Imagine this: you’ve matched with an attractive woman on a dating app, and you’ve gone out on a few dates, sometimes for drinks, sometimes for dinner. Because of how things are going, you think there might be a chance of getting to know her a little better.
You’re looking forward to seeing her on your next date. But you’re also nervous because you have a bit of back hair.
For this reason, you need to think about shaving your back. However, it can be a pretty laborious, complicated process. The last thing you want to end up with an uneven shave job or with cuts on your back.
That’s why we’ve put together this article. In it, you’ll learn everything you need to know before shaving your back. This way, you can have a smooth, good-looking back when you need to. Read on to learn more.
Get the Right Supplies
Before you shave your back, you need to get the right supplies. These include preshave oil, shaving gel or cream, a hand mirror, a back shaver, an applicator brush, a towel, antiseptic, and moisturizer. Once you have these supplies, you’ll be ready to shave your back.
Preshave Oil
Preshave oil will get your skin and hair ready for the shave in the first place. Before you use the best shaver for men, you should apply preshave oil to loosen your skin and soften your hair. This will make the shaving easier and less painful.
Shaving Gel or Cream
Even if you have the best back hair shaver, you need shaving gel or cream to make the process a little smoother. Shaving gel is a little easier to use, as it makes it easier to control how much of the area you’re covering.
However, if you already have a shaving cream you prefer (for example, when you’re shaving your facial hair), you can use this.
When choosing the right one for you, remember to choose a gel or cream that has exfoliating properties. This way, you’ll get a close, clean shave.
Hand Mirror
Because you’ll be shaving your back, you can only see what you’re doing if you’re holding up a hand mirror behind you while you see it in front of another mirror. Of course, if you have someone like your roommate helping you, you won’t need a hand mirror.
Back Shaver
You’ll want the best back shaver for shaving your back. Do your research, looking up reviews of products by companies that specialize in shavers for back shaving. Make sure the blades are high quality and the razor handle has a bit of reach.
This will give you more control and comfort while you use the back shaver. A good back shaving kit will also come with different back shaving heads and accessories.
At BAKBLADE, we create at a top-of-the-line back shavers that'll make the process easy and effective.
Applicator Brush
To apply the preshave oil, as well as the shaving gel or cream, you need an applicator brush. This way, you can apply it smoothly and over the entire area with more ease. If you don’t have an applicator brush, you could end up with missed patches of hair on your back.
A Towel
Obviously, you don’t want to cut yourself while shaving—but chances are, this might happen, especially if it’s your first time shaving your back and you use an ordinary razor. For this reason, you should have a towel to quickly clean up the blood if necessary.
Antiseptic and Moisturizer
If you want your shave to go smoothly, you need an antiseptic and moisturizer. This will keep your skin calm and soft after you’ve finished up the shaving job. This is important, considering that you don’t want your skin to look irritated and red after.
Prepare For the Shave
With all your supplies on hand, you have everything you need for shaving. However, there’s one extra step you should take before getting started. Set up a specific time for your shave. It might take an hour or so, and you don’t want to rush.
Rushing could mean accidentally hurting yourself or removing some hair that you don’t want to. Additionally, if you have someone helping you, you need to make sure the time works for them, too.
Comb Through Long Hair
If you have especially long back hair, then you need to take a shower, after which you’ll comb through the hair. This way, you can detangle any of the thicker areas. This will make the shaving process much easier.
If you’re using an electric razor or trimming your hair as part of the prep, then you need to take this step first.
Using an Electric Razor
It might also be a good idea to use an electric razor to get rid of some of the hair before you shave the hair closest to your skin. If you have especially long or copious back hair, this will make shaving much easier.
After using the electric razor, you can simply rinse off the hair in your shower.
Trimming Your Hair
If you’ve used an electric razor and rinsed the remaining hair off, and you find that there’s still way too much hair to simply shave it off, you can trim your hair. To do this, it can help to have a helping hand, since you may not be able to reach all those hairs.
Take a Shower
Once you have your supplies and a time to shave, you can get started with the shaving process. Even before you use a back and body shaver, you need to take a shower. Make sure the water is warm and that you apply a body wash, soaping up as you go.
By doing this, you’ll smooth out your skin and loosen up your hair follicles. Once you’ve done this, it’s worth staying in the shower for the next few steps so there’s less cleanup at the end.
