A Close Shave
The Mandarin Oriental’s barber Stephen Wan Kwai-hing has been shaving other people’s faces since 1952. He gives us his guide to the perfect shave.
• Whether you have hard facial hair or not, smother it with shaving cream, then cover it with a warm-to-hot towel. That will soften the hair, enlarge the pores, and most importantly, give you a good wake-up call.
• When the towel gets cool, wipe away the shaving cream. Repeat step one if the hair is still too hard to shave.
• Reapply shaving cream. You can use the high-end Truefitt and Hill cream, available at our shop, or any Gillette shaving cream. Use a shaving brush, which not only massages the pores but also helps spread the cream evenly over desired areas.
• Now you can start shaving. Glide carefully over the contours of the face. My personal favorite is the Gillette-3 razor, which has three blades, so each glide means three shaves. Some men have facial hair so rough that they need to change the blade in the middle of the shave. At the Mandarin Oriental Barber Shop, we use the traditional razor blade. Every client receives a new blade for hygiene reasons, and we unseal the protective paper only in front of the client.
• Now it’s time to apply aftershave. It might sting a bit, but that’s good for the skin because it disinfects minor cuts. If bleeding occurs, a small dab of Mentholatum mint cream should stop it.
• Now you’re fresh and ready to go. But do change your blade often – at least once a month - to ensure perfect sharpness. Shaving with a blunt blade can cause allergies.