Lower lip

with my disposable I used to go upwards on the lip. But on my face it is ATG and may pose a problem with the straight razor. Any thoughts? Should I just bite the bullet and go up with the straight?

On my first pass I actually go against the grain on the whiskers just below my lower lip (I go with the grain on the rest of my face). Then, on my second pass I go with the grain on that area (I go ATG on my neck, and XG on my cheeks on this pass).

Andrew

You often hear about all of the various approaches to both upper and lower lips (I'd hazard a guess that if you saw video of many of us shaving those portions of our face you'd also see a wide range of grimaces to try to stretch the skin properly).

On the other hand, some (myself included) treat upper and lower lips the same as the rest of the face...first pass with the grain, second pass against the grain. For a good description of how to go against the grain on your upper lip without lopping off your nose, see X-mans blog "In the deep end". As I recall it was one of the earlier entries.

The KISS principle applies to shaving as much as it does to the rest of life (Keep It Simple Stupid).

Just another data point,
Ed

Until recently I always tried to go with the grain under my lower lip, and it never cut the sparse and spikey hairs that reside there. Then I was reading one of the old barber manuals, and it recommended an upward, against the grain stroke there on the first pass.

I tried it, and the results have been much, much better. For me, at least, ATG in this area isn't a problem. Give it a try. :)

Josh

Thanks for the advice. I think I will try ATG the next time, I have a feeling it will be easier to keep my skin stretched with an upward stroke. I'll let you know if I hemorrhage or not.:eek:

I shave the lower lip only ATG, which means an upwards pass for me. This is a personal preference, as I have found it to be the easiest and also gives me the best result. It seems that the WTG downwards pass never worked for me. What I do is lather the lower lip area as soon as I am done with the chin, then carefully stretch downwards and towards the side (ears), then take short careful strokes to finish the entire lower lip region. Just one man's way...

A very tricky area to perfect...I also go ATG for the lower lip.

I am a newbie as well, but I have been rolling my lower lip over my bottom teeth for the stretch and shave with the grain. I only need one pass ATG to get the rest silky smooth.

I forgot to add that I also pull the skin down from the chin to finish the stretch for the against the grain stroke.

For me I have always gone WTG and XTG with smooth results. I guess the idea of another item slicing through my lip and bouncing off my teeth just gives me the eebee jeebees.

Alot of my shaving pattern has been trial and error. Some of it I have modified from Lynn's DVD and others have been "What works for me". I'm a hands on learner and reading about "How To's" doesn't always regester with me, so till I see a better way and try it...