5 Major Shaving Mistakes Made & Ways to Avoid Them

When we shave, we are susceptible to falling into a routine and just keep continuing whatever we’ve traditionally done even though we’re dissatisfied with the outcomes. In this article, we will endeavor to help you break the bad old habits and discuss the 5 biggest shaving mistakes men make along with their respective solutions. 

During your growing years, you must have remembered how your dad showed you the way to shave with a cartridge razor system. Presumably, that is what you kept doing even though you never liked the result and the process. Apart from that, it was costlier than any barbershop in Rancho Cucamonga or elsewhere. But you were clueless about what to do. Fortunately, this write-up would help you. 

Mistake#1 Not Doing a Proper Prep Work Routine 

It hardly matters how you shave. You always wish to assimilate a proper prep work routine as you can avail yourself of a better shave and your skin will be grateful to you for it. It all begins with sponging your face in hot water as it opens the pores of your skin and soothes your hair. For a grand luxury treatment, you may use a moist towel too. Someone has experimented by putting it in the microwave for nearly 30 seconds and keeping it on his face for almost a couple of minutes. When you don’t have that surplus time in the morning, you may simply take a warm hot shower earlier, and that’s all needed before a shave.  

Mistake#2 Using a Blade That isn’t Sharp Enough 

We’ve become used to cartridge razors and they apply dull blades. Make note that the major advertising campaigns of cartridge razor systems never mention the sharpness of the blades. The number of blades hardly matters. The sharpness of the blade is most important. They usually talk about the number of blades, the handle, the lubrication strip, the light, the vibration, and whatnot. But they ignore the most crucial parameter, which is sharpness. Without the sharp blade, all the other things are irrelevant.  

Cartridge razors are the wrong choice for maximum men. Unless you possess very thin hair and perfect skin, a cartridge system is simply useless.  

So, the next tool apart from a cartridge system is the double edge razor or safety razor. Probably your great-grandpa used to shave with it. A DE safety razor is sharper compared to a cartridge. Cost-wise it is affordable but sensitive to use. 

The major benefit of a DE safety razor is that you get a much better-quality shave at an inexpensive price in a cartridge system. 

Mistake#3 Focus on the Value & Convenience 

The blunder most men commit is to simply concentrate on the direct cost as well as the convenience and not on the real quality of the shave, the cost per shave, and the net value. Nowadays, most men don’t wish to spend too much money upfront and seek something easy and convenient. The major challenge with that low upfront price is that it’s quite pocket-pinching and a midterm in the long run. 

In the cartridge systems, the handle only costs around five to ten dollars, and often they even throw it in for free. But the cartridge itself costs anywhere from $1 – $8 and so you add up the cost faster if you shave for a few months only. That’s why, with a quality shave system, you need to invest a bit more upfront. However, the cost per shave goes way down. 

Mistake#4 Giving Up After Trying a New Shaving System 

It has been observed very often that someone is dissatisfied with a cartridge system or with their electric shaver. That’s why they upgrade to another shave system. Then they try it once. Despite the lack of proper technique, they think it’s not working for them, and they revert to their conventional methods. So, the system isn’t the main challenge. You are yet to develop the right technique. Give it a couple of weeks. Once you attain expertise, you will realize its convenience.  

With a DE shaver, you need to hold it a bit differently compared to a cartridge razor, and ideally, you do multiple passes. Initially, you go in long strokes with the grain as it’s soothing on your skin and it gets off the long hairs from your face. 

The second pass lets you go against the grain in short strokes and always ensures cleaning out the blade with hot water in between that way you achieve a better result compared to a clogged blade.  

Mistake#5 Not Using Proper High Fat Lubrication 

The shave cream lubricant is the exclusive thing to protect your skin from the sharp blade. You require a lubricant for the razor to perform its task without scratching or irritating your skin. There’s no concept like over lubrication. Unfortunately, most men don’t sufficiently lubricate. Lubrication in the shaving world derives from fat. That’s why, the higher the fat content in your shaving cream, the better it is for your skin. 

Unfortunately, maximum gels and shaving creams nowadays are designed to be cheap only, and so they avoid the necessary oils in the shaving cream. Rather, they prefer chemicals and alcohol which dries out your skin, and often they simply include air. That’s why it appears more than it is. So, refrain from using any shaving creams that come out of a can as they’re low in fat and they don’t lubricate too. It is recommended that a high-fat quality shave cream should be lathered up with a brush that was soaked in the water earlier as that produces a rich lather and the brush will lift the hair follicles from your skin. 

Inference 

You may visit a barbershop in Claremont or your nearby location if you are hesitant to shave and prefer a shave from a professional.