Of shaky hands and facial hair

Do you get cuts the size of Singapore when you shave?

If you do, either you're doing it wrongly, or... you have the facial features of the planet Mars.

Interestingly, there's not such thing as a right or wrong shave. Against the grain, upstrokes, downstrokes, it really depends on you!

This is how I do it -

It always begins by prepping your skin. I'd use a facial wash, the Biotherm Hydra Detox blah blah, which cleanses and removes all impurities and oil from the face. Wash it off with warm water. If however you have the facial features of an orangutan... I'm sorry, you need something more than a wash, probably a automatic car wash.

Always always use a good shaver. Invest in one that makes you look like Roger Federer, not Karl Marx. I'm using the Gillette Fusion razor, and I think it's fantastic.

Use shaving cream, I cannot stress how important this is! I use a Nivea shaving gel with ultra glide technology. The purpose of the cream helps to prep the skin, soften the hair and to create a microscopic layer on your skin to make sure you don't cut yourself, unless you are going through puberty and have pimples the size of tennis balls all over your face. By right, you should use a proper badger brush to apply the shaving cream, and rinse it with warm water in a tub, BUT, being a typical Singaporean your hand suffice. Just remember to apply it against the grain, in a circular motion.

Shaving. Always wet shave. That means leaving your face/moustache/beard/mutton chops wet! Of course, if you have a beard/moustache you might want to use a pair of bolt cutters.

Start with the 'chops'. Shave down to the edge of your chin.
Cheeks. Follow the grain down to your chin.
For your neck, shave against the grain for a very close shave.
Always rinse after a stroke!
For the chin and upper lip area, use a light downward stroke as these are sensitive areas. Followup with upward strokes for a closer shave.

Rinse with cold water, and use a proper aftershave too! I use the Ahava aftershave moisturizer.

And there you have it. A proper shave without nicks and cuts.

Since I don't post pictures, I've a link to Gillette that shows you their way of doing it.

http://www.gillette.com/en/us/mens-style/how-to-shave.aspx

You now don't have to worry about bleeding to death from razor blades anymore!