Hi, I wanted a bit of advice as I’m not sure how to do it properly.
When I shave, I either go both ways which causes me to cut myself a lot more, or I go from top to bottom but when doing this, my skin feels lot coarser. Is there a technique I should be using?
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Probably need some better razors. Many of them are junk. Sometimes I go over one spot quickly like 20 times instead of trying to power through. A sort of erasing motion isn’t as bad honestly. My tips are don’t let your hair grow too much, get some clippers or something for your body and use the first. You can also try waxing which will make the hair stay gone for a week + maybe longer. The T blockers help a ton. I don’t have to shave my body very often anymore. Every couple of weeks and my face only every 2-4 days depending on how clean I want to look.
I got an electric foil shaver, it’s fairly high quality and it works on my face. My body hair follicles seem to hate being shaved always break out and b itchy afterwards, no matter whether I use a razor or Nair or scissors or my shaver.
Shaving cream is important. Makes everything less irritating. I find going against the hair with a cartridge razor work best. But change the blade often. And it cost a lot.
For the Moustache avoid going against the hair tho. I have noticed in my case that even with shaving cream and hydrating lotion after, it is still irritating.
I would also recommend only shaving once a day and even having break days. All the skincare won’t matter if you don’t let your skin rest, You will develop irritation.
When I want to be smooth, wax where reasonable, chemical removal for most else, and if you want it to really last, IPL devices aren’t terribly expensive, but I do not suggest it for people with dark hair tones.
also, this probably doesn’t need to be said, but: don’t sleep on hair removal, esp. for the beard / face … beard shadow is one of the biggest visual cues that cause people to gender you as male, and relatedly, it usually causes loads of dysphoria, but it takes a long time for hair removal to work, whether you use laser or electrolysis, you can expect that process to take months to years.
So start early to reduce long-term suffering (if possible, of course; just saying: it’s high priority!).
I use a safety razor because the blades are much cheaper. Cartridge razors are fine too, but double edged blades are like 10-20¢ each if you get them in bulk.
The other advice I’ve seen here is good. Prep the skin with heat and moisture, pull the skin taught, and use minimal pressure. Avoid using dull blades.
The main thing is be aware of the grain. Hair has a grain, it grows along the surface in a direction with some variation. Generally beard hair grows down and away from the center, but yours may be different. Take some time to observe what grain pattern your hair follows.
The first pass should be with the grain. Shave the entire area with the grain, then go back for one or multiple passes in different directions. I usually do a three pass shave on my face, pass 1 with the grain, pass 2 across the grain, pass 3 against the grain. Shaving against the grain on the first pass is virtually guaranteed to result in cuts.
I’m writing this from the perspective of someone with fair skin, european ancestry, and largely straight beard hair. Hair is highly variable, make sure any hair related advice comes from those with similar hair to yours.
I do a one pass shave every day against the grain with a safety razor, and I almost never cut myself. Granted, shaving with or across the grain doesn’t really do anything to my hair, so I feel like I’m an outlier. I’d guess maybe my hair is just very fine? Not really sure, it happens with my body hair too, so it’s a nightmare shaving my body because hair only comes off when I shave against the grain (and my hair grows in horribly inconsistent directions)
Interesting. I have difficulty getting the razor to cut the hair when going against the grain on the initial pass, which results in excess pressure which increases the chance of cuts.
The properties of the hair does change things. The multi-pass shave was advice for men when shaving their beard, which I have continued to use. I wonder if the HRT has softened my hairs to the point that a single pass is viable. I will test this.
Regardless, I think a 2 or 3 pass shave starting with the grain is a good thing for OP to try, as it probably is less likely to cause cuts, which she has had issues with.
Fair. I’m unaware of the effect that HRT may have had on my facial hair, but it was never very dense anyway. I was not able to grow a beard before my transition, it just wouldn’t have filled out. I do expect that HRT has some effect, though. I only started shaving with a safety razor about 5 months into HRT, so I can’t comment on any before/after there may have been from the HRT itself. I can’t say I’ve noticed less hair anywhere, though it would have occurred over such a long period of time that I doubt I’d be able to discern a meaningful difference at any given time. If you have denser facial hair than I do, that could definitely be why you may have to take multiple passes, and it may also just be that I have much less facial hair than the average.
