Problems with the neck

I have been shaving with a DE since I was 18 and just bought my first straight at 22 last month. I have always wanted a straight but decided to be patient and learn how to properly prepare the face for shaving. In the 4 years of using the DE I also learned a lot about the way my hair grows so I was hoping that would translate well. The first week I used the straight I only shaved WTG from my sideburns to jawline. The next week I was able to shave the whole face and chin, but still not the neck. I was getting very good results on the face and even went XTG and ATG on some parts. I was feeling confident at how well I was doing and thought I was ready for the neck. I was not. I have now tried shaving my neck with the straight 3 times and have had a lot of trouble. I am not cutting myself, but I am getting razor burn and bumps. I also am not getting a close shave at all on my neck. Will this just take time to learn the proper angles and pressure appliance? I am being very light on my touch and create a nice lather. Has anyone else had trouble as a beginner shaving their neck? I have fairly sensitive skin and could not use Feather DE blades when I used my safety razor. I had to use a milder blade. Am I supposed to use my right hand on the left side of my neck and vice versa? I know I should probably just use the DE on my neck for now, but then how will I get any better? Just wish I could get the same results on my neck as I do my face. Thanks for the help.

Casey1991,

Welcome to SRP!

Your experience of having difficulties with the neck is not uncommon. Keep in mind people have different necks: some have meaty necks that have few angles or crevices; others have bony, angular necks full of difficult angles. I have a bony, angular neck, that took a lot of effort to learn how to shave smoothly and comfortably.

Assuming that your razor is properly honed and stropped, the key to getting the neck is to pull the skin tightly. There are two holds that I find helpful for getting the skin tight. First, If you are are shaving your right side with your right hand, pull the skin upward from the point near the jawline that the cheek meets the jawbone. This will allow you to get a tight, less angular surfaceto shave the area where you transition from cheek to neck. For shaving lower on the neck, try pulling you skin from below your Adam's Apple and pulling your skin down so that the lower/middle area of the kneck is taught. You might try turning your head as that will tighten skin in certain areas. You might consider puffing out your cheeks as if you were holding your breath as that can tighten skin in the upper/middle part of the neck. You could also try tilting your head back as that can tighten skin below the chin.

In a nutshell, it can take a lot of experimenting with pulling skin / moving head, puffing out cheeks, etc. Everyone's neck is different. What works for me might not work for you the same way. But keep experimenting to get tight skin. Tight skin is the key to a good shave on the neck.

The neck can be vary difficult and many of us have hair that grow all over the place on our necks where it is pretty straight up on the face. It is a problem area for many and going slowly, paying attention to stretching and angle will se you through but it will take time. Try checking some you tube vids or use the search and type shaving neck will get you lots of info. Good luck.Ed

Thanks for the advice I tried the stretching techniques mentioned and it helped. I still got some razor burn, but the hair reduction was way better than my first couple tries. Is my razor burn due to inexperience?

Generally it is inexperience angle and pressure.

In part answer to your post, I shave exclusively left handed, I had heaps of issues with my neck, but it's good now, I get some minor irritation sometimes immediately post shave but it goes quickly.

I used to get razor burn on my neck. I found that holding a razor as it should be I was using way too much pressure. So I went to how I am most comfortable and fold it straight and hold it lightly between my thumb and pointer. Just pinching the tang. I can shave three times with no razor burn. Still haven't gotten all the angles down on my neck though.

Casey,

The neck can be a tricky area for a lot of beginning straight razor shavers. Everyone has given some great advice to you about pressure, blade angle, pulling the skin and proper lathering. One thing you may also want to try is cold water shaving. I cold water shave and for some people it can significantly reduce the amount of irritation they experience.

Just my second month with the straight, and for me everything was fairly straight forward except for the neck, never could get it as close as my de by a long shot. Tonight I shaved and got closer on the neck than I ever have with my de. I think there a couple of things that have helped me from the guys on this forum, 1) stretching, my skin stretches a lot more after 2 months than it did in the beginning I can get the skin under my jawline close now because I can pull it up more, 2) I finally figured a way to tackle a couple of my small trouble areas by thinking of how to get 1 sq inch of skin tight and blade angle to get to atg, moving from small area to small area instead of incorporating it into wtg, xtg, atg full passes, hope this helps and keep trying you will eventually find your own way. Oh. and one more thing an alum block makes all the difference at helping with stretching the skin.

My neck was a surprise for me. I had done the sideburns and cheeks and was worried about the neck. I found stretching really made a difference. Doesn't matter as much on the cheek, jaw, sideburns, or face in general. I do stretch there but it did not make near as much difference. However, on the neck, stretching really made a difference. I point my chin up toward the ceiling to get some of the stretch and with my second hand pull down on the skin for the remainder. This is for a north to south pass. I do use my right hand only and had to find a way to both hold and point the razor to do this. In both situations I 'point' the blade toward the back of my neck and pull downward.
For the upward pass I found holding the blade almost parallel to the skin worked quite well and this was the surprise. I assumed I needed a greater angle but this one worked great. The spine is maybe the width of a nickel off my skin for this pass. I also have found a scything action adds to the ability to 'get more hair'. I think the scything action also helps with the hair that grows in several directions.

Happy shaves

This may have already been said, but make sure you're shaving WTG first. The neck is commonly an area where the hair grows in several different directions. For me, shaving WTG first means shaving half way up my neck starting from the bottom and going up. Then shaving the rest by shaving towards the sides from the center. As mentioned in some of the first posts, stretching your skin as much as possible is a big help as well. This is ofcourse assuming that your angle is flat enough, the blade is honed and stropped correctly etc. Just keep practicing and keep the nick stick close by. :-)