Shaving and Facial Hair Services
Shaving items test preparation, razor angle and direction, beard design, and knowing which skin you must not shave.
Preparation sequence
Warm towel for one to two minutes to soften the beard and relax the skin, apply lather, stretch the skin taut, then shave. A razor held at roughly 30° cuts efficiently; a flatter angle drags, a steeper one scrapes.
Direction
With the grain for sensitive skin and for clients prone to razor bumps; across or against the grain for a closer result only when the skin tolerates it. Note that neck hair often grows upward - map it rather than assuming.
Beard and mustache design
Outline along the natural growth pattern, establish the cheek line, and set the neckline about one finger above the Adam's apple. Trim from the perimeter inward and check both sides of the face from the front, not just in profile.
Do not shave over
Moles and raised nevi, inflamed or broken skin, active acne, cold sores, and any undiagnosed lesion. Use a fresh blade per client. For a nick, apply styptic; for a bleed, glove, stop, discard the blade, disinfect the station.
Worked example
A client reports razor bumps on the neck. Warm towel, shave a single pass with the grain at 30°, avoid stretching the skin excessively, rinse cool, and finish with a fragrance-free balm. A second against-grain pass would give a closer shave but would likely worsen the irritation.
Traps that cost marks
Dull blades, too much pressure, forgotten skin stretching, reusing a blade, and ignoring growth direction at the collar line.