Shave Like a Gentleman

This Instructable will teach you the art of shaving like a gentleman. There are many ways to shave but I believe this is the best method and will avoid razor burn and will exfoliate your skin. I say art because sure you can pick up a disposable razor and some cheap shaving cream in a can but there is no class in that. when you shave like this you don't feel like its such a chore. 

To get a proper shave what is required is:

-A razor- I use a safety razor that uses Mach 3 cartridges. I could use the usual mach 3 handle but I prefer one with a little more feel to it so I bought a wooden handled one off of Ebay. You could also use a strait razor or old style safety razor.
-Shaving soap- and a shaving mug to hold it in. You can get shaving soap at Walmart or London Drugs
-A shaving brush- This is key to get a proper lather with your shaving soap and to lift the hair on your face.
-A stand to hold it all-  this is optional I made mine out of a coat hanger using this instructable, https://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Your-Own-Razor-and-Shaving-Brush-Stand/ .
-A nice clean shaving area- move away clutter and shave in a zen.

This step takes only a few seconds and will help make your razors last longer and cut hair better. run your razor along your arm hair, backwards, by this I mean slide it not as if you were shaving your arm but moving in the opposite direction. slide it about 15 times before you shave and when you are done. what this does is, use your skin and hair to clean the blades and straiten any small nicks or imperfections they might have. If my description did not explain this well enough the picture above should help. 

-WHY USE SHAVING SOAP NOT CANNED SOAP- You might be thinking "why would I go to the work of buying shaving soap and a shaving brush then making my own lather when I could just go buy a can of shaving cream that does all of that for me?" Well there are a few good reasons for this. I once read that calling canned shaving cream real shaving cream is like calling a fast food burger a real restaurant burger. The problem with canned shaving cream is that it forms small bubbles when it expands after coming out of the can so many of those small bubbles are making gaps against your skin where you now have no shaving cream.  When you apply shaving cream from a can you usually smear it on with your hand which flattens your facial hair and makes it harder for your razor to cut it all. When you use a shaving brush it makes sure your shaving cream is evenly distributed onto your face, it makes your facial hair stand up and exfoliates your face.

-MAKING A LATHER-now down to business splash warm water onto your face and run warm water onto your shaving brush. Dab the end of your brush against the soap until you have a good amount on the end like in the picture above. Start putting this onto your face adding more soap if needed until most of the shaving area is covered. To get the nice soapy lather add a little more water to your brush and make quick circles on your face. you should be getting a nice soapy look. If the soap is dripping off your face and down your chest your have added to much water. 

Your all lathered up and ready to cut some hair. Wet your razor. I'm assuming everyone reading this has already learned how to shave so the only thing I'm going to teach you here is don't start shaving from one side of your face and work to the other side like most men do. Start shaving your chin and mustache area because these tends to be the hardest areas to shave and when you first start your razor is at its sharpest. Also be mindful of the ways your facial hair sits it doesn't all cut in the same direction. most of mine cuts best downwards but my neck cuts best sideways.

once your done dry your face and add a small amount of lotion because you now have no natural oils protecting your face from drying out.

Rinse your razor off and blow through the blades to get the water out. Rinse your brush out and give it a little squeeze to get the excess water out. Take a towel and dry the brush off from the center outwards to puff out the bristles nicely. Set your brush in an area with some air flow so it drys out and doesn't get musty.