Medical myth-buster Joel Bervell and Gillette executive Kalasi Huggins are showing men the proper way to take care of their facial hair and how to shave with the latest Gillette SkinGuard. In a 12-week clinical trial, Black men shaved using a SkinGuard razor five times a week, and the incidence of razor bumps was reduced by 61%.
Bervell and Huggins spoke with rolling out about men’s grooming and tips they would give to Black men.
What is the biggest myth about men’s grooming?
Joel Bervell: One is that you don’t need a regimen. I think having a regimen is great for grooming. That’s the biggest one. I think having a regimen is something that’s important. Within that, knowing what that regimen is is important, so Gillette has a ton of products that I use, from cleansing and exfoliating first to then using like their Gillette SkinGuard, which is really helpful to that, and moisturizing afterward so that you maintain your best skin health. All those things in succession are really important in order to maintain the best skin health.
What are three grooming tips that you would give to Black men?
Kalasi Huggins: The first tip is that it’s not just about the razor; it’s the regimen. Some men focus on the razor, but if you want the best outcome, it’s about taking the steps starting with exfoliation, making sure you use the right razor and gel for the shaving process, making sure that you have a moisturizer that reinforces skin moisture, and you have all this with the Gillette skincare lineup.
The second tip is that what you do on the days that you shave is equally as important as what you do on the days that you don’t shave. For Black men, there’s usually the third-day test or after the first week, so I’ll get a shave and I’ll get clean or I get cleaned up at the barber. What happens on a Wednesday or Thursday? How does my skin look? How does my hair look? It’s critically important that you still maintain some semblance of a skincare regimen, using the Gillette SkinGuard regimen, the face scrub, as well as the moisturizer on those days you’re not shaving so you can produce the best outcomes as the week progresses.
The third tip is in the act of shaving, we observe men shaving and there are all types of different pressures and angles, but what a lot of men tend to do is they want to apply a bunch of pressure to get the hair. The blades that are on the Gillette SkinGuard razor are sharper than a scalpel. The best thing that you can do is light pressure and let the razor do all the work.
JB: The biggest tip I can say is that preparation is key, and that goes along with the regimen that we’ve been talking about. Exfoliating, lubricating, shaving and moisturizing. Studies show that 60% of Black men claim to have skin with razor bumps and ingrown hairs being their top skin concern, and Black men are four times as likely to experience those concerns versus others. So, being able to have the right tool and a product that’s made specifically for our community is unique and incredible. The last thing I’d say is to follow proper shaving techniques. … Make sure that when you’re shaving, you’re not shaving against the grain but shaving with the grain.
