Thread: First straight razor shave

Hey guys,

I just completed my first straight razor shave about half an hour ago. Started with my sideburns and cheeks. All was well here and shaved with and against the grain with no problems, no blood, nothing. Really smooth. Same goes for my neck except for some kind of grain shave. What I mean is that on my neck my beard grows to the sides. Like this:

<---draeb-- neck --beard--->
<---draeb-- neck --beard--->
<---draeb-- neck --beard--->

So I would have to shave like this

->-->--->--->neck<--<--<--<--
->-->--->--->neck<--<--<--<--
->-->--->--->neck<--<--<--<--

LOL at draeb, if you dont get it its beard backwards since thats how my beard grows

If that drawing makes sense. I dont know how to shave that off because a razor cant move that way across my neck.

Now, I didnt have too many problems with my chin, a couple of little nicks, nothing too bad. However, my moustache, ugh! With the grain went ok but then across the grain I got like 4 nicks and then I tried to go against the grain (up) and got some more (maybe like 1 or 2). None of them bled too much.

Overall, Im pleased with my shave except for the little stubble that I dont know how to shave yet because of the way my beard grows. Any help for how to shave this?

Anyway, thanks to my handy dandy styptic there was no major bleeding and I think I did pretty good for my first shave ever with a straight. Im sure Ill only get better as time goes by.

Thanks for letting me gloat about my shave lol,
Kwood34

TRY A 45 DEG. ANGLE FROM JAW TO MID NECK INSTEAD OF DIRECTLY WTG AND ATG
\ /
\ /
\ /
\ NECK/

ARROWS DID NOT COME OUT CORRECTLY, BUT I THINK THERE'S A VIDEO IN HERE THAT SHOWS IT. I THINK IT'S JOCKEY'S VIDEO

Using the angle technique that paco just posted, also try stretching the skin with fingers just below the jawline and pulling toward your earlobe. That will tend to make the grain face upwards slightly at 45 degrees, then if you go down into it at 45 degrees, you are effectively doing ATG, or pretty close.

For right side, razor in right hand, left arm behind back of neck will get your fingers in about the right place to pull upwards. Then point the toe of the blade toward your right shoulder with heel up about 45 degrees as you approach the neck. Looking up to the ceiling and slightly to your left at the same time helps some. Reverse everything for the left side.

My neck hair grows in very much the same pattern, and I've found a solution that works for me.

First, I do WTG. Starting at the middle, I hold the razor at a 45 degree angle. I'm not talking about how far off my neck I hold the spine, but the way I orient the blade to my neck. If you think of the heel of the blade as the center of a clock, the toe points right between 1 o'clock and 2 o'clock.

With the blade held at this angle, I make my strokes straight from the center to the outside, which is the way my hair grows. I find this to be MUCH easier than trying to do it with the blade straight up and down, expecially since I also wear a neatly trimmed beard.

The advantage here is that by moving the blade like a guillotine, rather than straight forward, it cuts the hair very easily.

The downside is that you have to be a bit more steady to keep from cutting yourself. If you go past 45 degrees, you could easily slice yourself open.


Second pass is the easiest. XTG. I just go straight from bottom to top. You could go either direction if you beard grows straight from center to sides, but I find this easier for me, especially due to the way I do my 3rd pass.



Third pass is a tricky one. Personally, I find a true ATG pass on my neck is simply not possible. I could make a pass in that direction on somebody else's neck, but not my own. I'm just not that flexible.

What I do instead, is a second XTG pass that I angle as much as I can ATG. So, top to bottom, but angle back to the center as much as I can. Basically, it's half way between XTG and ATG.

I find that this get's me a very close comfortable shave.

My hair grows the same way and I have the same trouble. Too bad I already shaved today, I really want to try Fritz's technique there. Hopefully that will get me over this hump, otherwise I fear those two rough patches may be permanent fixtures.