The Art of Grooming with a Beard & Shave Oil

Hello Gentleman, 

You may be wondering what all the hype is about surrounding oils for beard care and shaving - this post can hopefully shed some light on this hot trend and how you may benefit from switching up your own routine.

After hearing stories of unpleasant shaving symptoms including redness, irritation, pimples, razor burn and beard symptoms such as itching, foul odors and general coarseness from the men in our lives, we decided to develop a product to reduce irritation and provide relief to beard growers.

Our Gentleman's Beard & Shave Oil is formulated with a skin soothing blend of avocado oil, argan oil, sea buckthorn combined with essential oils of howood, bergamot and cognac - (yes COGNAC!).

Below you will find our recommended routines for using this product for shaving as well as beard maintenance. 

 

Our Recommended Routine for Shaving with Our Oil: 

  1. Wash your face to remove dead skin cells. It's best if you shave just after a shower.

  2. Place a few drops of shaving oil into the palm of your hand (3-6 is enough) and with two fingers apply it to all the areas on your face you plan to shave. Any oil you may have left on your hands, you can safely rub into your hair.

  3. Splash some warm water on your face – the fact that water and oil do not mix well is the reason why your blade glides so fine. Also during the shave, whenever you​ feel your razor does not glide as well, simply apply some water which should be enough to remedy this.

  4. First shave twice in the direction of the grain – to get a feeling for the right angle, take the handle of the razor in your fingers and lean the flat of the head onto your cheek so the handle is 90° to your cheek, then reduce the angle until you get to a position where shaving feels comfortable. Also it is easier to shave moving your whole arm rather than just your wrist. 

    Important: DO NOT apply pressure – the safety razors expose enough blade that with, a well balanced razor, just the weight of the head produces almost enough pressure for a good shave ​Pull in the direction of the handle with slow strokes – for a thicker beard you will need to make shorter strokes. To achieve a closer shave, make sure to stretch your skin where you're currently shaving. If the razor gets stuck with hair and oil, just swish it around in the water to clean it.

  5. Splash your face with (hot) water again and now shave across the grain. This produces a closer shave.

  6. Splash your face with cold water to eliminate any hairs that remain and to close the pores. ​Combine a few drops of shave oil with water into your palm and mix it with two fingers. Rub the oil-water mixture onto your face instead of using after-shave and leave the skin to dry – the essential oils in the shaving oil will enrich and disinfect your skin.
 
Our Recommended Routine for Beard Maintenance

  1. Note: 3- 5 drops should be sufficient, however depending on the length of your beard you may need up to 8 drops.  For short beards of stubble length, 1-2 drops is plenty.

  2. Rub your hands together so the oil thinly covers the palm of your hands, then run your hands through your beard in the direction it grows. Starting at the bottom of your chin, work around the beard and massage into the skin.  Apply more oil if necessary.

  3. When you've applied enough, the beard should be fully coated and feel softer immediately.  Use a comb to help spread the oil and tame your beard. Don't worry if it feels greasy, the oil will absorb quickly, giving your beard a soft glow.

  4. Give your beard 5-10 minutes to absorb the oil.
Should you have any questions about this product or any others within our Gentleman's' Apothecary line, please reach out.