... More Clean Cut Lately?

When I set about solving the problem of my hairy neck, I did my research.  I found tidbits here and there, but no one who seemed to have figured it out.  In the past 2 weeks, I've had 3 people complement me on my new "clean cut" look.  I decided to make the quick guide I would have loved to have found before I started.

Keep in mind, I'm talking about the neck only.  A man with a 5 o'clock shadow still looks clean cut if his neck is clean.  And I'm only talking to my brothers out there with neck shaving issues.  Some people can just run a razor blade over their neck, clean up a nick or 2, and go about their day with a flesh colored cleanly shaven neck.  Mine would have been bright red, irritated the entire day, and ingrown hairs the next.

1. Get laser hare removal.

You might be thinking, "duh."  But laser hare removal doesn't actually remove your hair.  It's not a magic bullet.  It removes some, so it's more sparse, and it makes the hairs thinner.  It also stops ingrown hairs.  At some point you could get it so thin and sparse people would call it hairless, but I'm not recommending spending $1,000 a year.

2. Don't shave so close

Of course you'll reduce the redness and ingrown hairs by not getting a close shave, but that defeats the clean neck goal, right?  Here's the thing.  You if your hairs are already thin and sparse, and you do a half ass job of saving what you have left, it's pretty clean.  I started using a Norelco One Blade.  It's supper easy, and precise, if not extremely close, but that's perfect.  But we're not done.

3. Conceal it

At this point your neck probably looks like you're half way to a 5 o'clock shadow, but one without the bumps and redness.  This is a huge improvement over the red bumpy neck you had to walk around all day with.  For a model perfect, clean shave neck, there's one more step.  Concealer.

Yeah, yeah.  That's for women, and whatnot.  There is a point there.  You want a clean neck because you want to look good.  If you look like a man wearing makeup, you're not going to look good in our society.  If you find the right one of you, and be subtle about your application, no one will know.

There are many different kinds, styles, and colors.  I'm no expert, and there are experts if you look.  There are many online resources.  The makeup counter at a department store is probably good too.  I read a few guides, watched a couple of videos, and just did some trial and error.

The perfect one for my neck is Maybelline - Fit Me! - Set+Smooth.

Maybelline - This is an expensive brand, and you can get it anywhere.

Fit Me! - This is the product line.  It comes with the right applicator, and a convenient packaging.

Set+Smooth - This is the style.  It's important to note that this works on my neck, but not every place on my body.  It's made for "normal to dry" skin.  My neck is a softer less greasy surface than my face for example.  The color I need on my neck isn't the color I would need on other parts of my skin.  My neck doesn't get a lot of sun, and yours probably doesn't either.

This is just my advice.  Take it however you like.  I guarantee more than a few men with clean lines on their neck are doing exactly this, a just not talking about it.  Like I said, I wish I knew all this when I started, so I thought I'd share.