1. First, prepare your face. Use warm water to soften your beard and opens pores. Shaving during or immediately after your shower usually works best. You may even try putting a hot towel on your face for a few minutes to really soften things up.

2. Apply your shave cream, gel, or soap to your face and neck. Use your fingers or a shave brush and plenty of warm water to create a lather.

3. Shave. ALWAYS SHAVE WITH THE GRAIN FIRST. Neglecting to do this may result in ingrown hairs and razor burn. Be sure to check if the hairs on your neck grow in the same direction as those on your face. Start with the sides of your face and finish with tough areas such as your chin and neck. This gives the shave cream time to really soften those areas. Use smooth, even strokes and sharp, swivel- head blades – we recommend Mach 3. Also, be sure to rinse the blade often with warm water.

4. Need to delay that 5 o’clock shadow? There’s only one way to do it: RE-LATHER and shave against the grain or sideways across the grain using smaller strokes. You must RE-LATHER and shave again if you want to avoid irritation. So plan ahead and start your shave 5 minutes sooner.

5. Rinse your face with cool water to help close the pores.

6. Lastly, protect your MUG by applying an alcohol-free, fragrance-free, and moisturizing after shave balm, gel, or lotion. This may be the most important step in that it nourishes, protects, soothes and regenerates the skin. By doing so, you make each successive shave more comfortable and beneficial.

More Tips

If you have a tough beard or have sensitive skin, apply a layer of pre-shave oil to your face and neck. This will protect the skin by softening the beard and helping the razor glide over the skin. You can use pre-shave oils by themselves or under your shave cream.

Use your free hand to gently stretch and hold the skin on your face while shaving. This provides a smoother glide surface for your razor and usually makes the shave closer.