First, are you doing a hot water soak? Give your hair 3-5 minutes under comfortably hot water, it opens and softens the follicles, making them easier to cut through.
Secondly, find a shaving cream that works for your skin. I use a cheap sensitive skin kind with aloe and oatmeal, this keeps the skin soft and minimizes irritation(the bumpiness).
Two passes with the razor, one with the hairs growth direction, the other against. Be very light, you should just feel the razor head against your skin. Pressure leads to skin getting caught, and that leads to cuts. If you feel like you need pressure to cut, your blades are too dull.
Keep the skin taut by doing things like opening your mouth, or pulling on your skin lightly. Taut skin is smooth skin, less risk of cutting yourself.
For any irritation after, find a light lotion. You don’t want something too heavy or greasy, just a gentle moisturizer. A part of irritation is from the skin getting dry alongside the abrasions.
EDIT: If using a disposable/replaceable head, try different blade counts. Some people do great with 1-2 blade heads, some have a better response with 3-5 blade heads. That really comes down to your skin and hair. It’s a trial, but once you work out which is best, it’s consistent regardless of brand.
I’d you’re doing legs, arms, or genitals, a contouring razor is your best friend, it flexes along your curves better than other razors designed for the face/throat.
Thanks, I’ll try all these tips
disinfect your razor with 70% alcohol before shaving, too - that will help reduce chances of razor burn
DO NOT TAKE THIS AS ADVICE
I’m gonna share how I shave, but I’m not going to pretend as if it is optimal or works for everyone. I have very dense and stubborn hair that, for some reason, I can only successfully shave if I go against the grain. Across and with the grain just doesn’t really remove much hair, and my hair grows in such wild directions that I have multiple places in my body (arms, legs, chest, and back) where I have to take multiple passes in different directions. As far as I’m aware, this is not typical, at least not to the degree I have to deal with.
I’ll start with how I shave my face, since that’s pretty easy. I started with an electric shaver when I first started getting hair from puberty. I stuck with that until very recently, when I switched to a safety razor. Electric shavers are really easy to use, but they don’t give you as good of a shave, and the cost of replacing the shaving heads is ridiculously high. With a safety razor (and Cremo shaving cream), I get an incredibly close shave, and I can get by with 5 shaves on a blade, so it’s around 2-4¢/shave. I shave against the grain in a single pass over my entire beard area up to my cheeks, and that gets me a very good shave. The only sign I have hair there is the shadow above my lips, and I’m hopefully gonna be starting laser soon to treat that (and the rest of my body). Use very, very little pressure; let the blade do the work. I invested in a nice safety razor (Leaf twig), and I’ve loved it so far. There’s a learning curve, and you will cut yourself at first, but eventually it just becomes second nature. Cartridge razors are generally easier, but it’s harder to reach difficult areas, like right below your nose. Many of them come with blades on a different edge that you can use as a trimmer for tough to reach areas, so use that where necessary if you choose to go that route.
As for my body, I use cartridge razors. Specifically, I use the Billie razor, and I use one razor for most of my body, and a different colored one for other, just because I don’t like using the same razor everywhere. The blades are exactly the same, it’s just a hygiene thing. I shave against the grain for all my hair, which means that I have to do multiple passes in different directions in problem areas, like my thighs. For instance, on the front half of my thighs, I shave upwards, on the back I shave downwards, and then I shave across starting from the back of my thigh and wrap around (in both directions). I do the same thing for my lower arms (below the elbow). My chest is a bit of a mess with hair growing in all sorts of directions, so I’ve had to learn what directions to shave in what locations and I can now easily shave my entire torso in 5 minutes (at least the front side). My back is tricky because I can’t see what I’m doing, but I have great flexibility, so I can reach it all on my own. The worst areas to shave for me are my genitals, and between my buttocks, the latter if which being the worst because I can’t see anything and it’s such an awkward and dysphoric area.
