Thread: Little technique advice?

New to wet shaving in general. . .started out shaving with a shavette and DE recently. . .I've been doin my cheeks and parts of my face with the SE and using the DE to finish up the rest. . .Im slowly geting to other areas with the SE. The problem im running into; that I cant find online; is around my nose. I cant seem to get the DE or SE up high enough to get the hairs on my upper lip, just under my nose (nostril area). You should see all the face contortions and streching that has taken place! =)

All of the videos I've watched online dont seem to have a problem in that area. . .maybe my hair grows a lil thicker or higher than most in that spot. They just shave right by it!

I've thought about trying to cut ATG, upwards towards my nose, however common sense tells me this is not a good idea! Not to mention the consequences could be a rearranged nose =/

Oh. . .im shaving with the shavette, a 6/8, and a merkur futur. . .Thanks!!

I start with WTG pass, then XTG , then ATG.
I use the tip of the razor for that work, I use spike/spanish point, but its doable with round point too.

The hairs I'm having trouble with are just below my nostril. . .practically inside. . .I can get the tip of the razor there but I cant get a good angle to go WTG or XTG. . .?

I find I have similar problems under/inside the nostril. I find that if I use the toe of the blade, and oblique motions, i.e. south-west to norht-east, and visa-versa, I tend to be able to get those pesky hairs pretty well.

Here's pullin' for ya!

You could try pushing nose a little to the side to flatten out the area. Then gently use the tip of the razor... if that makes sense!

All the best,
Michael.

You need to try a technique called the Coup de Maitre which is basically a WTG stroke starting just under your nose with the blade at a very steep angle. You make a rolling stroke that flattens the blade angle as the edge moves from the base of the nose to the lip. It starts with an almost scraping movement and is easier if you sort of extend your lip down to stretch the area just below your nose. This is harder to describe than it is to do and, frankly, it takes sort of a leap of faith to complete. Think of it as one of those things that you need to work up to because a good level of confidence and a sharp razor are really valuable here. Here is a thread and video that will help.

If you do this in reverse and go against the grain then it's called (not surprisingly) the "Fool's Pass.

The above works, I am fairly new as well, and just figured it out about a week ago. Start with the blade at almost a 90 degree angel just under the noose. Pull the noose up and away while pulling your upper lip down.

I use the "Coup de Maitre" for the upper lip, but I did remove some tissue while learning. Flattening your nose to each side will help avoid trouble.

Thanks everybody!!. . .I'll give it a shot and see how much of my lip I can keep intact =)

Just looked at the link for the video. . .awesome!. . .Tryn it tonight. . .let you know how it goes!