Can all of us go ATG?

But first, a little background.

Since I began to shave, I used the Mach 3 (or similar) razors. I never had that cool and clean sensation of a close shave because I got my skin burning and with red spots. I always thought that I had a problem with my skin and tried to get some answers with some suggested medical products for skin care. They didn't work. That was when I saw the light (music and choir :D). I picked my old shaving set and threw it away and converted myself to straight shaving - a wise decision. Since then I get the closest and coolest shave I ever had in my life and I'm always trying to improve my skills and get even better shaves.
The kind of improvement I'm trying to accomplish is BBS. Although I look nice with a WTG pass and a XTG pass, I tried to make a third and boldly go where I've never went before and try a ATG. OUCH!!! :cen That hurts!! I ruined my skin! I could notice that my first layer of skin was shredded and got tiny bits of dead skin on my face and the once dreaded red spots were back.

What do you think, guys? I think it could be one of these 2 options (or both)
- I definitely had a sensitive skin that can not be very stressed
or
- My razor isn't quite smooth as it should be for these kind of passes (I have a pro-honed Dovo best quality razor).

Thanks!

Going ATG was tricky at first for me and I had those same types of skin problems afterward. As my usual everyday shaver, I use the exact same razor you do (Dovo Best Quality); mine is 5/8. After a bit of practice (a couple of weeks) things got a lot better. Mostly through trial and error, I found just the right grip, blade angle, stroke length, and pressure for each particular part of my face. Also, I found that for me, going ATG is a bit easier if the lather is a little thinner. Now, I routinely get ATG BBS shaves without any problems whatsoever. Just make sure you've got a good, sharp, properly honed and stropped edge and the rest will come naturally. Hang in there; it just takes some patience and practice.

ATG shaving is the hardest skill to acquire. There are some with very sensitive skin who just can't handle it and you could be one of those however I wouldn't assume that until you have more experience under your belt. Just make sure your razor is properly honed and be real careful not to use pressure especially when going against the grain. With practice things should improve.

I'll echo the excellent comments of the others, and just add that I had good success with "warm water only" ATG passes - no lather. Probably not for everyone, but works well for me.

James.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Leon

Although I look nice with a WTG pass and a XTG pass!...

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You're extremely lucky... it would take a lot more than that to make me look nice.

As the others have said ATG is the hardest... getting your skin tight enough to allow the razor to skim over it seems to be the hard part.

For ATG on my cheeks use the same grip as WTG and just allow the razor to turn down 90deg... can you picture what i mean?

I dont really worry about ATG around my mouth and chin... gave myself dovo smile lines trying to get that right.

But the technique i tried to explain above gets me to within an inch strip on my chin anyway... so close enough for everyday use.

Greg Frazer

Beyond the sensitive skin (which I have as well, and in abundance:D ) the only thing I did to prevent the severe redness and irritation was the constant practice, and learning how to do the ATG properly. After that was down pat, the redness and irritation almost disappeared. If it does hang around, it isn't for much longer than 1-2 hours.

I've been at it for about six months and a 3 pass WTG-XTG-ATG shave is the norm for me. I found that as my skin stretching improved, my first two passes improved substantially. I'm getting very close to BBS smooth on my first two passes which is making the final ATG pass very easy and comfortable.

Apart from that, make sure that razor is sharp and smooth and ensure that you have good lather. If you start feeling a little dry as you shave, re-lather. Moisture is your friend (not to imply that lather should be thin and runny).

Leon,
For me, I need an ATG in the goatee area to get a nice looking shave and the real secret was to have an edge that is really keen. I first bought a "shave ready" razor and it really was - but not sharp enough for my wirey beard. It would jump and skip especially ATG. My key was to pick up some .5micron and .25micron diamond paste. This enabled a hone challenged newish guy to get that super keen edge that makes the ATG possible for me. Also, after a lot of experimentation, I realized that I didn't need to go ATG on the cheeks just WTG and XTG looked nice and didn't rough up the skin like ATG can. On my neck, chin and 'stache area, it's necessary, though. A lot of facial yoga and hair growth study helped me too. Good luck!

I usually don't need to go ATG on my cheeks, but I do on my neck and under my jaw. Besides getting the technique down, I found that it took a while for my skin to get used the ATG pass. I started slowly, maybe going ATG twice a week. After my skin calmed down, I could do it more often. Now its everyday. Try it and see how it goes.

Jordan

Interesting comments regarding no lather for ATG.
I find I want my lather sufficiently thinned by the ATG.

I find that I have to go ATG for my ann's apple area.
I find the area problematic, I get a better angle, and it only needs one pass atm.

Its funny you guys mentioning the ATG pass without lather, i do a 3 pass shave WTG-XTG-ATG then a polishing pass where i use just hot water. i go ATG but with super short strokes.