How to Properly Shave Your Chest

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Just because we evolved from apes doesn’t mean we have to look like them.

We are blessed to be living in times that afford great conveniences. A lot of customs have changed in ways that promote hygiene and grooming. Today we’ll look at one particular habit that I want to encourage all you fine men to pick up.

Why Should I Shave My Chest?

Depending on your age and lifestyle, chest hair might be a boon or a bane. If you have a dad-bod, then fine. Chest hair is going to create an illusion of evening out your protruding gut.

However, if you pay the slightest bit of attention to your diet and exercise regularly, I bet you are in a good spot to shave it off and go for the clean-shaven, metromanly look. Trends come and go but a well-shaved chest with a flat stomach is a strong look that will appeal to women of all ages.

Chest hair trimming can not only help you get rid of the common complaints like sweat and odors but also prove as a sort of motivation to get the rest of your ducks in a row. Look at it this way – once you have shaved off that chest, you might be forced to start caring about your diet and workouts because then you are in a do or die, Hail Mary type of scenario. 

So if you are sold on this idea, let us dive into the steps that you need to take, starting with…

How to Prepare Your Chest for Shaving

Start by Trimming

The most important task is going to be trimming the hair. Long hair strands are going to get caught up in the razor. It is just going to be a time-consuming hassle to untangle the hair from the blades.

You will also require more passes over an area to get a cleaner shave. So trimming your chest hair using a dedicated hair trimmer or just crudely with a pair of scissors is very important to save time and effort and to get a clean shave.

Prepare Your Skin with Pre-Shave Oil

Secondly, you are going to have to prepare the skin. The chest area is going to be sensitive compared to other parts of the body that you are used to shaving. To make the shave as smooth as possible, you are going to need to treat the area in two ways. As a preparatory measure, you are going to have to use some pre-shave oil and then follow it up with good quality shaving cream.

Pre-shave oil is supposed to moisturize and condition skin to prep it for the razor. The more moisturized your skin, the smoother your shave is going to be. The pre-shave oil works by creating a greasy layer over the skin which makes the skin more supple. You’ll have a lesser chance of razor cuts and burns as the blade glides along the skin with less friction.

This is especially true if you have a tendency for dry skin which is a problem that a lot of men face. If you have sensitive skin then good pre-shave oil is going to prevent it from irritation.

Preparation Steps

So the process should be:

1. Clean your chest with soap and water to remove any sweat and grime from the day.
2. Trim your chest hair using either a hair trimmer or scissors if you don’t have any tool specifically for that task.
3. Massage pre-shave oil on your chest. Don’t be miserly with the amount either. Aim to nicely work the oil into your skin. Wait a minute or so and take this time to prepare the other shaving accessories.
4. Apply shaving cream. Lather up the shaving cream in your hands a little and use a circular motion to apply the lather on your chest. The circular motion makes sure that you go both up and down over every bit of skin filling up the area around the roots of the hair from both sides. This will make more sense later when you actually shave.

The Best Tips for Shaving Your Chest

Now I am going to assume that you have shaved a beard before and razors are not alien technology to you. I won’t be spoon feeding you baby’s first shaving class, but that being said, there are still a few tips that I want you to keep in mind

1. Use a safety razor. I cannot stress this enough. In addition to being much more cost-effective than expensive “deluxe” razors, safety razors are sharper, more accurate, and generally just cooler than every other type of razor. (Except straight-edge razors. Those things are hardcore.) But seriously, do yourself a favor and start using one. You’ll never go back to anything else ever again.
2. Finesse is your friend. When shaving your chest the motion is going to be different than shaving your face. Since shaving chest hair is a little infrequent, there is a chance that you might underestimate the finesse with the razor required. I have done that myself. There is no pain greater than getting cocky and then getting humbled. It’s like God checking you. As long as you go in with a cautious mindset, you’ll be fine.
3. Rotate the razor. Remember when in doubt to rotate the razor instead of contorting your entire hand in a weird motion. This is especially important when you are going from the bottom up. I have seen people raise their arm over their heads and hold the razor straight while the hand is upside down. Like bro – just turn the razor around. 
4. Don’t switch hands. Ideally, your dominant hand should be enough to cover the entire area which is unlike the armpits, where you need to alternate between both hands. Don’t switch hands until you absolutely have to.
5. Stick with vertical motion. I’ve found that the best motion is up to down and then down to up on the second pass. Don’t go zig-zag or sideways. Stick to the basics. Be methodical. Be precise.

How to Avoid Razor Burn

This is something a lot of people deal with. If you follow my tips so far, then you are 90% in the clear when it comes to avoiding this problem. Here is a refresher and a few more things to keep in mind:

1. Clean the chest area well with warm water to soften the area.
2. Use generous amounts of pre-shave oil and shaving cream. Let it sit for a minute before you shave.
3. Always shave up to down because that is how gravity forces your hair to grow. To get a smooth shave, then down to up in the second pass. 
4. Use clean, brand new razors to avoid unnecessary friction.
5. Regularly exfoliate and moisturize your shaved chest as a sort of “maintenance”. This will also prevent the appearance of ingrown hair that can be a real pain to deal with.

How To Shave Your Chest Without Getting Pimples

This is a common concern that I find a lot of men have. It is logical as you don’t want to mess up a clean-shaven look with an ugly wall of acne. Thankfully, it is not too difficult to avoid pimples when shaving your chest.

You should first understand how acne is formed. Acne is formed when sebum, a natural lubricant, along with dead skin cells plug hair follicles. The follicles then become a petri dish for bacteria that breaks through the skin to form visible acne. 

So to make sure that you don’t develop any acne while shaving you have to do the following things.

1. Take a hot shower to get rid of the dead skin cells around the target area.
2. Go for a moisturizing shaving cream to lubricate and restore lost moisture.
3. Use a sharp and clean razor to avoid contamination of freshly opened up pores.

If you follow these steps, you shouldn’t have any major problems with acne.

Is it Weird to Shave Your Stomach?

Nope, not at all.

You spend a lot of time and effort on taking care of yourself. It is one thing that you spend a lot of effort to control in your life. One thing that you cannot control is your genetics and where God blessed you with body hair.

If you really want to complete the look, then it is imperative that you also go along with the last bit of effort to get a clean look. It may seem strange in the beginning but once you get used to the adulations when you are relaxing the beach, you are going to know that it is definitely worth every bit of starting awkwardness.

Final Step: Post-Shave Balm

This important final step will get you that fresh feeling after you shave. A good quality post-shave balm is going to restore the oils and moisture that gets lost during a shave. It can also help heal and repair micro-tears in the skin that are caused by shaving. Remember to rinse your chest with water to remove any excess foam. Once clean, work in the balm to soothe and relax your skin.

Congratulations! You have just graduated from the Male Model Graduate Academy Basics course. Now go hit the beach and see all the women fawn over your Adonis-like body, you filthy animal!

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