Since I have so much hair and shaving is so strenuous, I shave my body in sections. I split my main areas into 3, and I do one per day: 1. legs and buttocks, 2. chest and back, 3. arms. I also alternate every other day between: 1. armpits, 2. genitals. Those areas I find grow especially fast, so I need to take care of them more frequently. I shave my face every day.
I plan on getting full body hair removal in the future (laser and electrolysis), so hopefully one day I no longer have to worry about shaving, but for the time being it is a chore and a half. It’s a huge amount of effort to keep consistently shaven, and I often find myself missing days (sometimes multiple days in a row) because I just can’t find the motivation to do it. But there is something you need to understand: shaving is something you do for you, not for others. You get to choose how often you do it, and that choice is yours alone.
Lots of good advice here, I’ll add a couple of tips
Multi-blade razors can cause irritation. The first blades pull the hair out of the follocule, cut the hair, and the remainder will fall back into the follocule. This makes the shave feel very smooth, but it can lead to irritation and ingrown hairs. If you had a hard time with bumps or irritation then it may be best to use a single blade razor and use multiple passes.
I use an alum block after I shave to help prevent irritation and bumps. Wet the block and rub it on the shaved area, leave it on for a bit (like the 30 seconds or so) and then rinse it off with cold water.
Pull your skin tight and then use short strokes of the razor. Stretching the skin tight allows the razor to work more effectively. If shaving your face, be prepared to make some ridiculously silly faces…
I always start shaving with the grain. If that’s too stubbly then I do pass against the grain. That is usually smooth enough for me, but more passes could make it smoother. It’s just more irritating the may passes I do.
No need to do anything the hard way when you’re just starting out. The whole process with prep, safety razors, after care etc can wait. I’d also skip the disposable two blade razors.
Invest in a decent starter set of the modern 4 and 5 blade cartridge razors with the reusable handle and soap strips around the blades. They’re forgiving compared to everything else, which is perfect when you’re learning. Even if you want to try more trendy shaving equipment later, you’ll be grateful to have something fast and foolproof on hand when you’re in a rush!
As for technique tips: Any kind of soap will help the head glide, but obviously shaving cream is made for it. Light pressure is all that’s needed. Let the razor blades do the work.
Stretching the skin taught helps avoid irritation. Shaving with the direction of the hair to start can help your skin and follicles acclimate to the abrasion. Then you can try shaving against when you’re ready.
I’ve read that shaving soaps is more protective and provides lubrication unlike bar soap, I wouldn’t say any soap is suitable, you want to get shaving soap in particular and learn to lather really well (or use shaving cream). I would never use normal soap on the face unless you truly had no alternative, just because you increase risk of cutting yourself and having irritated skin later.
EDIT:
regarding my own shaving advice, I agree with others to use a safety razor, but I’ve had even better results from an old fashioned straight razor - but it comes at the cost of being difficult to learn, easy to cut yourself, and being very dangerous … so I don’t recommend it to anyone, but technically it is a way to get an even closer shave.
I also like to shave using a magnifying mirror so I can see the follicles better and what I’m doing. I take a slow and meticulous method, and only after a long hot shower where the room can trap the heat and moisture for the shave - the skin being warm and moist is crucial as everyone is saying. If I don’t have time for a shower, I wet a rag and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds, and then hold it to my face for a few minutes.
As I mentioned below, sanitize your razor with 70% alcohol - it will help reduce razor burn from bacterial contamination.
If you use a brush to lather, wash out the brush and dry it well (e.g. I like to rub it against a dry towel, so the towel absorbs more of the moisture from the brush) so that the brush lasts longer and doesn’t become a breeding ground for bacteria. Same with your shaving soap puck, make sure it dries out and isn’t left in the shower or someplace wet.
