The temperature is a balmy -18 degrees C in the 'Peg. If you're living in a real winter place like I do- I'm sure you're thinking of hot spots somewhere else. Maybe a beach somewhere in Mexico or Hawaii. However today I'm going to talk about a different type of Hot Spot. In flying we rely on charts to tell us where to go. Even when we're not in the sky, we rely on charts to guide us on the ground. One of the charts we access is the airport diagram. Whether it's Winnipeg or LaGuardia airport, we rely on these charts to make sure we can safely taxi the plane to and from the runway without getting lost and without taking a wrong turn. On these charts- we often find Hot Spots. These circles on the chart indicate areas where there may be risks of runway incursions or other safety concerns. This got me thinking the other day about our shaves and how we often have hot spots. Don't confuse this with irritation or redness- those are a different type of hot spot. I'm purposely referring to areas we shave where we need to have a heightened sense of awareness. Now- get your mind out of the gutter- I'm not venturing that far south.
For the last several months of traditional wet shaving- I have found that while I didn't always cut myself or get a weeper- when I did- it was almost always (95%) on the right hand side- just below the jaw line on my neck. It took me several shaves- alright maybe a dozen or more, to really begin wondering what was going on. I started to think of this area as a hot spot on my face. An area where every time I shave, I want to really pay close attention.
So what have I done differently? When I shave- I know that this is a hot spot and so I make sure that I take a little bit of extra time preparing the skin in that area. Perhaps a little more pre-shave treatment or making sure I have really prepped the skin and have a good quality lather. Since I almost always shave with the same 2-3 razors and blades, I didn't feel the need to change out my hardware. Instead- I focus more on my technique. If you've seen my live shaves- you may have noticed recently that as I approach this hot spot, I tend to:
1) Slow the routine down;
2) Use much shorter strokes;
3) I really pay attention to the blade angle as I transition from my jawbone to my neck.
Of the 3 I just listed I've found that using shorter strokes, has made the biggest difference. As for the 3rd thing- I do find we often don't adjust the blade angle as we round the various contours of our face. It's worth it to stop the shave and think about these angles.
Until next time. May all your shaves be smooth and watch out for those hot spots.
Sincerely,
Photo credit: Photo by Olivia Anne Snyder on Unsplash
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