Shaving and Facial Hair Services
Shaving questions cluster around preparation, blade angle, anatomy of the razor, and contraindications.
Preparation softens the beard and protects the skin: warm towel, lather worked in with a massage, then service. A cool towel finishes the service to tighten the skin and reduce irritation. Blade angle is about 30 degrees for both a straight razor and a safety razor - a common distractor is 45 degrees. Skin is held taut with the free hand so the blade glides without skipping.
Know the parts of a straight razor: point, edge, back, tang, shank and scales. Honing is sharpening the edge on a stone; stropping realigns and polishes the edge on leather. The classic trap is the claim that stropping sharpens - it does not.
Shaving technique: with the grain for sensitive skin and a closer, two-pass shave for others. Never shave over moles, acne, boils, inflamed or broken skin, or active infection; refer those clients. Aftershave products are antiseptic, astringent or moisturizing depending on formulation.
Facial hair design: establish the outline first, follow natural growth patterns, keep lines symmetrical, and keep the neckline above the Adam's apple so it does not drop when the head tilts back. Trim rather than carve too much from the natural cheek line.
Rule of thumb: 30 degrees, taut skin, short strokes, and stop at any lesion. If a question offers "shave against the grain for every client" or "strop to sharpen," it is a distractor.