First, shaving works best when the pores of your skin are open, the skin is moisturized, and the whiskers are soft. In order to get that, you should soak your beard in hot water for a few minutes before you begin, and make sure that your face doesn’t become cold between soaking your face and shaving. Most men prefer to shave right after taking a hot shower because the timing is perfect. However many men soak a towel in hot water and leave it the face for a few minutes before they begin shaving.
Some men after this step have used pre-shave oil before learning about wet-shaving. Pre-shave oil is meant to provide even more lubrication to the skin so that nicks and ingrown hairs can be avoided when using disposable razors. However, pre-shave oil should not be used when using a shaving brush. If you are shaving correctly, and using high quality brushes and other tools, the wet shaving technique is sufficient to give you a close shave without skin irritation. In addition, pre-shave oils tend to add “greasiness” to your face, and it will also be absorbed by your shave brush and will damage the water retention properties of your brush. Pre-shave oil should be avoided when using a shaving brush.
Now that you have prepared your beard for shaving, you should prepare your brush for your shave by soaking it in hot water as well. To do this you can use a small bowl to soak the brush in water, or you can also hold the brush under running water. You don’t need to soak it for very long, just enough time for the brush to absorb enough water to combine with your shaving cream or soap, usually this occurs after a few seconds. Once you have done this, remove it from the water and allow any excess to drain out by simply holding it with the bristles pointing down. Remember that the temperature of the water is key, the water should be hot, but not boiling and your shave brush should contain warm water when applying cream to your face, so after soaking the brush don’t leave it out long enough for it to get cold.
The next step is to create the lather. You can create the lather in a mug or bowl, your hand or even directly on your face. To create the lather on your face, simply place a nickel sized dab of cream to tip of the wet bristles of your brush and rub on your face to create the lather. To create the lather in a mug or bowl, place the cream in the bowl, and use the brush in a stirring motion to whip up a consistent lather. The same technique works with your hand. Simply place a little cream in your hand, and stir the wet bristles in your hand until a nice lather is created, then apply the cream to your face.
The important thing to remember whether or not you’re using soap or cream is that the lather should be a creamy texture, not overly soapy and runny. Also the lather should be warm so that it is applied to your face warm. Finally the lather only needs to be on the tips of the brush; the whole thing does not need to be saturated with lather, although it is recommended that the whole thing should be saturated with water from the hot water soaking.
Once you have the cream or soap applied to the brush, it’s time to apply it to your face. The best way to apply the shaving cream is to use an up and down motion with the brush. Don’t worry if “swirling” the brush feels better, go ahead and swirl if that makes your shave better, but most people will get the best results from the up and down motion or side to side. Apply the cream or soap to every portion of your face that will be shaved. Keep applying until you have a nice thick lather on your face. The lather should be opaque, but not so much that it looks like you’ve sprayed whipped cream on your face. While applying the cream or soap, just use the tips of the brush, you don’t need to mash the brush into your face, as that could damage the brush, and simply just isn’t necessary.
Once you’re done, simply set aside the brush and begin shaving with your favorite razor. Most wet shavers these days will not use a disposable razor. Disposable razors just aren’t quality products (They’re disposable after all), and don’t give the best shaves. Most men looking for a seriously good shave will use a classic double edge safety razor (DE for short). It uses a single edge to shave as opposed to the multi-bladed razors of today, but that single edge is superior to 3 terrible edges.
If you are still using a disposable razor because of cost or convenience, that’s ok. However I strongly suggest purchasing a high quality DE razor so that you are getting the best shave possible. If you are trying to use the best tools for your shave, but leave out the razor, you’re leaving out a major part of your tool kit.
When shaving, shave with the grain of your beard to prevent irritation which generally means shaving downward on your face and neck. To get a closer shave, shave against the grain with means shaving upward. Be warned however that shaving against the grain does have a large tendency to irritate your skin, and if you are wet shaving, you’re already getting a great close shave, so try shaving with the grain first, and if you still want closer, and your skin can handle it, shave against the grain.
There are volumes of information about how to get the best shave out of your razor, but since this guide is mostly directed to shaving brushes, I’ll just leave the shaving portion at that.
Once you are done shaving, use cold water to rinse your face. This will close the pores of your face, and tighten up the skin. Rinse your razor and shaving brush of all the lather, and shake them dry. Your shaving brush should not be dripping any water, but a little moistness is inevitable, so don’t get to crazy with the drying. A simple shaking should be all that is needed.
To store your shaving brush, either use a stand that allows you to hang your brush so that the bristles are pointing downward, or if you don’t have a stand, place the shaving brush standing up with the handle holding the bristles up. After a while though, storing your brush standing up can cause water to collect at the bottom of the brush and damage it. So it is best to get a nice stand and store the brush using it. It’s important not to store the shave brush on its side as that can deform the shape of the brush, and impedes proper drying of the brush.
Pat your face dry with a clean towel, and apply a non-alcohol based after shave to your face. Alcohol tends to dry out and damage your face, so stick with the creams.
That’s it; you should have a nice clean shave, and a refreshed face with as little irritation as possible. Don’t worry if you don’t quite get it right the first time. Part of the shaving process is learning the right technique, and learning what works best for you. Have fun experimenting with different shaving creams, soaps, razors and especially shaving brushes!