I’m going to reiterate the dissenting advice I offered when this room was empty, knowing my shaving enthusiast homies would soon arrive to suggest beginners should first master the 1904 Gillette special, like we did 😏, and reject the fancy multi-blade magic micro swivel razors with their “industry-leading safety,” “low up-front cost,” and “ease of use.” Because that guy on YT said it was bad skincare with gravitas on loan from Nessun Dorma.
OP asked for beginner tips, how to avoid the random injuries etc. Of course shavers each have their own highly optimized rituals particular to them, which are great to share, and beginners will eventually develop their own as well, but if someone sees us climbing a staircase and asks how to start, if our instinct is “oh easy, just join me on my step” that’s a good sign we need to reflect further on our own learning process.
Do you have a small collection of vintage safety razor handles? Do you have a shelf filled with dusty cigarette boxes of razor brands your skin somehow didn’t like, unless you installed it in a particular deck brass Soviet piece with a butterfly retainer that apparently added the fractional degrees necessary to make the damn Astra blades humane? I bet it was a learning process for you, like the rest of us. When you’re just starting out you’re not optimizing anything at all. Just having a go-to solution that doesn’t leave blood on your shirt is a huge win.
ETA, TLDR: We’re all beginners at something.
Do you have a small collection of vintage safety razor handles? Do you have a shelf filled with dusty cigarette boxes of razor brands your skin somehow didn’t like, unless you installed it in a particular deck brass Soviet piece with a butterfly retainer that apparently added the fractional degrees necessary to make the damn Astra blades humane? I bet it was a learning process for you, like the rest of us.
to be honest, no - I bought a single straight razor over a decade ago and have always shaved that way … I don’t recommend my way of shaving because it’s needlessly risky, and worked for me because I wanted an extremely close shave (I wonder why my egg ass wanted that, huh), I wanted to never buy another razor (save money and waste), and I was interested in learning - but not everyone feels this way and it’s ok.
I’m not recommending anyone join me on that step, nor do I see it as the obvious or natural progression or optimization.
Besides, these days I actually just use one of those pocket electric razors they sell to cis women to get rid of peach fuzz, but that’s because I’ve had over a year of laser and have very little hair left. I go days without shaving and have no beard shadow anymore.
All this to say, I disagree that any given method is too hard for beginners, since as a beginner I tried and learned it all myself - but I agree that there is a learning curve, I just think it’s fine for OP to be aware of the options and paths they can take if they want to, and to be aware of the respective difficulties of those paths.
Basically I’m not sure with shaving it’s necessary to hold back advice like trying a safety razor because it’s too advanced - it’s not that complicated, and it’s decent advice imo.
But it wasn’t even my advice! I think the razor optimization is a way to get a closer shave, but it’s not even the main point I wanted to get across, which was to start laser ASAP.
EDIT: I feel my response wasn’t affirming enough, I really appreciate the care and compassion you have for OP and the recognition that some techniques or advice may not be easily adapted or applied - overall I think your point is good and worth considering, and I thank you for raising it 💚
Full edit/redaction: 💜 Sorry for late reply. I hadn’t checked OP’s profile and incorrectly assumed they posted here to avoid ftm transphobia. Since I framed my advice specifically for ftm affirmation based on that assumption, it’s not as relevant to OP. Sorry for treating you as a cis aggressor unfairly. Appreciate you.
Attempt at useful advice:
Partner is mtf and totally agrees with you re: the lasers. She usually also discusses hair color as a consideration since hers are dark which increases the effectiveness of each session. Since I like her hair and like when she doesn’t shave, I’m a little biased, but she uses a common brand of articulated cartridge razors that surround the blades with a thick soap block. They seem to make cuts and razor burns impossible. She has only used my safety razors when she was treating keratosis on her shins.
All my best to you and OP
I was told by a doctor to shave WITH the hair. Not against it. Also use cold water.
Shaving opposite to how the hair grows can force debris down into the hair follicle producing things like razor rash. Cold water causes the hairs to want to stand up to warm the skin, giving a closer shave.
