When it comes to personal hygiene, nothing beats the feeling of a nice, close shave. However, for many people, achieving this isn’t always as easy as you might think. 

Depending on what you do before you start shaving, you might not be able to get a very close shave, which could result in you having to shave much more frequently than you’d like. So to help you avoid this and treat your skin with the care it needs, here are three tips for preparing your skin for a close shave. 

Make Sure Your Skin Is Clean

The very first thing you need to do to prepare your skin for shaving is to ensure that you’ve thoroughly cleaned the area you’ll be concentrating on.

When the area you’ll be shaving has been effectively cleaned prior to any shaving taking place, Sarah Siddons, a contributor to How Stuff Works, shares that you’ll be much less likely to get nicks or cuts while you shave. So whether you’re planning on shaving in the bath or shower or you’re just going to shave while sitting or standing in your bathroom, be sure you take the time to clean your skin beforehand. 

Exfoliate

In addition to simply cleaning your skin before shaving, the Cleveland Clinic recommends that you also exfoliate the skin as well. While you don’t have to do this every time you shave, you should be exfoliating your skin on a regular basis.

By doing this, you’ll be removing a lot of the dead skin cells that just sit on your skin. When you shave, these skin cells can get stuck in your razor, which can prohibit you from getting a close shave. But when you remove these skin cells prior to shaving by properly exfoliating, you’ll be setting yourself up for an extremely close shave. 

Use Heat To Open Your Pores

Another great way to prepare your skin for a close shave, according to Christy Pogorelac, a contributor to SheKnows.com, is to use heat to soften your skin and open up your pores. If your skin isn’t soft and your pores aren’t opened, it can be very hard to get a close shave. But by using heat and steam, like you would in the shower, to prepare your skin prior to shaving, you can get as close of a shave as possible while also reducing the chances of irritating your skin too much. 

Additionally, when your skin is warm while shaving, you have less of a chance of getting goosebumps while you shave, which can ruin a smooth shave’s finish. 

If you’re wanting to be able to get a consistently closer shave, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you prepare your skin before you even start shaving.