時差N小時:怎樣把胡子刮干凈

In theory, shaving ought to be simple: the razorcuts the hair.

理論上說，刮胡子應該很簡單：剃須刀切斷胡須。

In practice, it's not just a matter of razors and hair,there's also shaving cream to consider—foamy stuffthat you smear around your hairs before shaving.

實際上，這并不只關系到剃刀和胡須，也要考慮能產生泡沫的剃須膏，在刮胡子之前把它涂抹在胡須周圍。

How come? Is shaving cream really necessary and, ifso, how does it work?

為甚么?剃須膏真的有必要嗎?如果有，它是如何作用的?

While there's a wide variety of shaving foams available, some with perfumes or otherchemicals for your skin,

盡管市面上有琳瑯滿目的剃須膏可供選擇，一些帶有香水，一些帶有護理肌膚的其它化學成分，

there's one thing that they all have in common: They're all wet, and this wetness is the key totheir function.

但是這些剃須膏有一個相同點——濕潤，這正是它們發(fā)揮功效的關鍵。

Wet hair is much easier for a razor to cut than dry hair is, because water makes the proteins inyour hair soften and expand.

刮濕潤的胡須通常要比刮干燥的胡須容易，因為濕度使胡須內的蛋白質軟化擴張。

While it's possible to shave with a completely dry razor, you probably don't want to try it--it'sboth painful and inefficient.

雖然也可以用干燥的剃須刀刮胡子，但你可能不會去試，因為這樣既疼痛又效率不高。

The best way to use shaving cream is to apply it, then wait a couple minutes before shaving.

使用剃須膏最好的方式就是將其敷在胡須上，等兩分鐘再刮。

This is because, while wet hair is good for shaving, completely saturated hair is even better.

這是因為除掉濕潤的胡須很容易，那么除掉濕透的胡須則更容易了。

It takes about two minutes for the hairs to soak all the way through.

只需兩分鐘，水分就可以完全浸透胡須。

This is a good reason to use shaving cream, instead of just wetting your face with water. Thefoaminess of the cream helps hold the water in place long enough to soak in.

剃須膏產生的泡沫會長時鎖住水分，使其浸透胡須。這就是為甚么要用剃須膏，而不是直接用水打濕胡須的原因。

For an electric razor, of course, you shouldn't use shaving cream. Electric razors shear yourhairs off, snipping them like tiny scissors.

當然用電動剃須刀剃須的話，就不應該再用剃須膏了。電動剃須刀像小剪刀似的將胡須剪掉切碎。

This works best on brittle hair that's pointing straight out, which is why electric shavinglotions contain alcohol to dry the hairs and make them stand straight.

它適用于脆性易斷，直立向外生長的胡須，這就是為什么電動剃須香液里含有酒精——酒精使胡須干燥，并直立起來。