Shaving the beard: can some well groomed men with sensory issues give advice?

[Smiley]

Asking as a mother.

My young adult son with autism needs to appear neat and will groomed for job and apprenticeship interviews, and he may as well learn how to share or trim his facial hair before his high school graduation later this week. He is very sensory sensitive, hates getting haircuts, and has never shaved before.

I'm a woman, I've never shaved my face either. I wouldn't know how to guide or instruct him in the procedure.

He does own an electric razor that he got as a gift and never used.

The scraggy hair isn't thick - it's like young men get when they first grow facial hair, not a full beard.

My son is a visual learner. Can anyone suggest - or even make - a "how to shave" video that will not assume that he already knows the basics of how to shave? If not a video, perhaps an instructable or wiki-how.

I'll screen any info offered, and suggest to my son whichever I think will be helpful to him. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[Mary Terry]

Here's a novel approach: Both of you stand in front of a mirror, apply the saving cream to your faces, and you shave with a razor that is not loaded with a blade while he shaves with a razor blade. He can watch each stroke that you make and copy what you do.

My 28 y/o LFA nephew has a heavy beard and his mother shaves him every day. She says he is too uncoordinated to do it himself although I really don't think she has ever tried to teach him or allowed him to do it.

 

[Judge]

Actually there are infinite numbers of "how to shave" videos on YouTube. You might tell your son to simply type "first time shaving face" into YouTube's text box to see many of such videos pop up. No one ever taught me to do such a thing. I just went and did it. At an early age one's beard isn't likely to be so coarse, so it wasn't any kind of traumatic experience. Best to just jump in and get used to it.

The simplest advice I could give is to leave the shaving cream on for several minutes to soften the stubble and go slow using short strokes of the razor. In my own case I shave with only upward strokes to my jawline. Then downward for most of my face. Shaving one's beard "against the grain" isn't advisable, although it really depends on one's individual face and beard. For me, deviating from much of any of these considerations usually results in getting nicked or cut.

Electric razors just never gave me a close shave, though at times they might come in handy for a faster shave with less mess. As far as blade razors go, I must say that inevitably you get what you pay for. I don't get the best shave possible because I'm not willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money for the best razors with five blades. One can get a decent shave with inexpensive high quality double-edged safety blade razors, though I wouldn't recommend them for first-time shavers.

I still tend to stick with a Trac II razor handle using generic after-market blades costing about $4 for ten cartridges. Found that using cheap Barbisol shave cream was no better or worse than shaving gels that cost nearly twice as much.

And if the process irritates his skin, use pure aloe gel afterwards. It helps a lot with "razor burn".

 

[WittyAspie]

The method for shaving with an electric razor depends somewhat on the type of electric razor. Does it have three little heads or is it rectangular? There should be some basic instructions with the razor that explain the best strokes to use with that type.

Other than that experimentation might be the best teacher. He isn’t going to hurt himself with an electric razor, so he might as well put it to his face and try it out. As Judge said, an electric razor won’t give as close of a shave, but in my opinion it is close enough. I practically have a five o’clock shadow as soon as I am done shaving, but it isn’t worth the extra hassle and discomfort for 4 hours without one.

 

[Tom]

Just on equipment:
I never had any luck with home use electric, and I think its only meant for people already shaving. I don't believe you use it on long hair/beards. It can pull at them and be very painfull. Reusable razors (you just change blades) require experience or you get lots of cuts. Better quality disposables seem the best starters and thats all I use. They last 2-3 uses. They are used with shaving cream.

 

[Mia]

You might want to attempt bringing him to a barber for this first shave or trim. That way they could instruct him on how to properly 'neaten' it up. They are the specialists when it comes to trimming beards or shaving. Perhaps find someone or take him to someone he's familiar with.

 

[Smiley]

When I've brought it up with him, he changes the subject. Maybe I should just let him do his own thing. It's his face and his hair to keep or not, as he chooses.

But he is interested in applying for jobs, and he knows he needs to look "professional" for interviews, and like many of us, he prefers to ignore things he doesn't want to think about.

 

[Judge]

When I've brought it up with him, he changes the subject. Maybe I should just let him do his own thing. It's his face and his hair to keep or not, as he chooses.

But he is interested in applying for jobs, and he knows he needs to look "professional" for interviews, and like many of us, he prefers to ignore things he doesn't want to think about.

Mitigate the circumstances. Suggest to him that he consider simply neatening up the beard he has. Let him know that most men with beards don't tend to "go natural". Might be less intimidating for him the first time around. Yet steer him in the right direction.

Regardless of policies regarding facial hair, I'm inclined to think that a well-trimmed beard or mustache inherently reflects a sense of fastidiousness.

Then again once you've retired I figure you have the right to shave every three days or so. Or grow that beard when you feel like it.

 

[Tom]

Tell him if he doesn't get things cleaned up a bit he'll make the wrong impression with interviewers.

 

[Judge]

Tell him if he doesn't get things cleaned up a bit he'll make the wrong impression with interviewers.

Good point. And don't forget to leave your mastodon in the waiting room. Prospective employers might not appreciate their presence in an interview. Even if they're your support animal.

Unless you can get a public waiver like Luke Bryan or Ryan Seacrest.