Weekly Review: My Shaving Routine

This week I’ll be doing a somewhat different review, not just on one product but I’ll be reviewing my daily shaving routine. I want to give you gentlemen a step-by-step walkthrough of my shaving routine and how it has helped me get a better and cheaper shave.

A ton of us guys work in an office environment where, if not explicitly demanded, a clean shave is at the very least implied. Not unlike being ignorant about your collar size for a dress shirt, not taking care of your shaving routine gives a sloppy end result. We all know the fella at the office who seems to be unable to shave without cutting himself or the guy who always has razor burn. Over the years I’ve added several elements to my shaving routine, which I find greatly enhance the overall experience. When I say enhanced experience I mean achieve a better shave, of course. But my shave has also become cheaper!

Before I walk you guys through the different steps of my shaving routine I want to show and discuss the gear I use.

Shot of all the gear I use.

Gillette Mach 3 razor. I prefer this to the marketing gimmicks that make us believe that we need more blades to get a better shave.

Shaving brush made of badger hair. I’m lucky enough that my girlfriend gave me a nice wood and chrome Mühle shaving set for my birthday but you can pick up a separate shaving brush for a few euros/dollars at your local drugstore.

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      Palmolive shaving stick. I started using this about a half a year ago and it really was an eye opener. In Belgium this stick costs about 0,90 EUR so it’s like 6 times cheaper than the cans of foam I used to use. I easily do 3 months with one stick.

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Basic Nivea after-shave balm.

Basic Nivea face wash formula.

Razorpit. A nifty little device my girlfriend gave me which does a great job at extending the life of your razors.

Step 1. Take a shower

I always start my days with a shower. It’s just something that I’ve grown accustomed to and wakes me up. The benefit of taking a shower before shaving is that the warm water preps your skin and beard hair. Additionally I always was my face with a simple face wash formula, something you should be doing daily anyway regardless if you’re prepping a shave or not. Once or twice a week I use a scrub to wash my face. When I get out of the shower I leave my face wet.

Step 2. Prep the workstation

Before I actually start shaving I make sure I have everything I need in front of me and that all my gear is clean. I rinse my razor and shaving brush. I fill up the sink with warm water and place my shaving brush in the water. This allows the hairs to become nice and supple which makes it extra easy to use. I also place my shaving stick in the warm water, in doing so the outer layer of the product softens and becomes easy to apply.

Step 3. Lathering up

Next I take the shaving stick out of the water and apply it by stroking it along the side of my face and under my chin. Now to get some lather going I take the brush out of the water and squeeze out most of the water. It takes some practice to get a feel for how wet the brush has to be. By using circular motions I spread the product from the shaving stick over my face and neck.

Step 4. The shave itself

One of the first things I learned when I started looking up info on how to get a better shave was that I had been holding my razor wrong since forever. I’m sure I’m not the only one so I’m spreading the word. You should hold your razor at an 90° angle to your face and shave with the grain. For me this is downwards for the most part except for a small part in my neck where I have to shave horizontal to the left. I used to have razor burn in this spot all the time before I implemented these tricks. If you have five minutes you should watch this YouTube video to see what I mean.

Step 5. Post shave

When I’m finished shaving I rinse my face with cold water. This allegedly closes your pores but if it doesn’t do that at least it’s nice and refreshing! I also clean my gear to make sure it will last. I use this nifty little thing called a razorpit to glide my blade over after a shave. It cleans the blades and keeps them nice and sharp. Since I started using this device I’ve more than doubled the lifespan of my blades. I also rinse out my shaving brush and clean up the sink. I finish up my shaving routine by applying some aftershave.