When you first learned how to shave, shaving cream was probably included somewhere in the process. Be it a YouTube tutorial or an instructional session with your dad, shaving knowledge wasn’t complete without lathering your face in some kind of cream. However, as shaving trends shift and evolve, many men are looking for ways to achieve the perfect shave without shaving cream. If this sounds crazy to you, it’s not. There’s more than one way to get a clean shave, and the alternatives just might become your favorite methods.

Reasons To Shave Without Shaving Cream

Beyond a genuine interest in trying something other than shaving cream, you may find yourself in a situation that requires experimentation. Perhaps your facial hair is thin or you’re just trying to get rid of some light stubble. Or maybe you’ve run out of shaving cream but you can’t skip your morning shave. It’s helpful to how to shave with other products that can help you achieve the desired result.

Best Two Alternatives

When you ditch shaving cream, you’ll either use shave oil or shave soap. For the shave oil, you can choose from the vast array of beard oils and essential oils. Jojoba oil, almond oil, and olive oil can all work wonders as well as beard oil formulations with natural ingredient combos. Shave oil helps the razor glide across your face with ease. No tugging or multiple passes needed. Thus, you’ll be able to avoid razor bumps.

The advantage of shave soap is the lather. It can provide you the same kind of protection that shaving cream provides. However, it’s specially formulated to hydrate your face. That means no irritation or redness afterward.

How to Shave without Shaving Cream

Aside from using different products, the shaving tips don’t change much. You need a high-quality safety razor. If you’re veering away from the cream, you need a sharper blade for increased precision.

It’s crucial that you get your face ready for this shave. We’re talking thorough preparation here. Your beard hair needs to be as soft as possible. Take a warm shower to get the hair moist. You can even use a hot compress. Soak your towel in some hot water (not scalding) and place it on your face for a couple minutes. You want your pores open and your hair soft so your razor doesn’t run into any resistance.

Also, make sure you clean your face well. Any stray dirt or oil buildup will reduce the effectiveness of the shave and force you to pass over certain areas multiple times. This is not something you want to do with a beard oil shave.

Next, you’ll apply either the shave oil or lather up with the shave soap. Then you’ll shave as usual, gently moving the razor with the grain and holding it at a 30-degree angle. If you need to make additional passes, be sure to lather up or oil up again. It’s important for your face to stay hydrated during this process to prevent any unnecessary irritation or nicks. Keep rinsing the razor under cool water throughout your shave as well.

Once you’re finished shaving and you’re satisfied, make sure you moisturize. Rinse with cold water to close your pores and dry off. Then apply a moisturizing after shave. This is one last step to stave off any complications like redness and red bumps.

When you read popular men’s magazines, you’ll still see articles touting the best shave creams on the market. However, those creams are lethal on your skin. Now you know a secret that saves your face, gives you a great shave, and makes you a bit of a grooming rebel.