August 01, 2018

The best razor for your skin type

Traditionally, caring about your skin type may have been something that mainly women would have put time and effort into knowing. In 2017, however, it can’t be denied that men are beginning to care about their skin and beginning to realise that if they want ‘good’ skin they’re going to have to do something about tailoring what razor tools they use to their specific skin type.

You may have heard people often speak about your ‘skin type’ but knowing what yours is can actually be a lot more important than you may first imagine. One of the main ways we can damage our skin is through improper care when shaving; knowing your skin type will help you to make the right decisions when shaving, regarding which razor is best for you.

There are several factors that may be behind the reasoning of your skin type, and these include Age, Ethnicity, Hormones, Genetics and external decisions such as those in your environment. Every skin type is completely different, no two are the same but they can be grouped together by their similarities. The five categories that skin types usually fall into are: Normal, Oily, Dry, Sensitive or Combination skin.

Normal skin: If you find you don’t often seem to have many issues with your skin, such as oily or dry patches and your complexion is usually pretty good, then your skin type is normal. Consider yourself pretty lucky as this is the easiest skin type to care for; however, that could quickly change at any time, so ensure you are still caring for your skin.

Razor to use – Monaco razor

For normal skin, you don’t need to be too selective with which razor you use, luckily. However, we believe that if you have normal skin you could shave in the shower because you can do so without drying out your skin. We, therefore, recommend the HOMMAGE Monaco razor for normal skin, due to its non-slip handle technology that allows you to use it in the shower.

Oily skin: Often feel insecure about the amount of shine that comes from your forehead? Constantly worry that your face is greasy or even dripping with sweat at times? Then it’s likely you have oily skin. This may not be particularly noticeable but often you’ll know if your face is more wet than average and oily skin also leads to more frequent acne breakouts.

Razor to use – Feather Double Edge Razor

Twist Open Butterfly Feather Double Edge Safety Razor, Razor

For Oily skin, we recommend a single blade razor, such as the HOMMAGE Feather Double Edge safety razor, as oily skin is often prone to acne, and using a single blade razor actually helps to reduce razor bumps. In recent years, the trend for razor manufacturers has followed packing ever-greater numbers of blades into their razors. However, when looking for a comfortable shave that helps reduce the risk of razor bumps, you may want to consider fewer blades. Using a single-blade razor in combination with a high-quality Pre Shave Oil can be the best way to help reduce the number of razor bumps appearing on your face and will improve your shave overall.

The oil in your skin may actually benefit you when it comes to shaving as it creates a natural pre-shave oil. However, still ensure you are washing your face prior to shaving and are using a Shave Cream so that you don’t push the natural oils into your pores, causing further breakouts.

Dry skin: Moisturiser is your godsend. You believe winter is your enemy and may often have flaky skin around the eyebrow area. Don’t worry though as studies show you can improve your skins natural barrier by carrying out a proper skin care routine.

Razor to use – Chicago razor

Chicago Single Razor, Razor

If you have dry skin we recommend using the HOMMAGE Chicago Single razor as this razor has a Mach 3 blade which may help reduce the skin from drying out more than usual. We’d also recommend using the HOMMAGE Fortify Face Moisturiser before and after shaving to prep the skin for any damage shaving may cause.

Sensitive skin: If you have sensitive skin it’s likely you’ll know without me having to spell it out to you. Suffer from redness, rashes and lumps and bumps easily? Perhaps even sunburn a lot easier than most people? Well then yes, you, unfortunately, have sensitive skin. However, it's not all bad, there are actually many ways to treat sensitive skin and ways to groom in order to avoid coming out in blotches.

Razor to use – A Straight Razor

By using a straight razor there is less stroke and therefore less friction/ irritation. Straight razors come with tiny little guards over the blade, and those guards help glide over the prepped skin with minimal pull and tug. However, you must be trained in using a straight razor and extra care is needed due to the exposed nature of the blade. You cam minimise nicks and cuts with a little extra care; the key is preparation for sensitive skin. Check out the HOMMAGE Damascene razor, which is the ultimate grooming instrument, selling for over £30,000.

Combination skin – Combination skin is the type of skin that is dry in certain areas and oily in others. Oily areas will particularly be the T-zone: the nose, forehead and chin area. Combination skin is actually a more common skin type than ‘normal skin’ and it can result from genetic or hormonal factors that cause an imbalance in how much and where lipids are produced. It can also vary, depending on the weather.

Razor to use – Any

While the tools are still important, when it comes to sensitive skin the preparation is critical. So we would suggest following our Shave Care routine: Begin with massaging the HOMMAGE Pre-Shave Oil into the skin then lather up with the HOMMAGE Shaving Cream. Initially, shave in the direction of the hair growth and once you have shaved, use the HOMMAGE Cleanser on your face. After you have rinsed away the residue of the shave, a gentle face cleanser will remove any dead skin cells. Finally, wash with luke-warm water and then rinse with colder water and pat dry. Finally, apply a high quality after Shave balm, such as the HOMMAGE Soothe Balm.