Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 3Splitting hairs--the first pass
Okay, now you're lathered up and ready to go. Your razor of sharp and your beard if soft. You're going to do two passes when you shave--one with the gain of the hair, and one against. The first is to get rid of the tougher hair and to take care of the free radicals that grow against the grain. The second pass is to bring it all up flush.
Most people start with the sideburns and work down to the mustache and chin area. I go the opposite way, just because my hair is toughest at the neck and chin and I like to tackle that part when the razor is sharp. If you're a novice I'd recommend using the straight razor only for the sideburns the first couple of times you shave and ding the rest with your normal razor. Once you're comfortable enough with this, move on the more areas of the face. The trickiest part of your face is probably the mustache.
Open the razor so that the handle hangs to the side, out of your way (about a 230 degree angle from closed, see picture), and grip it with your thumb and forefinger by the metal throat area behind the blade, where the razor company's logo is most likely located. That may be confusing, so look at picture one for a better illustration of this. Hold your skin taut, and starting wherever you prefer, lay the razor at a twenty degree angle against your skin and scrape it gently with the grain of your hair, blade forward. ALWAYS move it in the direction perfectly perpendicular to the blade's edge--don't make any horizontal slicing or sawing movements. This may or may not be common sense, but I figure I should mention it because if you make this mistake, YOU GONNA GET CUT. Also mind the angle. The tight angle might be hard to hold at first; you'll find yourself tending more toward a high, say forty degree, slant. This can be dangerous because an inclined razor is more likely to cut you. The razor's spine actually stays pretty close to your face--though if your angle is too tight, you'll be ripping hairs out rather than shaving them. Don't worry, this all becomes instinct with time.
When you do the mustache, always cut downwards or to either side--never up. If you foul up or slip you're going to do some epic damage to your nose. For this reason you might have to do three passes here, especially if your whiskers are tough: one down, one to the left and one to the right.
Also be careful around your ears. There are some weird contours here and you need to make sure you get all the hair without cutting yourself. When in doubt, take it slow; if still in doubt, put the straight razor aside and use your Mach 3.
After the first pass, you probably won't have a perfectly shaves face. In fact, it might barely look like you've shaved at all--but no worries, it's going to be easier for you during the second pass.
Most people start with the sideburns and work down to the mustache and chin area. I go the opposite way, just because my hair is toughest at the neck and chin and I like to tackle that part when the razor is sharp. If you're a novice I'd recommend using the straight razor only for the sideburns the first couple of times you shave and ding the rest with your normal razor. Once you're comfortable enough with this, move on the more areas of the face. The trickiest part of your face is probably the mustache.
Open the razor so that the handle hangs to the side, out of your way (about a 230 degree angle from closed, see picture), and grip it with your thumb and forefinger by the metal throat area behind the blade, where the razor company's logo is most likely located. That may be confusing, so look at picture one for a better illustration of this. Hold your skin taut, and starting wherever you prefer, lay the razor at a twenty degree angle against your skin and scrape it gently with the grain of your hair, blade forward. ALWAYS move it in the direction perfectly perpendicular to the blade's edge--don't make any horizontal slicing or sawing movements. This may or may not be common sense, but I figure I should mention it because if you make this mistake, YOU GONNA GET CUT. Also mind the angle. The tight angle might be hard to hold at first; you'll find yourself tending more toward a high, say forty degree, slant. This can be dangerous because an inclined razor is more likely to cut you. The razor's spine actually stays pretty close to your face--though if your angle is too tight, you'll be ripping hairs out rather than shaving them. Don't worry, this all becomes instinct with time.
When you do the mustache, always cut downwards or to either side--never up. If you foul up or slip you're going to do some epic damage to your nose. For this reason you might have to do three passes here, especially if your whiskers are tough: one down, one to the left and one to the right.
Also be careful around your ears. There are some weird contours here and you need to make sure you get all the hair without cutting yourself. When in doubt, take it slow; if still in doubt, put the straight razor aside and use your Mach 3.
After the first pass, you probably won't have a perfectly shaves face. In fact, it might barely look like you've shaved at all--but no worries, it's going to be easier for you during the second pass.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
 |
Add Comment
|