Apply Your Preshave Oil and Gel/Cream
Once your hair follicles are loose from the warm shower, it’s time to apply your preshave oil. To do this, use the applicator brush. Once you’re completely covered in the oil, you can apply your shaving gel or cream.
When doing this, use the same applicator brush. If it has a replaceable head, this will make the process a little easier.
You’ll also want to keep your mirror on hand. This way, you can make sure you haven’t missed any areas. The last thing you want is to rub a sharp razor against your unprotected skin!
Shaving Your Back
When shaving your back, there are several guidelines you should follow. First of all, go slow. As you do this, shave against your hair growth, going from the bottom to the top of your back. Use unbroken, long strokes in the beginning.
Reapply Gel or Cream
As you continue, you’ll notice that some of the shaving cream or gel will come off with the razor. When this happens, feel free to reapply the shaving cream or gel onto your back. This will prevent razor burn or cuts.
Rinse Your Razor
Additionally, don’t forget to rinse regularly rinse your razor. Otherwise, hairs will get stuck in it and won’t make it possible for you to continue shaving. If you try to force the razor instead, you could end up cutting yourself or with razor burn.
Rinsing your razor regularly is also better for the razor itself. Don’t tap it against the ceramic of the bathtub or sink; this actually damages your razor.
Instead, simply rinse it, after which you can shake off any excess water and hair.
Check For Dull Blades
While shaving, you might notice that not much hair is coming off with the razor. This is even after you’ve rinsed it. When this happens, it’s a sign that the blades have gone dull. Depending on the type of razor you’re using, you can switch out the blades.
Otherwise, you might have to replace the razor head with a new one.
Shoulder Blades and Spine
When shaving the areas around your shoulder blades and spine, you should be even more careful. Go even slower here, and remember that you can always fix up the area later. If you rush, your razor could trip on one of the edges.
This could end up in you cutting yourself accidentally. This won’t look good, no matter how smooth your skin looks after the shave.
Avoid Scars and Moles
While shaving, you should also avoid any scars or mold. It can be challenging to avoid where these are, so take a look in the mirror before you apply any of your gel or shaving cream. This way, you can avoid these areas and shave them when doing your inspection of the shave.
Change up Your Directions
Even though you should, for the most part, be moving up from the bottom against your back hair growth, back hair can actually grow in different directions and be patchy. As you shave, you’ll find that change your directions a little can help.
This way, you’ll have fuller coverage while shaving.
Focus on Sensitive or Specific Areas
Finally, once you’ve shaved the majority of your back, you should focus on sensitive areas or parts of your back that are a bit more difficult to shave. Remember to go slow, even though you’re near the end of the shaving process.
When you do this, you may have to rinse the area to look at it closely before shaving it with precision. You might even want to use a different type of razor for this.
Whether it’s a body shaver for women or a smaller razor, this might give you more control when shaving these areas.
Rinse and Inspect
After you’ve finished shaving your back the first time, you can completely rinse off. If you have a lot of back hair or hair that’s thick, then you might look in the mirror and see that there’s a lot left to shave off. In this case, re-do the above steps and shave again.
If you don’t have much back hair, you might notice that there are a few spots you missed. In this case, hold the hand mirror while removing these last few bits of hair.
Remember to be gentle when doing this. You might feel like you’re in a rush because you’re almost finished shaving, but if you rush this part, you could damage or cut your skin.
Apply Your Antiseptic and Moisturizer
Once you’ve finished shaving your back, you should use an antiseptic to kill pimple-causing bacteria and close up your pores. This is especially important if you’ve had acne before. To do this effectively, use your applicator brush.
After you’ve applied the antiseptic, use your applicator brush to put moisturizer on your back. You can also buy aftershave balm that’s used specifically for back areas.
This will replenish and moisturize your skin, which is essential if you don’t want irritation or razor burn.
Need More Information?
Now that you’ve learned about what you need to know before shaving your back, you’re ready to shave your back. However, you might need more information. Maybe you want to learn about the best stroke techniques for shaving your hair.
Or maybe you want to learn about the best shaving gels and creams specifically for back shaving your type of hair.
Whatever information you need, we can help. At BAKBLADE Body Grooming Co., we’re experts when it comes to back shaving. We also sell back shaving products. To learn more, contact us now.