Tips to get a close clean shave (men only)

Gentlemen,

What advice would you give to obtain a close and clean shave of your face? Temperature of water? Type of razor? Shaving cream? Aftershave? Method of shaving?

Any tips?

Good lighting and any of the Gillette products are what I use and recommend for a good shave. I have never gooten a decent shave from any brand of electric razor as my heavy whiskers need the blade! Hot water and a good soap are part of my shaving ritual every morning.

The best advice I can give on the subject? Quit shaving. No more razor burn, no more cuts, no more shaving products to buy, no more wasting that precious few minutes in the morning.

For a really close shave, shave in the shower, or at least immediately after getting out of the shower....make sure the rasor sits in a sink of hot water.

Brand of shaving cream really doesn't matter; even butter will do, it's only a lubricant.

Important thing is to have your face hot.

Has anyone tried "Neat"? I haven't, I just wondered.

I tried it on my back hair once and it did a fair job

I vote with the Rev on this one: quit shaving, just keep it trimmed up. I quit decades ago, because it hurt, so I've had a full beard most of my adult life. I bought one of those little electric trimmer things and keep my facial hair about a centimeter long. So I'd say the secret for a good shave is to do it without anything touching your facial skin.

But if you *must* shave, the basic secret is lots of hot water. Keep it wet and warm during the painful process of scraping and lacerating your face and you'll minimize the damage. And go slowly, using short strokes. (Heh... good advice for other activities too...) If you do that high speed zip zop move you see the guys on tv ads doing you'll rip your face off.

Don't be a cheap bastard and use the same dull razor for too long! I'll even take my own advice one of these days.

I haven't bought shaving cream in years and years - just use soap. But like TP (the other one) said, get your face pre-soaked with hot water. And MMMike is also right, once you feel it getting rough, toss it and put in a new one.

I ususally shave in the evening - learned that trick when I had to get up at 4:45 - ANYTHING to simplify stumbling around in a stupour!

That's odd, I've seen alot of suggestions for warm water. Advice given to me in the past had called for the opposite. Apparently cold water helps raise the hair, as a reaction to the cold similar to goosebumps. Either way I end up doing one or the other, I'm not picky.

I suspect the water temperature doesn't matter at all, but shaving is quite a horrible enough experience as it is. Warm water sure feels a lot nicer...

I don't understand why you guys hate shaving soo much....I look forward to a nice smooth face in the monrning.....

....maybe its because I don't have a really heavy beard though.....I usually shave every second or third day and I usually use the electric shaver....unless I feel like the really good razor shave, usually on sunday.....

....many of my friends have told me that if you have the heavy beard then the elecric shaver don't work......and that people with chubby faces have a harder time shaving? interesting

here's some advice from a former stylist (yes, we did shaves and trims)

Cold water will leave stubble behind because when the erector pili muscle (that's the muscle that raises the hair) relaxes the skin goes down. The razor only cuts what's above the skin

Hot water the best choice. It's not for the skin but for the hair. Too soften it. Makes it easier for the blade to cut.

You want to keep that blade sharp for as long as possible let it sit in rubbing alcohol after each use. It will clean and sharpen the blade.

Don't keep going over the same area. That's what causes razor burn. Only go over the area once.

A cold splash of water AFTER a shave will close up the pores so you won't get shavers acne.

Interesting comments. My beard is thick and heavy, and the older I get the thicker and heavier it seems to get (so what the Hell's wrong with the hair on my head??). Shaving has, from the first day I did it, been a painful experience. I'd have to shave twice or three times a day to keep a nice smooth face like Hank gets from shaving every second or third day, and be damned if I'm going to do that. I gave up daily shaving at about 25, after doing it for a decade and hating every second of it. Since then, I've been clean shaven for a period of a few weeks, around the time my daughter was two, because she wanted to know what I look like without facial hair. Other than that, I haven't cleared off the old homestead for over 30 years.

I do not, however, grow a beard. I've never grown a beard in my life. I simply don't shave, and what happens to my face under those circumstances has nothing to do with me. I was never consulted about it, and accept no responsibility for it.

...painful...wow...I have never found it painful...although I do have to say I was envious of people like you when I was younger because I could never grow facial hair.....although I can grow some now but it does take some time, maybe a week.....and I hate how it gets soo darn itchy.

..anyways have you ever tried the new electric gadgets, I mean they wont work if you have a full beard but if you do it every morning it probably will work.....and maybe it would be less painful..heck ya dont even need water... it only takes me a minute flat in the mornin to shave with it.

Dexter, you could always try Nair.

Yeah sure, I'll get around to it, but first I have some red hot stainless steel needles I need to stick in my eyes...

Not a chance I'd put Nair on my face. I dunno what's in it, but it dissolves hair, so it must be something pretty caustic. Like Drano, which is mostly sodium hydroxide. It also smells bad, and I've heard too many stories from women who've tried it on their legs and ended up with burned skin and lots of patchy hair left. That wouldn't improve my looks at all.

...ahhh Nair...actaully I have used it a few times.... I usually use it on my chest hair but it friggin burns the nips....lol....so I can't sleep on my belly for a day or two.

...and I would never use it on my face....or I'd probably look like a tomatoe