Direction of skin pulling

Two quick questions:

1. Does it matter in which direction you pull the skin to tighten, or does it just matter that it is tight? (if my hair grows down, should I always tighten by pulling up, or is it just as effective to pull to the side or to pull down?)

2. Any suggestions for pulling if your skin is still a bit slippery from latter, etc. (even after you have cleanly shaved the area)? I think sometimes I am getting a less than stellar shave b/c I am not getting a great pull b/c my fingers are slipping. Help!

Pulling the skin taut is the most important part, that way you'll be far less prone to cut yourself.

Stretching from behind the razor is the safest stretch.

Stretching from behind the grain will give the closest shave.

X

I find that if I shave one cheek, then the other, by the time I'm done with the second one I can jump back to the first, which is nearly dry. Makes it easier to get a grip on it.

Try shaving parts of your face in a different order, or only lathering part of your face at once.

Josh

Can't really add much to what the others have said. I think there's a potential safety issue with stretching in front of the razor as well, but if you're careful it shouldn't be a problem. For certain parts of the face you can stretch the skin between thumb and forefinger and shave between.

In terms of slipperyness, I generally stretch on skin where the lather has been shaved away and then following that path. On the against the grain pass, I only use warm water with no lather, and there's never been any slippage issue.

James.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by xman

Pulling the skin taut is the most important part, that way you'll be far less prone to cut yourself.

Stretching from behind the razor is the safest stretch.

Stretching from behind the grain will give the closest shave.

X

---

Can't say it any better than that.

To answer your other question though, you might want to try pulling with a damp washcloth if your skin's too slippery for your bare fingers to pull it tight. You can get some protection against cuts this way too if you're stretching in front of the blade.

As for the slipping issue, I find drying my fingers off helps to keep a good grip, even with any leftover lather. Wet fingers are much more slippery.

The only thing I would add is that I wouldn't just lather part of the face at a time because for most of us we need all the time the lather spends on the beard to soften it up.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by xman

Pulling the skin taut is the most important part, that way you'll be far less prone to cut yourself.

Stretching from behind the razor is the safest stretch.

Stretching from behind the grain will give the closest shave.

X

---

I have found that stretching the skin against the grain helps. For example, the hair on my cheek/sideburns area grows downward, so I stretch up. This isnt always possible in all places, but it seems to work best for me.

By stretching against the grain, it sort of makes the hairs stand out more, which like X said translates to a closer shave.

I always have a nice dry towel wrapped around me or draped over the sink, so i can quickly dry my stretching hand. This helps me get a little more purchase on my face and generally a better shave.

I'm interested in the advantages of the no lather pass against the grain, using just water. How does it work. I read a bit about it making the skin less prone to irritation if cold water only is used.

STRETCHING? We are supposed to be stretching the skin?

JK - I agree with X.

Also, may look into this no lather pass...but I really do like putting the lather on and shaving - Zen like moments.