Clean shaven
No facial hair at all. The daily baseline.
At a glance
- Also known as
- Nothing else in common use
- What it is
- No facial hair at all. The daily baseline.
- Length
- Clean shaven
- Growing time
- None
- Trim how often
- Every 1 to 2 days
- Best face shapes
- Any
- Moustache
- No
Difficulty4 / 5
How easy it is to get wrong.
Upkeep5 / 5
How often you are back at the mirror.
Growing time1 / 5
How long before you can shape it.
£5 off your first delivery
No shape to maintain, just skin. Which puts every bit of the result on the blade and how sharp it still is.
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The variations
The one shape, and how it is usually worn.
Clean shaven
None
No facial hair at all.
Will it suit your face?
Where a style puts weight, and where it takes it away, is what decides whether it suits you. The table below is the short version.
| Ovale | Ideal | Takes almost any length and shape without fighting the proportions. |
|---|---|---|
| Rotondo | Avoid | Adds width where there is already width. A chin-led style suits better. |
| Quadrato | Works | Round the corners off or it doubles up on a jaw that is already strong. |
| Oblungo | Ideal | Width at the cheeks shortens the face. Keep the chin short, not pointed. |
| Heart | Works | Weight low balances a wide forehead, so long as the cheeks stay tidy. |
| Diamante | Ideal | Fills the narrow jaw and squares off the lower face. |
How to cut one, in four steps
- Prep the skinWarm water and a minute of it. Hair softens as it absorbs water, and soft hair cuts with far less pressure than dry hair does.
- Lather properlyA brush and a cream, worked in for thirty seconds. The job of lather is to hold the water against the hair, not to look impressive.
- Shave with the grainShort strokes, no pressure, rinsing often. Let the weight of the razor do it. Pressing is what causes burn and ingrown hairs, not the blade.
- Finish and protectCold rinse, then a balm rather than an alcohol splash. Skin you shave daily needs looking after daily.
Full detail, tools and the common mistakes are in the guide below.
Where to go next
Same shape, different length or moustache.
If this one is too much work
Same idea, less of your morning.