Achieving the perfect shave is not an easy thing to do, especially when you want to make sure there are no bruises after shaving. Keep in mind that it’s not necessary to entirely change your grooming routine or buy expensive products. If you want to improve the quality of your shave all you need to do is follow these 5 simple tips.

Start by cleaning and exfoliating your skin

Before thinking of purchasing a good quality blade, a shaving cream and a brush and start shaving right away, make sure that your skin is clean. This is very important, because your skin may respond poorly to your razor. Use a cleansing facial wash to remove excess oils and dirt from your skin pores and exfoliate it with a gentle facial scrub lotion to remove dead skin and refresh your skin. It’s not highly recommended to exfoliate it daily, because your skin may become too sensitive; three times per week is more than enough.

Use a good quality pre-shave oil

If you want to achieve the best results, opt for a pre-shave oil that will protect the skin during the shaving process. Simply use just a few drops of oil and massage into your beard area, you will soon notice what a big difference it makes. The razor blade will smoothly glide through hairs, allowing you to have a fast shave. The skin will feel more refreshed and smoother than before.

Choose wisely your shaving brush

If you are planning to use a ‘naked’ blade, note that choosing a good shaving brush can offer you a more rewarding shave. The perfect badger brush exfoliates your skin, allowing the blade to glide very smooth through the hairs. It’s recommended to soak the hair of the badger brush in warm water for a couple of minutes. After you get rid of excess water, take a small amount of shave cream and use a firm circular motion on your beard area.

Opt for an electric razor

A great tip to improve the way you shave is to use a simple electric razor. This way you save time and money, by not having to replace your razor blade so often. In order to allow the electric razor to sweep across the face smoothly hold the razor at a 30 degree angle to the skin and start shaving in the direction that the hair is pointing. If your hairline is straight start shaving from the sideburn down and follow the hairline. On the other hand, you can shave from underneath if your neck hair grows sideways.

Prevent skin irritation after shaving

The best way to prevent itching skin and razor burns is to cool your skin down with a cold towel right after you have finished shaving. Clear your face from any soap or shaving cream residue and apply some post-shave balm to soothe and refresh your face. If you want to feel more refreshed, don’t forget to spray some cologne to the back of your neck while avoiding shaved skin.