Shaving Technique

Greenman Body Oil is useful for daily skin care, and also for shaving, and as a hair oil or beard oil. It’s a convenient, general purpose skin care product, easy to keep in your travel bag.

Greenman Body Oil helps your skin maintain its boundary with the environment. The natural plant oils are similar to skin’s natural oils, creating a layer that controls dehydration, thus helping moisturise, and help keep dirt and microbes out.

In addition, anti-oxidants and nutrients including vitamin E are provided by Wheatgerm oil. Tea Tree oil is effective against bacteria, fungus and virus, and helps create an antiseptic environment of the skin surface.

The combination of Rose Oil and Tea Tree create a warm, natural scent with floral hints. An elusive, intriguing combination of masculine and feminine.

When shaving, remember Greenman Body Oil is not a modern shave cream. It does not contain strong soap or detergent to allow moisture to penetrate the hair, nor does it contain chemical lubricants. Thus, please use traditional shaving technique for best results: take your time, wash the hair to be shaved with hot water and soap to soften the hairs, then apply the oil and shave.

Principles of shaving
Like many things in life, the way to a good shave is through focus and practice. Try to make a pleasurable routine of bathing and shaving.

With practice, shaving with oil and hot water is the work of a couple of minutes or so. But what’s happening is quite complex. As you work the oil and water into your skin and hair with your fingertips or a brush, your aim is four fold:
• to cleanse and relax your skin, opening the pores and hair follicles;
• to lubricate and protect your skin so the razor blade slides smoothly over;
• to moisten and soften the hair so the blade can bite it;
• to get the hair standing up from the skin by brushing and coating with oily water.

Prepare yourself
Prepare the area you’re about to shave. Wash your skin with pure soap or cleanser and hot water. The best time to shave is after a hot bath or shower. If you are in a hurry you can simply rinse with hot water, apply oil and shave, but it won’t be as smooth and easy as it is when you allow a little time. Some people recommend placing a hot wet towel on the shave area for a couple of minutes – I think a hot bath does exactly the same job.

Use a natural, nourishing, protective oil
After cleansing, your skin is exposed. Avoid harsh chemicals – use a natural nourishing, lubricating oil with natural, protective waxes and a gentle antiseptic effect. Greenman Shave Oil is perfect for this. Its unrefined ingredients form a thick film and have a natural feel and faint honeyed aroma.

Use a good, clean razor blade
The Gillette Mach 3 triple blade razor with titling head is convenient, safe and gives good results. The blades are sharp when new, so shave gently at first. After a couple of shaves the edge is not so keen and the shave is more comfortable.

Although the Mach 3 handle is not disposable, the triple shaving blades are encased in a plastic cartridge and designed to be discarded when blunt. The environmentally friendly might consider using old style, non-disposable straight razors or double edged razors. Under optimum conditions and in expert hands, an ultra-sharp precision straight razor blade is said to give the best shave with the lightest touch. We love the idea of sharpening a razor with a strop before shaving. But this is one area where technology provides an advantage necessary in the modern world – straight razors are called cut-throat razors for obvious reasons, and in modern travel and family life they pose a slight risk. So we recommend Mach 3.

Shaving with water and oil
Wash and rinse your face with warm water. Apply a good amount of shave oil. We recommend about 10 drops (half ml) of oil on the average beard. But you can use a few drops more to make sure there is a good, slippery layer of shave oil on your skin. Massage it into the beard especially under the nostrils and around the chin where the beard is tough.

Wet your face again. The combination of water and oil provides great lubrication, while the sharp blade bites into the softened hairs. Shave, washing your razor in warm water, both to remove excess oil and hair and to keep it wet.

Start shaving at the sideburns. Use firm, downward strokes (in hair direction). If you’re using Mach 3, use a finger from your razor-grip hand to apply light pressure on the blade cartridge to keep it against the skin. Work toward your chin. As you get to your chin you might thrust it forward and curl your lips over your teeth to tighten the skin and get a closer shave. You might use your fingers to gently tighten the skin against the pull of razor if needed. Use brisk downward strokes to catch the tougher hairs under the nostrils.

Having shaved carefully once “with the grain”, that may be enough. It is usually recommended that you stop there, because a second shave risks shaving the top layer of skin off, causing a rash. But experienced shavers who want an extra smooth shave might feel for rough spots with fingers and shave selected patches a second time. The second time round, experienced shavers going for the smoothest shave might apply brisk, light strokes against the grain on stubborn patches of bristle like those around moustache and chin. But take care: shaving against the grain can cause ingrowing hairs, so a spare light touch is important.

Finishing up
Wash your blade under hot running water to ensure it is clean for the next time round. Rinse the bath or basin where you shaved, using soap and sponge to remove oil residue. You will find that a layer of shave oil remains in your skin. If it’s excessive or wet, you might pat your skin dry, but don’t wash it off. It will protect your skin from dryness.

Precautions
Take care that shaving implements and water are clean and sharp. Some skin types are more sensitive than others. Always test a new body product on a small patch of skin. A good shave is a result of personal technique and experience. While given in good faith, this article describes one shaving method that might not be suitable for all. We can’t take responsibility for the outcome of your shaving experience. If you are in doubt, or have problems with shaving, get advice from your doctor.

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