How To Shave A Beard

When you entered adolescence, one of your many rites of passage involved learning how to shave a beard as part of keeping yourself well-groomed. As you can imagine, few young men want to walk around with an uncontrolled beard and risk being looked at as a crazy man or a hobo. They will go so far as to endure the stereotypical bleeding cuts, irritated, itchy skin and rashes. These problems are not an unavoidable experience when learning how to shave a beard and can be prevented by minding some simple personal grooming tips. Adolescence brings with it enough trials and tribulations, and this doesn't have to be one of them.

What you'll need in order to shave a beard properly:

• Razor
• Scissors
• Shaving cream
• Warm, damp towel
• After-shave gel

1. Pre-trim your beard. The first step in shaving a beard is to trim the longest hairs of your beard with scissors. This will reduce the amount of work you will need to do with your razor.

2. Prepare your skin. After you trim your beard, you will want to soak your face with a warm, damp towel for about a minute. This will open your pores and softens the hairs, helping you to achieve a closer shave.

3. Apply the shaving cream. The next step in shaving a beard involves the generous application of your shaving cream to your face. This can also be referred to as shaving foam or shaving gel. The purpose of a shaving cream is to moisturize your face to prevent razor burn.

4. Start shaving. At this point you will want to tighten and stretch your skin on one side of your face using one hand. While doing so, use your razor in the other hand to press gently where your sideburns meet your hairline, and stroke downward toward your chin. For your throat you will need to stroke upward, from your neck to your chin and jaw line. Repeat these steps until your beard is completely removed.

5. After-care is a necessity. When you are finished shaving and all your unwanted beard hair is removed, use your towel to remove the remaining cream. You should rinse your face and apply some after-shave to help keep your skin healthy.

Tips and Warnings:

• Remember to rinse your razor after every two passes. This is an important sanitary issue.

• The most common places for those dreaded nicks and cuts is the throat, especially around the Adam's apple. More caution is advised when shaving there.