Thread: Shaving Across the Neck

I haven't read the other responses....but I have the EXACT same situation my hair on my neck grows from west to east. To make matters worse like you even with 2 XTG passes north and south I never get a BBS.....close yes .... but never fully smooth. Here is my advice/method. #1 On most days I ask myself do I really need a BBS ? The answer is usually no. That is me though. The N-S passes XTG usually suffice with a DFS and no one but me knows I'm not BBS smooth. Now other days the fact that "I" know I am not at a BBS bothers me to no end as I can easily get a BBS with my DE's or SE's that I have used for 20 years. I recently learned the secret !!!! I was dumb founded it was so simple. I was like a kid on Christmas morning. OK think of a DE specifically a slant bar razor. it cuts at an angle correct ? and you get smooth very fast as the cutting action and angle are different. Now fast forward to your straight razor. Do NOT do a standard XTG N-S then S-N XTG pass do them at 45 degee angles so you are actually moving the blade at 45 degree passes still N-S XTG but at an angle. Then the same process 45 degree angles reverse XTG S-N. Using this method has gotten me that BBS shave on my neck I was not able to get doing the "normal" XTG North to south and South to north, but incorporate those 45 degree angles instead of a straight up and down and it shaves MUCH closer. YMMV of course as we all have different hair patterns, but this drastically helped me achieve that BBS on my neck. Hope that helps !

Originally Posted by Spineshank

I haven't read the other responses....but I have the EXACT same situation my hair on my neck grows from west to east. To make matters worse like you even with 2 XTG passes north and south I never get a BBS.....close yes .... but never fully smooth. Here is my advice/method. #1 On most days I ask myself do I really need a BBS ? The answer is usually no. That is me though. The N-S passes XTG usually suffice with a DFS and no one but me knows I'm not BBS smooth. Now other days the fact that "I" know I am not at a BBS bothers me to no end as I can easily get a BBS with my DE's or SE's that I have used for 20 years. I recently learned the secret !!!! I was dumb founded it was so simple. I was like a kid on Christmas morning. OK think of a DE specifically a slant bar razor. it cuts at an angle correct ? and you get smooth very fast as the cutting action and angle are different. Now fast forward to your straight razor. Do NOT do a standard XTG N-S then S-N XTG pass do them at 45 degee angles so you are actually moving the blade at 45 degree passes still N-S XTG but at an angle. Then the same process 45 degree angles reverse XTG S-N. Using this method has gotten me that BBS shave on my neck I was not able to get doing the "normal" XTG North to south and South to north, but incorporate those 45 degree angles instead of a straight up and down and it shaves MUCH closer. YMMV of course as we all have different hair patterns, but this drastically helped me achieve that BBS on my neck. Hope that helps !

Is this the scything motion I've been hearing about?

Thanks Spineshank! I've been using scything strokes and they've worked better than anything else I could figure out, although not great. Tried your 45° technique today and after a few adjustments to direction, it worked for me!

Good day for me, I've learned something!

I have the same growth pattern (sideways across neck). It is possible to shave. It is not easy. I experimented with a lot of grips and skin stretching before I got it. I also experimented with a 'simulator'. In my case a razor with no edge. Someone else mentioned a few pieces of tape on the edge works (I haven't tried that). I even simulated with a dull table knife which was as long as the razor and scales.

This is a bit hard to describe. I hold the blade in my dominate hand out in front of me. The sharp edge of the blade is facing me. The spine is towards my feet. I rotate the blade 180 degrees as I bend my elbow closed towards me and rotate my wrist towards me as well. I now have the scales facing vertically up and the blade vertically down. Placing the blade against by throat under my ear roughly, the blade is parallel to my trachea. My fingers and the monkey tail are under my jaw line out by my ear. The blade lies flat against my neck. A minor change in position on the tang with my thumb determines the blade angle to my throat.

If I draw the monkey tail along my jaw line, the blade is making a sideways pass from my ear to my trachea. This pass is relatively easy. The next pass is harder because there is not enough clearance to lower the blade without poking the toe into the top of my chest.

So the other hand vigorously pulls the skin up towards the top of my head. The skin that used to be a inch or so below my jaw line is now on the flat spot of my cheek.

I can repeat the same stroke as the first one and get most of the bottom of my neck. Some scything strokes get the very bottom. What I have described is ATG on my neck. The hair on my neck grows from my trachea towards my ears and stays fairly parallel to my jaw line.

This was the first stroke I figured out (ATG). Next I figured out if I started with the edge facing away from me, when I rotated towards my face I ended up with the blade in the same vertical position but the edge was facing towards my ears. Starting at my trachea, I can go WTG across my neck towards my ear this way. The same stretching is used to gain more clearance for a second lower stroke.

I also use a 10x magnifying mirror. With my chin up, I can see my throat out of the corner of one eye. This gets half a neck done!


To get the other side of the neck done sideways, I have to switch the razor to my non-dominate hand and repeat the same process.

If I go in order on WTG, XTG and get good beard reduction. A very flat angle ATG will yield a BBS sideways neck shave.

I know this is difficult to imagine. I came up with this while trying a grip the spine method. It sort of loosened my thinking. Once you realize you need a completely different grip and both hands to do this with some serious skin stretching? You will figure it out. Make sure you have WTG and XTG working well first and there will be little irritation ATG. At least on my neck more than one pass WTG is fine, two or three XTG can work, I seldom get more than two ATG and only with a very flat blade angle.

Best,

Ed

Having trouble getting my hand, arm and razor into the needed contortion to shave the neck hairs, I thought maybe my wife could do that part.
Then I came to my senses. What was I thinking.

Yeah, don't get her involved.

Heres how to do an ATG across the neck... Notice he doesnt hessitate while shaving...The riddle of steel.

Rasiermesser Rasur - YouTube