Shaving for Your Skin Type

The direction and condition of the beard vary across the face, particularly at the neck and beneath the nose, and a comfortable shave depends upon observing those differences.

The skin on your cheeks differs from the skin on your neck, which differs again from that patch beneath your nose where the grain changes direction. Some areas are oily, some are dry, and some contrive to be both at once. A man who drags a blade at the same angle across the entirety of his face, expecting a civilised result, has confused optimism with method.

The instrument deserves some consideration. A cartridge razor is convenient and suits many men. A double-edge safety razor uses one blade in a weighted handle and rewards a practised angle. An electric razor may be more comfortable where acne, very curly hair, or repeated ingrown hairs make a close blade shave troublesome. No instrument is best for every face. Whichever is chosen, keep it sharp and use little pressure.

Oily skin benefits from a wash with warm water and a gentle cleanser before the lather is made. Natural oil is not a substitute for shaving lubricant, and removing the excess allows the lather to reach the beard more evenly.

Lather made with a brush and a shaving soap or cream should be worked until it is dense, glossy, and wet enough to let the blade travel freely. Aerosol foam is quicker and may be adequate, but if it dries upon the face before the razor arrives, it has been applied too thinly or left too long.

If your skin is dry, wet the beard thoroughly before the blade arrives. A warm towel held to the face for thirty seconds softens the whiskers. The pores do not open, whatever the advertisements may say. Follow the towel with a shaving cream or soap which remains wet enough to let the blade travel freely.

With sensitive skin the direction of growth should govern the exercise. Make the first pass with the grain and let the weight of the razor supply the pressure; if a closer result is required, lather again and pass across the grain. Going directly against it is a common source of ingrown hairs and an inflamed neck.

Rinse the blade after each stroke. Replace a disposable blade after roughly five to seven shaves, or earlier when it tugs, and allow the razor to dry between uses. Do not shave directly over inflamed spots.

Rinse the face with cool or lukewarm water and apply a plain moisturiser afterwards. An alcohol-heavy aftershave may provide a dramatic sting, but drama is of limited value to skin across which a blade has just been drawn. Persistent ingrown hairs, pustules, or scarring deserve advice from a physician or dermatologist.

Further guidance

• How to shave, American Academy of Dermatology
• Razor bump prevention, American Academy of Dermatology