How to achieve the perfect shave

Internationally renowned barber, Joseph Lanzante shares his expert knowledge on how to give clients the perfect close shave. If you want to start offering a shave to your clients you need to make sure you master it. A decent cut throat shave should last for days, but if you don’t do a good job and your customer sees stubble the next day, you might find yourself having to give a refund.

• When you seat your customer the first thing you need to consider is the pre-shave ritual, this is just as important as the shave itself. If you don’t properly prepare the skin there is a risk of razor burn so make sure to apply a pre-shave oil to exfoliate the skin and get rid of dead skin cells. This process also helps to soften the beard.
• Next apply a hot damp towel across the face and mould the towel around your client’s features and leave it for a couple of minutes. This helps to soften the skin and hair to prevents nicks and scuffs.
• Ensure you choose a good shaving cream and massage it thoroughly into the stubble or beard. It helps to use a shaving brush as it gets in between each hair and gets rid of any dirt which might have built up. It is also worth mentioning the importance of preventing the lather from drying otherwise the razor will not glide smoothly across the face.
• Once the cream is on ‘tease’ the stubble or beard with the brush to help the hair stand up. When it comes to the actual shave, the razor needs to be top quality, plus clean and sharp to ensure you can cut through those stubborn course hairs.
• Start shaving in a downwards angle inch by inch to make sure the whole surface area is covered. It is essential to shave with the grain to prevent irritation, rashes and ingrown hairs. When it comes to the top lip create what I call the ‘piggy nose’. Lift the tip of the nose up and still moving in a downwards directions, work quickly, as this is a sensitive area.
• Once you have finished shaving, the post shave treatment is also important. Massage the face as you take all of the foam off and remove any moisture from the shaved area. Pick up your cold towel, and in one swift movement lay it across the clients face and again, mould it around the jaw and cheeks. This contracts the skin and closes the pores. Leave this for a few minutes and when it’s time to remove the cold towel, replace it with a dry one. Again, lay it across the gentleman’s face and massage the skin over the top of the towel. Continue until all the excess moisture is removed.
• To finish, you should go the extra length for your client, so fold the towel into three lengthways and hook it around their chin, then pull to stretch their face out. Now fan your client with a towel to help cool his skin down.
• Now apply a good quality moisturiser. Rub it into your hands first and then massage into the face in slow, circular movements.
• Finish off with an aftershave, slap it into your customers skin - not too hard! This wakes the skin up again and brings the blood back to the surface.

Now your client should have soft, smooth skin, rid of any facial hair and if it has been done properly, it will last for days.