Hey Team,
I hope everyone is ready for this fun month of staying inside. It gives you a chance to read those books you have been meaning to, listen to that album, start that business, any number of things you have put off due to life's little interruptions.
We are going to be fully operational during this time, so your razors will still be sent out so you can avoid one of those trips to the supermarket. I will let you know if this changes.
The term social distancing is inaccurate I feel, it should be physical distancing, you can still call people, use all this crazy modern technology to video chat with people, you can still be social and present in people's lives but you just have to keep your physical distance.
If you are feeling isolated, reach out, luke@straightface.co.nz we can have a chat and I can try to help you with a plan of attack for a productive and a rewarding lockdown.
A great many quotes have been made about planning and problem-solving. Abraham Lincoln reportedly said "give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
His point is you want to prepare the tools and environment to be successful. It didn't matter how strong the lumberjack is if his tools are bad.
When it comes to shaving the time and effort you put into preparing your face or whatever body part you are going to shave produces a cleaner, closer, and healthier result.
You want to prepare your skin because it removes dead skin cells and helps soften the hairs. Dead skin cells clog up your razor making shaving more difficult and increasing the chance or irritation or worse infection. Softening the hairs allows the blade to slice through and you will get less pulling and also less damage to the blade so they last longer.
You can help prepare your face for shaving with a few easy steps.
Firstly, use warm water. I know people like to jump into the shower and turn the temperature up to lava but this will soften your skin and make it more prone to cuts, we want to soften the hairs, not your skin.
On the flip side, we don't want the water to be cold which will constrict the skin. You want a happy medium where it's comfortably warm. This holds true when you are shaving and rinsing the blades out. Keep the temperature warm, not hot.
Exfoliate, use a face scrub (no micro-beads as they don't breakdown and end up in marine life) or a loofah to help clean up your face. Exfoliation is great as it helps remove unwanted skin cells and dirt but that also helps unclog pores which reduces acne.
Exfoliation promotes circulation and collagen synthesis so you will not only feel younger with your clean fresh skin it will help you look younger.
Finally, try using a shaving brush. There is a reason why your grandad used one of these and you see them in all sorts of old-timey movies. They really work. They start off by allowing you to use less shaving gel/foam. When you apply in circular motions you lift and separate the hairs so they are easier to cut off.
Shaving should be a simple process, but you should set yourself up for the best results by preparing your face to be shaved.
Be safe out there, look after each other, reach out to those that you think might need a voice in the isolation.
Shave well,
Luke
