There are many different types of products out there to help you achieve the smoothest, quickest, and overall best shave with many people agreeing that shaving foam is one of the very best choices. One thing that many people can’t figure out or agree on however is exactly how it’s supposed to be used in the most efficient way.
How much do you need to use in order to properly cover your entire face? What exactly is the point of even using shaving foam in the first place? How do you use a shaving brush and bowl to apply it? These are just a few of the questions that people most often ask when discussing shaving foam.
What Shaving Foam Does
The first and most important thing to discuss is exactly what shaving foam does for your skin and facial hair. What shaving foam does is that it helps you get the best shave possible by both lubricating and moisturizing your skin so that you are able to easily remove all of your facial hair without nicking your skin.
By applying it to your face you are basically covering your face in a thin layer of lubricant. This layer allows your razor to travel far more easily across your face which overall decreases the odds that you will cut yourself by mistake while also still allowing you to get a close enough shave that you will not still feel stubble despite being freshly shaven.
The lather also traps in a lot of moisture so that it is able to soften both your facial hair and your skin. By softening both your hair and skin you can get a smoother shave. This is because of the fact that the softer the hair is the easier it will be for you to cut.
It also keeps your hair in an upright position while you get ready to shave so that when you do shave you only have to shave in one direction but you will still get an equal smoothness over the entirety of your face. If you had to shave in more than one direction doing so without irritating your skin would be extremely difficult if not impossible.
The moisturizing also lasts well after you’ve shaved, keeping your face feeling nice and soft for an extended period of time. This time depends largely on the quality of the shaving foam you use. The higher the quality of your shaving foam the longer you will be able to enjoy the after-effects.
Shaving Foam vs Shaving Gel
Many people make the mistake of not properly distinguishing the difference between shaving foam and shaving gel as both come in very similar styles of cans. One way that you can mainly tell the difference between the two products is by examing the thickness.
Unlike shaving foam, shaving gel comes in an extremely concentrated form. Because of this people sometimes make the argument that it is better because it provides more lubricant and lets you use less of the product at the same time.
While this does provide extra lubrication for your skin it does not actually make it any less difficult for you to cut yourself by mistake and can actually do quite the opposite.
This heavily concentrated lather that the shaving gel creates causes your razor to dull faster. The reason for this is that it begins to clog your blades so you have to push the razor harder to effectively get rid of the hair. When doing this the result can be you accidentally slipping and nicking yourself, which nobody wants to happen.
Of course, there are many different types and qualities of these products but so far a wide agreed-upon result is that when it comes down to it shaving foam always trumps shaving gel as far as efficiency and smoothness is involved.
How to Use Shaving Foam
The first step to proper shaving using shaving foam is to wet your face with plenty of warm water. You want to make sure that this water is warm because otherwise, you will cause small goosebumps to form on your face that will prevent you from getting a smooth shave and possibly cause you to cut yourself by mistake.
Hold a towel gently against your face without rubbing so that it absorbs all of the moisture. If you have a very long beard you will want to first trim it so that your razor does not get clogged with hair and stays nice and sharp.
If you are choosing to use only your hands to apply the foam, which is the simplest method, simply squeeze a penny-sized dab of the foam into the center of your palm.
Slowly rub your hands together so that the foam builds into a thick lather and then rub it onto your face, covering all of your facial hair. Doing so in circular motions will increase the effectiveness by helping the shaving foam better get through your hair and onto your skin.
In the case that you are using a bowl and a shaving brush, there are specific steps for that as well. Placing a tiny drop of foam into the bottom of the bowl move the brush in circular motions until it has built up a thick lather.
If you want the lather to be warm you can first soak the brush in some hot water. You can do the same with the bowl which will result in a lather that is extra smooth. Then you can take the brush and use it to apply the lather to your face, making sure to press down hard enough that it touches your skin and not only your hair.
When shaving always slide the razor down in the direction that your hair grows. Going against the direction of growth can help you get a closer shave but it also has many cons that come along with it. It can cause an increase in razor burn, irritation, and a higher chance that you will accidentally cut yourself.
If you want to get an extra close shave instead of doing this you can pull on your skin so that it stretches. You should also lower your jaw and tilt your head back when you begin shaving your neck.
If you are not shaving your face and are instead shaving your pubic area there are different steps that you need to take. This way you get a clean shave without cutting yourself by mistake.
In order to shave this sensitive area, the first thing you are going to want to do is to make sure the area is moisturized before beginning. The best way that you could do this is by soaking in a warm shower or tub for five minutes. If you do not want to get completely soaked however you could instead hold a damp towel to the area.
If your hair is fairly long you should first trim with some small scissors so as to prevent your razor from being dulled very quickly. Using one of the same previously mentioned methods, apply the lather to your public area in downwards strokes. These downwards strokes will help ensure that you are completely covered and allow your skin to be moisturized more easily.
You may need to use a small hand mirror to ensure that all of your hair is completely covered. Using a non-dull razor, begin shaving in the same direction of the hair while also holding the skin back tightly, that way you can get a closer shave without running the risk of cutting yourself.
If this is something that you have no experience whatsoever with it is also recommended that you purchase and use a safety razor. Safety razors are normal razors with a special barrier on the front which prevents you from getting your skin caught between the blades. While it is still very possible to cut yourself with one of these the odds of that happening are greatly reduced.
You may need to set up a mirror during this part as well so that you can ensure you are getting all of the hair off. Rinsing off the razor after every stroke will also help with this because there will be less excess shaving foam obstructing your view.
Rinse using warm water. Never use cold water during this because it can cause goosebumps to form on your skin. This will increase the odds that your skin is irritated later on.
Once you do this wipe away the leftover lather. If there is any this might be an indication that you missed a spot while shaving and then pat the entire area with a dry and clean towel. Do not rub while you are drying off or else your skin will become irritated from the friction.
Now that all of the lather is removed you should double-check that you didn’t miss any spots using the mirror you had earlier. If there are any patches of hair left, you to need to repeat the previously listed steps for that specific area.
To also help prevent this irritation you should also apply some type of lotion or other moisturizers. You will want to be careful with what you choose to apply however because this area is so sensitive that certain fragrances found in lotions can cause more skin irritation.
For this reason, it is best to go with lotions that have little to no fragrance and only use enough to completely cover the area while gently massaging it in. You do not want to have too much on so that it does not properly dry.
Baby oils are also a valid choice for this because they are made specifically for sensitive skin. If by chance you do experience mild irritation, you can help soothe this by applying any type of moisturizer that contains Aloe Vera as one of its ingredients.
With these steps in mind, you will be able to get a nice clean shave every single time you pick up your razor. Although it may seem initially confusing, or possibly even more of a hassle than it is worth, following these steps is a piece of cake and will become easier with each shave as you practice more and more.
The first time you shave using these methods you will notice an astounding difference between using shaving foam compared to another shaving lubricant that will just encourage you to continue using it in the future whenever you feel that your facial hair is growing just a tad too long.
You will also notice that your shaving experience was not only more efficient and enjoyable than it usually is but that your face feels ten times smoother than normal by the time you are finished. To get these results all you have to do is follow these tips and they will grant you success each and every time.
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