Barber Tips: Ruffians Guide To Skincare And Wet Shaving

It isn't unusual for our shave clients to come in-store concerned about skin irritation and 'spotting' (small blood spots, usually on the neck area). It is vital to prepare your skin properly when you wet shave (particularly if you are using a cut throat razor) so we have laid out some tips for you to have a clean and stress-free experience at home.

1. Start off in the shower with an exfoliating scrub. We recommend Ruffians Daily Facial Scrub: it contains exfoliating micro-granules, pumice, willow bark extract – the granules scrub away dead skin, soften the hair and push the hairs up from their base, preparing them for a shave.

2. The steam from the shower will have opened your pores. This helps to prepare your skin, making it more susceptible to the blade. The key is to keep the skin as warm and as wet as possible throughout the shave. If you have the time and inclination, find a towel, add water and put it in the microwave for about two minutes. Lay it over your face (you can add a drop of Ruffians Organic Argan Oil, for scent) and relax for about 2 minutes (or until the towel goes cold).

3. Next, apply a pre-shave oil and Ruffians Sandalwood Shaving Gel liberally – the oil and gel work together to reduce friction and irritation without clogging up razor blades. It also has a positive ionic charge (hairs are negatively charged) which raises the hairs so they are perpendicular to the skin, giving the cleanest possible cut.

4. Always stretch the skin so it’s as taut/tight/flat a surface as possible and try to shave in the direction of the grain. Going against it will pull out the hairs from the root, which is the main cause of irritation.

5. Once finished with the razor, pat your face with cold water to cool it down, close the pores and soothe the skin.

6. Apply Ruffians Daily Facial Moisturiser, which contains citrus extract. This acts as a natural antiseptic, closing the pores and cleaning them out. Our moisturiser is alcohol free – so the lemony scent you will experience is actually the natural citrus extract. Your skin will get dry after a shave, so it is important to cleanse and to avoid alcohol-based products which will also cause irritation.

7. Finish with a spritz of an Eau de Toilette, but only apply to the wrists and the back of the neck so as not to irritate freshly shaved skin.

General notes:

- Be careful under your chin/the bottom of your neck, as the hair grows in various direction. Try to continue with the grain, but if this isn't possible, you can shave perpendicular to the grain instead.

- Make sure your blade is sharp – try switching safety razors or a cutthroat razor if you still experience irritation and this will reduce the amount of dead skin and friction.

- Each one of our products works very well individually; but for best results, it is ideal to use all three.

These wonderful illustrations were done by Ollie Mann - you can find more of his work HERE and should you want him to illustrate some stuff for you, drop him an email at olliemannart@gmail.com.