Wilkinson Razors Classic

Apply your choice of shaving cream with a shaving brush. The brush will further help to soften your beard and exfoliate your skin. It also helps to float the whiskers out away from the blades while you are shaving. If you're short on shaving cream, gel or foam, use conditioner or speciality shaving oil. Letting the lubricant sit on your face for up to a minute can amplify its effects. Avoid using a bar of soap, as this can leave a residue on the blade, dulling the edge and eventually causing rusting even on stainless blades. At a push, you can use a liquid soap as these are formulated differently.

Pick the right blade. Your choice of blade should be made individually, but you should take into account the coarseness of your beard, the texture of your skin, your preferred shaving method, and other details. For heavy bearded men with more sensitive skin, it is generally good to use a multiple-blade razor.

Start with one side of your face and work steadily towards the other side, doing small sections at a time. This way you won't miss anything. Use short, light, downward strokes (with the grain), keeping the flat of the blade almost parallel with the face, to remove the bulk of the hair. Use your free hand to pull your skin tight. Rinse the blade often to keep it from clogging. Swirl it around in the filled sink and tap the razor against the side of the sink to free up beard trimmings. Continue until you have shaved your entire face in a downward direction.