FTM shaving tips?

Getting a comfortable shave is kinda a trial and error thing. What works for one person might not work for another person. But, as a person who was cursed with a relatively thick beard by 15 I'll give you some tips on what has worked for me.

General Tips: -Don't shave everyday. Some people can get by shaving like that but for people who have sensitive skin, like myself, shaving everyday can lead to breakouts and terrible razor burn.. even if you're just shaving with the grain. I generally do fairly well shaving every other day. If I'm not doing anything over the weekend, I generally give my skin a break and not shave.

-DON'T ONLY SHAVE AGAINST THE GRAIN. There are a couple places on my face where I can and do get away with shaving against the grain but my neck and cheeks (minus the sideburns) hate me when I shave against the grain and I end up feeling like my face is on fire for the next couple of days when I do it. By all means, experiment with shaving against the grain but if it cause irritation in some spots I wouldn't recommend continuing it there.

My routine: 1. I never shave unless I can take a hot shower before hand. This should be pretty common knowledge that doing so softens the hair for an easier shave it also opens up the pores which we'll get to. I generally give my self no less than 5 minutes in a steamy shower with my face directly in the water for about 3 of those. It's also good too wash your face as it keeps dirt and oils from getting into your pores. (I never really bother with soap, as my face has always been naturally dry, but I've heard that unscented bar soap is best for washing your face.)

2.Right after showering and toweling off (LEAVE YOUR FACE WET), I go straight to the sink and splash my face with cold water. Not a lot mind, about 3 hand fulls of water is what I normally go for. I started doing this on recommendation as it is supposed to close your pores and help eliminate the risk of breakouts but still leaves the hair soft for shaving. [There's a post in here saying the closing pores thing is fake. Personally, I don't really care if it is or isn't cause, after I started hitting my face with cold water right before shaving, it has reduced irritation for me.]

3.Apply shaving cream/gel. I use Barbasol cream with Aloe but you'll want to experiment with different brands and types. (Again, same with the soap, I've heard that unscented/lightly scented ones are best as they cause less irritation for sensitive skin.) Applying your cream/gel is pretty straight forward, the only rule I tend to follow is that if by the time I've covered everything I plan to shave my hands are dry I've used too little and should apply a bit more.

4.Now onto the razors. From what I've heard and seen most people are totally fine with just using one type of razor for the whole face. Myself, I need two different razors: a multi-blade razor (I prefer using Harry's Razors but I honestly don't think it matters that much... I just like them for the price) and a single-blade disposable razor. I use the multi-blade for my cheeks only and the single blade for everything else (neck, chin, and upper lip).

5.Shaving isn't as straight forward as it would seem but when it doubt (and you don't care about not getting a close shave) shave WITH the grain. I personally go through about 6-7 different strokes between the two razors (note: I don't use each stroke type across my whole face). -I always start shaving, after hitting the razor with hot water, with the multi-blade on one of my cheeks going across the grain (parallel with my jaw bone) starting at my lips and going towards my ear moving from my jaw upwards and stopping just before the bone ends (I always stop here because going further always leads me to nicking the skin right behind my jaw bone when shaving in this direction.. I hit that area with the next stroke). -Then, I reverse direction and shaving (still across the grain) going from my ear to my lips. -To finish off my cheeks I shave against the grain only at my sideburns along with the underside of my jaw but not my neck (I do this because one: That area of my face doesn't get irritated when shaving against the grain and two: It's where the most hair is on my cheeks so I like the close shave... Again, shaving is trial and error.. just because I can get away with shaving against the grain in those spots doesn't mean you can. So, by all means, try shaving that way but don't be discouraged if you end up with breakouts and irritation). Also, I rinse my razor between my cheeks and only then but if you have a lot of hair or long hair to shave off you might want to rinse a couple more times. I just do it that way cause I can get away with it now. -At this point I ditch my multi-blade (after rinsing and drying it) for my single blade. I prefer using this one for only three shaves before tossing it (about four to six for the multi-blade but I really do that one more on feel then uses nowadays). So, if you're one of those people who uses their razor for a whole month before replacing it, break the damn habit. -To start with the single blade, I shave starting at my neck going from my jaw line down and from just outside my chin toward my ears. This, for me, isn't quite across the grain on my neck but it's not with it either. I'd say it's about a 45 degree angle with the grain. Rinsing the blade between each side of my neck and again before moving to my chin.

Btw, let's stop for a moment to talk about the grain direction. The hair on your face doesn't all grow in the same direction. (If it does, you're weird but that's beside the point.) Take the time, when you're a bit scruffy, to really get a good idea on how the hair on your face grows, as this will help you to figure out how best to shave your face. For me my hair grows as follows: The hair on my cheeks grows in three directions distributed pretty evenly (with the exception of my sideburns). It goes straight down towards my jawline, down at a backward facing angle and down at a forward facing angle (with a concentration of this at my sideburns). My chin hair grows straight down with a thin line that runs along my trachea. My neck hair grows at a backward facing angle but not quite parallel with my jawline. And, the hair right on my jaw bone grows parallel with it going straight back. This change in growth is why you can't just shave in one direction and call it done normally. Now back to the shaving.

-At my chin I shave, starting at my adam's apple, against the grain up to my lower lip going slowly as I round the bone. (Again, I do this because my skin doesn't break out or get irritated there when shaving against the grain - as it would if I were shaving against the grain on my neck - and because I have a lot of hair there and I like the close shave. Your post says that your chin is a problem area so, if you've experimented with shaving against the grain there already and still deal with irritation and breakouts, I'd suggest trying across the grain or with the grain.) -Lastly, I shave my upper lip going against the grain on both sides (blah blah blah.. trial and error.. blah blah blah. I get more irritation and a shitty shave shaving with the grain there.. blah blah). -To finish I rinse my face with cold water, gently dry it off with a clean towel, and hit my face with both a pea sized portion of Aloe gel (especially at my chin and neck) and then a lotion to keep my face from drying out too much.

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