How to Achieve a Smoother Shave

January 16, 2023Drew Mitchell

Most men were never taught to shave. If you were lucky, a father or a father-figure showed you once. The rest picked it up by trial and error, and kept the errors.

A smoother shave is mostly a matter of correcting a handful of shaving mistakes. Here's how.

Start With a Sharp Blade

A dull razor doesn't cut hair, it drags it. The hair gets pulled around before it parts, and the skin at the base of it takes the strain. Then, because the shave wasn't close, you go over the same ground again, and the irritation compounds.

Change the blade when it starts to tug. Never persist with one because it still looks fine.

Use a Proper Lather

Your shaving soap, cream or gel does three jobs. It shows you where you have and haven't shaved. It hydrates the hair, which makes it easier to cut. And it reduces friction between blade and skin, which protects both.

A dense lather from a good soap, worked with a brush, beats a fistful of aerosol foam.

Shave Damp, and Shave Clean

Shave shortly after a shower. Dry your hair and shoulders and leave your face damp enough to take the soap.

Wash your face first. Shaving removes the top layer of dead skin along with the stubble, and you don't want to be dragging the day's oil and grime across freshly exposed skin. Pat dry with a soft towel kept for the purpose. Don't rub.

If you're prone to razor burn, a pre-shave oil lays a protective film down before the blade arrives.

Start With the Easy Bits

Flat areas absorb the moisture from your lather quickly. The awkward corners — under the chin, around the ears — need more care and more time.

So begin with the sideburns, keeping them level. Then the moustache and chin. By the time you reach the difficult ground, the lather has had time to do its work.

Be Gentle

Shaving requires no force. The blade should glide. If it doesn't, either the technique is wrong or the blade is blunt.

Pressing the razor into your face doesn't cut closer to the root. It creates a valley that pushes the hair base away from the edge, and it irritates the skin. Stop pressing.

Don't Neglect Aftercare

Traditional aftershaves used alcohol, which is why they stung and why they left your face red. The sting was reframed as part of the ritual, because there wasn't an alternative.

There is now. A modern aftershave balm, or a plain moisturiser, calms and hydrates the skin without the flush. Apply while the skin is still slightly damp.

Smoother Shave FAQs

Should you shave before or after a shower?

After. Warm water softens the hair and the surface of the skin, and washing first removes the oil and grime that would otherwise be dragged across freshly shaved skin.

Why is my shave never close enough?

Usually a blunt blade, or pressing too hard. Neither gets you closer to the root; both irritate the skin.

Do I need a shaving brush?

Not strictly, but a brush works the lather into each hair and lifts it upright, which makes it easier to cut. It also gives a little gentle exfoliation.

What should I put on my face after shaving?

A balm or moisturiser, on damp skin. Alcohol-based aftershaves sting and redden freshly shaved skin.

Which part of my face should I shave first?

The flat areas — sideburns, then moustache and chin. Leave the awkward corners under the chin and around the ears until last, so the lather has longer to soften them.