How to Make Shaving Last Longer
We all love the way we look right after a great shave, but that smooth, soft skin only lasts a little while. Hair continuously grows, and a shave only stays in its perfect state for a blip in time.
If you find that you need to shave everyday or every other day, it can begin to feel like a chore. You’ll be less satisfied with a perfect shave due to its temporary nature.
You can’t make your hair growth slower, but you can make your shave a little more effective. By successfully shaving as close to the surface of the skin as possible, you can lengthen the amount of time between shaves by a day or two.
How Long Does a Shave Last?
How long your shave lasts depends on the way your skin was prepared, the accuracy of your shave, and how quickly your hair grows. This can be different from person to person, and it also depends on your personal threshold for stubble.
If you can’t stand the emerging sight of it, you probably want to shave much sooner. Some people find they need to shave every two days, while others can go five days between shaves.
The Role of Exfoliation in a Great Shave
Your skin is constantly recycling cells. The cells on the top die off to make room for the emerging healthy cells. Those dead cells don’t always leave your face. They often sit on the surface, and sometimes trap facial hairs. This layer of dead cells prevents you from getting a clean, close shave.
Your razor will naturally remove some of this dead skin as you shave, but it makes your shave more difficult. The dead skin dulls your blade and creates obstacles with every stroke of your razor.
Gently exfoliating your skin once or twice a week can help to remove this dead skin layer that acts as an obstacle to a close shave. Gentle chemical exfoliators can remove dead skin without damaging healthy skin. Be wary of exfoliating products with sharp pieces of nut shells in them - they may do more harm than good.
Caring for Your Skin
If your skin is dry and your body is dehydrated, stubble may appear sooner. The water you drink and the moisture you apply to your skin help to plump it up. Without adequate moisture, your skin will lay flat and listless on your face.
Make sure you’re drinking an adequate amount of water. The current recommendations are just under four liters per day for men and three liters per day for women, but your needs might be a little different.
If you’re very active or if you work in a hot environment, like outside or in a warehouse, your hydration needs might be more significant. If you sweat a lot, that’s a sign you need more water.
Dry skin is very common. Drinking water can repair dry skin from the inside out. Your skin may also need topical moisture.
You don’t need to go out and drop a hundred bucks on a moisturizer. Any fragrance free, hypoallergenic moisturizer will work. Choose one with sunscreen for the day time to counteract the damaging, drying, and dangerous effects of the sun.
Look for ingredients like aloe and ceramides. Aloe soothes the skin, and ceramides are the kind of moisturizing fats that restore the natural barrier of your skin. With regular moisturizing, you’ll find that every shave is smoother. If you get dry patches under your beard or in your eyebrows, moisturizing can keep them at bay.
Prepping For a Perfect Shave
You’ll get a closer, smoother shave if you prep your skin properly. Shaving while your face is hot and wet keeps your hair soft and plump, making it easier for the razor to cut. LTHR’s hot lather machine helps to keep your skin warm and moisturized during your shave. That’s exactly why barbers use hot lather.
The end result is smoother and looks better for longer.
Our shaving cream pods are irritant and chemical free, formulated for sensitive skin. The warm foam helps to condition your face and your beard, making it easier for your razor to glide through your beard hairs as close to the skin as possible.
Choosing the Right Razor and Shaving Technique
Cartridge razors are popular, but they don’t do a very good job at removing hair. The only thing cartridge razors excel at is irritating your skin.
A cartridge razor has three or more blades that all pass over the surface of your skin simultaneously. If one pass with three blades isn’t enough to remove your hair, that’s a sign your razor isn’t working.
Using a safety razor or a straight razor is a better option. You’re shaving with a single blade, and you have optimal control over the angle. You can remove every hair in a pass or two, and shaving at a 45 degree angle will allow you to cut the hair as close to the surface of the skin as possible. The closer the shave, the more time you’ll get between shaves.
The Takeaway
Your hair will grow at the rate it’s genetically predestined to grow. You can’t slow that down. You can prepare your skin and get a closer shave, leaving behind the appearance of a smooth and healthy face for an extra day or two.
Using the right products can turn your shave into a relaxing grooming ritual. With LTHR’s hot lather machine and expertly formulated shaving cream, you’ll wish you could shave every day.
Sources:
How to safely exfoliate at home | American Academy of Dermatology