Thread: Weird grain directions!

Hi guys,

It's been 2 weeks and thanks to you, a lot has been learned. Now I can say that my side burns and tight areas are almost BBS. However, under the chin, chin, all around the mouth I have razor burns/skin irritation. Both hurts and doesn't look good. I can't figure out how many passes I have to, and for that I do 6-8 passes on some parts. I use as little pressure as possible but dense areas like chin doesn't cut without a little push. There are really weird angle that I managed to do not WTG, not XTG and not ATG. It's like reverse (XTG+ATG)/2 angle(not the razor angle). I find the direction by feeling the remaining whiskers and go against them. Afterwards I use alum block and Nivea aftershave balsam. Before the shave I at least get hot shower(I even apply Nivea shaving gel in the shower for couple of minutes to soften, I don't use it for shave) sometimes even hot towel. Still sideburns are perfect, but the chin and jowl are reddish, irritated. So what now?

Thanks,

You shouldn't have to do "6-8 passes" in any area. In general you will only need 2-3 passes in an area to get the best quality shave... with a few focused touch-ups afterwords. All those extra passes will certainly start to irritate the skin. I'd say focus on angles and pressure to make sure you're getting the maximum bang for your buck on each pass. Also, if the grain is changing up in an area focus only on each small area at a time rather than many big sweeping passes over the same large area.

I'd lay off the extra passes for now even if the shave isn't perfect to give your skin a break.

Definitely take some time to let your skin heal, completely, before you continue. Once you have completely healed, plan your shave before you pick up your razor. I suggest having a couple days of growth on your face. Draw a map of your whiskars, determining which way your beard grows. This will allow you to effectively plan your razor stroke. Use short strokes, and hold the razor firmly (like Jimmy's signature says), pull the skin very tight, no pressure. My strokes are never uni-directional. If i'm moving north to south on the stroke, I'm also moving west to east, maybe only a 32nd of an inch. You're trying to slice the hairs as opposed to hack them down. Some may disagree, and that's perfectly normal, but this works very well for me, and my shaves never have irritation or require any more than 3 passes.

Keep experimenting, and try to remember what you've attempted.

Good luck and keep us posted!
Maxi

Took me two or three weeks before I could stop using the DE on my chin and the hollows on either side of my windpipe which are multi directional. Even now those are my toughest areas to shave.

The sharpness of the razor and your stretching, blade angle, stroke and direction of attack, pressure, and stuff I probably can't even think of, all enter into it. Just keep improving your skills on what you can get easily. Keep working on those areas but don't worry about using your alternative shaving method .... DE or whatever.... to finish those until they come effectively with the straight. Just IME.

Jimmy's correct. I used to "cheat" myself on the problem areas when I started out.
You do what you have to do, Also, Definitely let your skin rest, if it's sore and irritated. You'll only make it worse if you keep going. Stop shaving for a few days, and apply a good moisturizer several times a day if possible...

Thank you all. I really need to stop for a few days. It's weird that I get this only with straight and DE razors. Although it's said that straight razor irritates less, I don't get skin problems with Mach3 or Fusion. I used to think that straight razors are bad so they are left behind. I had skin problems with everything using DE too. So now I believe that straight razors are great and all this classic shaving experience but honestly guys, just tell me if I'll ever get Mach3 quality shave in this experience? Can it be the material(probably carbon steel) different from Mach3 generation razors? Shall I get a Japanese razor or something?

I think I'd better take my straight razor to my barber and ask him to do the job after these burns heal.

All the best,

Originally Posted by fatcatmehmet

So now I believe that straight razors are great and all this classic shaving experience but honestly guys, just tell me if I'll ever get Mach3 quality shave in this experience?

Eventually you will get far better than the Mach3 experience, but it does take time. I'm a few weeks ahead of you and I can say that I'm now starting to consistently get shaves that are better than what I was getting with cartridge razors with little to no razor burn anywhere. However, in the very beginning the quality of my shaves was not as good as what I had before.

I do certainly still have "off days" where I get some things wrong and have some minor razor burn on the neck area but I'm increasingly having days like today where all is smooth and comfortable after the shave.

Stick with it... although it's probably a good idea to give your skin a rest. Even if your technique is better if the skin is already irritated going into the shave then it's going to still be irritated coming out.

I have some weird grain directions as well. I've been shaving for 8 months and just realised that just above my jawline, the grain is parallel to my jawline so I have to go horizonal for WTG/ATG and straight down for XTG.

might take you a while but, you eventually get there.

Welcome aboard! Don't get discouraged too soon. Remember you've been shaving one way for a number of years, so it's going to take time to relearn this skill using a very different piece of equipment than what you're used to. What seemed to help me the most was letting my beard grow in for a couple of days, so I could really get a good idea of the growth patterns. You can also use this time to let your razor burn and any cuts heal. I've found that applying Neosporin, or a similar antibiotic ointment to the razor burned areas really speeds the healing process along

The only thing that I want to add to what's already been said, is that for now, try to forget about getting that BBS shave. For these first few months your focus should be totally on developing and perfecting your technique. Work on lather building, correct blade angle, and skin stretching. As your technique improves, so will the quality of your shave, all the while decreasing skin irritation. For now, you should limit yourself to 3 (max) high quality passes, as opposed to 6 low quality ones. After your technique is sound, you may want to add another touch-up pass. But for now, just leave it alone.