Improve the Quality of Your Shave

There are few things more attractive to women than a smooth shave. Sure, a little fuzz or a five'o'clock shadow suggest a sense of manliness, but when it comes to smooching time, they make road-rash of a girl's face. If you want to be admired from afar, you can pay less attention to your shave, but as a man looking to get a little closer to the girl in his life, a good shave it critical. Here are some easy steps you can take to ensure a close, comfortable, touchable shave.

1) Moisturize. It's not just for the ladies, guys. A moisturized face is a happy face. Well-moisturized skin is more flexible, allowing your razor to get closer to the base of the hair. There are many great products out there, and any moisturizing lotion will help, but the one I use is from Neutrogena, and it works great. It absorbs quickly, makes a noticeable difference all day long, and has little aroma, which is nice - we want manly, not flowery.

2) Fluid Motion. C'mon guys, who taught you to shave. When shaving with a blade (which you should), move the razor in smooth strokes in the direction of the hair growth, or "with the grain." For most of us, this means downward on our face and sideburns, and upward on our necks. Don't jerk your razor back and forth - with a good, sharp razor, one pass should do the trick. If it doesn't, you should be shaving more often, or you need a new blade.

3) Use a Real Razor. For real - a razor with a blade. Non-disposable, and replace the blade often. I'm all for shaving with a real, old-fashioned razor, but I don't have the time or inclination. I use a good-quality commercial razor with multiple blades. Mine's from Gillette, but I've found that they all work pretty much the same. Electric razors will never get as close, as consistently, as a blade.

4) Maintain Your Blade. They don't need much care, especially if you use a replaceable blade like me, but you can increase the useful life and effectiveness of your razor significantly with two simple practices. First, make sure that you always clean your blade carefully after each use. Modern multi-bladed razors often collect some hair between the blades. These hairs trap shaving cremes/gels and water against the blade, causing some degradation. Clean that sucker out before storing it. Second, apply a thin coat of petroleum jelly to your razor after each use. This will help to maintain the edge, and I find that I can use my razors half-again as long when using this practice.

It doesn't take much to get a close shave, every time. Men should take some pride in their shave - women appreciate the ability to get close without the ouch.