Whether you are a man or a woman chances are that shaving is a part of your everyday or weekly skin care and beauty regime. Shaving is an important hygienic and skin care function, and yet so many people are unskilled or schooled in the proper way to shave. Improper shaving and skin care post shave can lead to skin irritation and rashes, razor burn, and general unpleasantness. All it takes is a little bit of knowledge and a little bit of time to get a close and comfortable shave with no nasty side effects.

Shaving is becoming lost art form, probably because of its spread and the speed with which we like to do everything today. Centuries ago, women didn’t shave at all, and men only shaved their faces. Now women shave nearly everything and the men are catching up!

The first mistake, the worst mistake, the most easily avoidable mistake while shaving is to use a dull razor. Using a dull razor will get you a few things, none of them good. You are much more prone to cutting yourself when using a dull razor. You will notice many more bumps and irritated spots and ingrown hairs caused or aggravated by using a dull razor. You will also defiantly not get as good of a shave when you use a razor like this, and a good shave is what most of us are looking for.

One of the best tips to shave any part of your body is to wet shave. This means that the best time to shave anything is after a shower, after your body is covered in warm water for a period of time. What this does is keeps the razor from dragging directly against the skin which is protected by the water. This reduces shaving irritation greatly.

Secondly, use a higher quality shaving cream or foam. Cheap gels and shaving creams provide insufficient lubrication and protection and lead to the razor dragging right on the skin which is the cause of razor burn.  You can shop around with this quite a bit. If a product isn’t working for you, switch. Its not going to get any better the next time you try.

Next, there is something to be said for shaving technique itself. First of all, unless you have hair that is especially hard to get a clean shave on, you generally want to shave with the grain of the hair. If you can never get that smooth feeling, try shaving against the grain, but watch out if you get irritated. Also, never press down hard while shaving. That sounds backwards to many people but the fact is if you are using a sharp enough razor there is no need to press down to get a close shave. That downward pressure will only cause irritation.

Finally, don’t be afraid to stop shaving for a few days if you have a pimple, or bumps from previous razor burn. Some men get so religious about shaving their faces every day, and many women feel the same about their underarms, that they continue shaving even when they shouldn’t. Don’t be afraid to give your skin a rest, as shaving while it is irritated is only going to continue to make the problem worse.

Following these simple tips while shaving will reap benefits immediately. The nice thing about proper shaving is that you can see that it’s working right away. You don’t have to put in weeks of effort to realize that a sharp razor, quality cream, and proper technique will give you a closer more comfortable shave. It will also free you from those annoying bumps, cuts and the always frustrating razor burn.