Men’s Grooming: Skin Care & Shaving

No-Shave November, also known as "Mo Shave November" is an event that happens on the month of November where men grow out their facial hair in honor of cancer patients who lose theirs. The money they would usually spend on shaving and grooming for the whole month is instead donated to ogranizations for researching cancer cure and education.

After No-Shave November is finished, a portion of the men who participated will be shaving their facial hair, but did you know that shaving isn’t always as simple as it looks? Who knew that putting a blade on your sensitive facial skin can actually be a complicated process.

Here’s some tips to protecting your skin while getting the best shave:

1. Wash your face first before shaving – You can get a much smoother shave if your skin is damp and soft.

2. Exfoliation – Skin experts recommend exfoliating your facial skin twice a week to prevent razor burn.

3. Shower first – Shaving after you shower allows the warm water and steam to open up your hair follicles and soften the hair

4. Shaving Cream – Use a shaving cream with a high concentration of lubricants and moisturizers. Do not use a shaving cream that produces too much foam.

5. Go with the Grain – Shaving against the grain of hairs can actually remove layers of skin. It also increase sensitivity and can cause irritation, acne and ingrown hairs

6. Nicking Yourself – do not dab the area with facial tissue, use a styptic pencil or an alum block instead. Lip balm will also work.

7. Protect Your Skin – Wear sunscreen every day (rain or shine) to help improve the texture and tone of your exposed facial skin.

For those who decide to keep your facial hair after No-Shave November is done, remember that you should also shampoo and condition your beard to keep it clean, soft and vibrant.