sure you’re treating your skin well when shaving.
1. You Don’t Prep Your Facial Hair First
In order to have a close and non-irritating shave, you need to make sure the hairs you intend to get rid of are properly softened right down to the follicle.
One of the big mistakes we hear a lot about is shaving with cold water rather than warm. Another good tip is to shave straight after you’ve got out of the shower, so your facial hair soft and ready to be shaved. You can replicate your barber’s way of doing things and lay a warm towel or flannel over your face to get the skin breathing. All these small things add up to a well-prepared face that will allow your razor to glide smoothly.
2. You Don’t Change Your Blades Enough
It can be tempting to try and save on razor blades by using the ones you’ve got for a little longer than you should. Razor blades often seem expensive, but they are worth replacing often if you are going to avoid friction and dragging across the skin.
Of course, not changing your blades could lead to nicks and cuts, which is never a good look. Also, there could be a build-up of dead skin and general clogging no matter how much you clean your razor, so it’s best to change your blades regularly. We have our very own super special bamboo razor which comes with an aloe-vera strip for extra lubrication, and five steel blades that help you to shave more smoothly.
3. You Rush to Get It Over With
Your morning routine may consist of rolling out of bed ten minutes before you have to leave for work, or maybe you get up and do the full Patrick Bateman regime (minus his less-than-savoury hobbies), but either way, you shouldn’t rush through your shave. If you rush it, there are more chances of cuts, nicks and grazes. All of these things may end up adding time to your morning as you stem the bleeding and try and mitigate the damage.
We think it’s best, if at all possible, to enjoy your shave. Take the opportunity to treat yourself luxuriously and enjoy the few minutes of quiet you-time that might be your only chance for the day. Choose a soothing shaving gel or shaving products that contain ingredients designed to invigorate.
4. You’re Shaving in the Wrong Direction
As we said before, you might have been taught to shave by the generation before you and, since everyone does it a little differently, you should definitely do a bit of research into the best way to shave for your desired look.
One of the biggest mistakes we see is men shaving against the direction of growth. This increases the chances of irritation and therefore itchiness, which itself can leave the skin looking flaky. Always shave with the direction of growth, at least for the first pass over the face. With the right razor, a close shave is expected. However, if you haven’t got as close as you want first time, you can go against the grain when you shave that area again. You’ll feel it if you don’t do it quite right, and you’ll get into the hang of it, but it’s important to go with the grain at first.
6. You Stop When the Razor Does
The shave doesn’t stop with the razor. In fact, it might only be one of the starting points of your grooming regime. We’ve mentioned aftershave above, but what about the rest?
Follow your shave with a quality moisturiser so you can lock in all that hydration, helping that smooth feeling last all day. Remember to choose a moisturiser that works with your skin type – you can choose from Bulldog’s ranges, including Sensitive, Age Defence, Oil Control or our good ol’ fashioned Original range.
The main thing to remember is to be kind to your face. Don’t press too hard, don’t rush it, and treat your face with the right products designed specifically for your face and skin.