The Art of Shaving

The perfect shave. That is what all men strive for. In my 5-6 years of having to shave frequently I’ve tried many a technique and apparatus to try and achieve the closest shave (like the Gillette ads always say) to make my face feel as smooth as a baby’s bottom – not that I’d know what that feels like. The idea of the perfect shave has also gained added value for me, since I am now sporting a perfectly cultivated goatee. A goatee which has been in the works for almost a year now I might add.

Obviously the angle of this blog reflects on the male perspective of shaving, since I am fortunate enough only to have to shave above my neck so sorry to anyone who thought I was giving tips on shaving anywhere else.

So what is it that I think is essential for the perfect shave? Well ignoring a brand of shaving foam – which are generally the same anyway except for smell – both a good razor and aftershave are required to give the overall perfect sensation. Shaving foam, whilst essential for raising the hairs to ensure the blade removes as much hair as possible, should really only be used in my opinion to gauge your progress as you carefully make your way around and across your face.

Any aftershave is suitable, again the main difference being smell (of which I go for the nicer smelling ones) but I myself prepare to go for balms. It is essential to make sure that when applying the balm you cover everywhere you have shaved, otherwise it can be apparent to others that you don’t value nor do you care about the way you shave.

The most important element of the trio is no doubt the blade, which is the binding element in ensuring the closest shave. I began my shaving career with a Mach 3, which for many years was the shaving razor for men, the Coca-Cola of razor blades if you will. There were two further iterations of the Mach 3 in its lifespan, Mach 3 Turbo and Mach 3 Nitro, all of which added to the better shave. I myself have now upgraded to Gillette Fusion and since then Fusion Power and Fusion Power Stealth have hit the market.

The technique (and secret) of a good shave is this: the blade is a car, and you are driving it across your face. Why do you think the previous ones had “Turbo” and “Nitro” in the names? Those words are associated with automobiles. In fact it’s practically mandatory to make the “Vrrroooommmm” noise in your head as the blade glides across your face. Not only that but the Turbo was a sporty-red colour and the Nitro was a popping crystal-green. Those colours just scream speed! Now with Stealth they’re upgrading the speed of shaving to a Stealth Bomber, i.e. you should imagine a bomber flying across your face eliminating the hairy targets below. We can make shaving a game like that, and the game ain’t over till every last hair is eliminated. Fusion and Fusion Power added variety to the shaving experience by adding in the single blade on the back to account for those hard-to-reach places. I have personally found great use in them when precision shaving is needed to keep the shape of my goatee consistent. If you are completely clean shaven, then it is essential to begin your shave at the sides, ensuring you get clear uninterrupted sweeps to the chin allowing for maximum velocity of the blade. From there you can tidy up above the lip and then begin the back strokes from the neck upwards. If however you are of the bearded variety like me, I recommend starting above the lip, then a quick tidy around the bearded area before beginning the long strokes. Ultimately, if your initial strokes are unsuccessful in removing all traces of hair, there is nothing to stop you from making a second lap or second bombardment of the difficult areas.

Post shave you should be able to move the tips of your fingers around your face, feeling nothing but smooth skin. Once you can do that you can park your razor in its garage/hanger/case for the next time…

~The Damo