Shaving, love it or loathe it, is something that most of us guys have to do, either at some point or regularly in our lives.

Shaving for a lot of guys is something that you just have to work out for yourself. Nobody ever really shows you how to perform this daily routine, and as a result a lot of men find it uncomfortable.

But the good news is that with a little knowledge and practice you can transform the chore of shaving into a pleasurable part of your daily routine.

I say daily routine, as one of the first considerations about shaving if frequency ... how often you shave. If you shave every day or every-other day you will find it becomes a lot easier, the hairs aren't as thick and so cut easier and the skin becomes much more accustomed to the experience. And this helps to get a smoother shave, less irritation and no-razor burns!

Step 1: Shave Regularly

If you generally prefer the smooth look and feel then this is important to you. A lot of guys tend to just have the weekend shave, unless they have an important appointment at work or are going out on a school night. If you get into a routine of shaving through the week you will find it becomes more comfortable, quicker and easier.

Step 2: Use a sharp blade

How often do you change the blade on your razor? Every shave, every other shave, once a week, once a month? Make sure you change the blades regularly, a blunt blade will drag on the skin and you won't get as smooth or comfortable shave.

Also try out different blades. Don't listen to the marketing - find out for yourself. Replacement multi-blade heads can range from £0.56 upto £2.38 per blade - they can get very expensive.

Step 3: Preperation

I sometimes call this the Thunderbirds stage ... "Standby for Action!" Get everything ready that you need, shave product, facial wash, moisturiser, towels, blade, shaving brush if you use one. Get all the tools ready and make sure they are good to go, an empty bottle of shave crème isn't going to be very helpful.

One of the best times to shave is when the beard is warm and soft ... usually just out of the shower. But if you need to have a shave without having a bath / shower there is a solution. Grab a flannel or small towel and run it under the hot water tap. You want to get the towel as hot as you can handle ... clearly not the point of burning yourself! Squeeze out the excess water and then hold the towel to your face / beard. Ideally you want to do this for about two minutes, if not just as long as you can.

Step 4: Wash, oil and lather

Here we need to start thinking about products to use. And there are two products that are essentail to a good shave ... a facial wash and the shave crème.

You can also use a shave oil which is my personal preference. The oil provides an extra layer of protection to the skin and helps to provide a smoother shave.

First start off with a facial wash / scrub. This cleanses the skin and helps lift the beared to make it easier to shave. You can for this use a good facial wash or a facial scrub.

Once washed, rinse with warm water ... you want to keep the beard warm and soft. If you wish to use a shave oil apply now all over the beard. Shave oils really help to give a very smooth glide to the razor and help to protect the skin. These oils are quite often quite thick, so work it over the skin for a good even covering.

And then the final stage before getting onto the shaving is to apply the shave crème. Many gels and foams are too aerated, the important part of a shaving product is what is in contact with the skin and beard - tiny air bubbles don't help.

And now you have a choice ... to use a brush or not. There was a time where no-gentleman would shave without a good brush, but over the years these have become less common. My personal preference is to use a brush, again they help lift the beard ready for shaving and they allow you to relather quickly and easily. You will find that you will get a much richer thicker lather using a brush then you will achieve with your fingers alone.

If using a brush apply the lather in circular movements, finsishing with an upward stroke so the beard stands up away from the skin.

Step 5: Shave

When shaving it's really important to hold and stretch the skin with your share hand. By doing so the skin is smoother and tighter and this helps the blades glide over the skin and gives a closer more comfortable shave.

Shave in the direction of beard growth starting with the sides of the face and neck area, then the moustache and lastly the chin. The chin hairs are the thickest so this allows them the most time to soften. One of the most common causes of shaving rash around the collar line is caused by shaving against the grain, without realising. For many people the hair here grows in a different direction to the beard above. If this is the case, leave a collar of shave crème and shave with the grain for this area of the beard.

If you wish to achieve an even closer shave, apply some more lather to the skin - this is where a brush really helps as you can top-up whenever needed and shave again. Never shave an area with first applying shave crème.

Step 6: Cool down and moistourise

After you have finished shaving take a flannel or small towel and this time run it under the cold tap ... this time you want the towel to be as cold as you can handle. Again wring out the excess water and then wipe your face and hold the towel against your beard to cool the skin and help close the pores.

And finally you want to use a good moistouriser or moisturazor to calm and soothe the skin.