One Fine Day

One day, one awesome, spectacular, fine and beautiful day:

- I'll be able to shave with NO nicks of any sort.
- I'll be able to rub an alum block on my face without the fires of hell burning my face off.
- I'll be able to hone a razor good enough to shave from.
- I'll be able to have a BBS face in just 3 passes... oh that will be nice :)
- I'll be able to make a perfect lather, soft and slippery.
- I'll be able to enjoy NO razor burn... why is it so hard not to use any pressure?
- I'll be able to shave my neck ATG without my Mach3, and finally be free of the razor bumps that it gives me.

I've been working on it all for 4 months. I've learned alot and have a long long long long way to go. But for now I'd settle just learning how to shave ATG on my neck. Its been driving me absolutly BONKERS for the last month and a half. No matter what I try I just can't seem to get the angle right. Any advice would be appreciated :)

My beard seems to grow like this (sorry for the crude method) >>> ^<(chin)<<<<<

Thanks all :)

In my experience, the most important thing for an XTG or ATG pass is that your edge be in its best possible condition. Sharp enough that you can't tell the difference between swiping lather and severing barbs. If it's not that sharp then you're not enjoying shaving as much as you could be.

Another possible source of your frustration is skin stretch. I start at the bottom of my neck and work up, not following any particular grain direction but creating good grip points for stretching. My first stretches pull downward from my collarbone, then downward from the most recently shaved zone. I shave about 1.5" at a time, upward toward my jawline. If the shaved skin is still too slick for a good stretching grip, I use a washcloth for traction.

A good taut stretch can make up a little bit for a blade that's off its peak, but when you get the two correct at the same time it's a real pleasure. Close shave and no irritation.

I hope this helps a little. Good luck with it.

Thanks thats really interesting. I've been quite bad at stretching the skin, I usually forget. I think what I need to do is take a good long slow shave and try this method. Perhaps its what I'm missing. I always figured it was because I wasn't getting the correct angle though? I donno, just a humble newb trying to grasp and this learning curve LOL

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Originally Posted by HigherFasterNow

Thanks thats really interesting. I've been quite bad at stretching the skin, I usually forget. I think what I need to do is take a good long slow shave and try this method. Perhaps its what I'm missing. I always figured it was because I wasn't getting the correct angle though? I donno, just a humble newb trying to grasp and this learning curve LOL

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Forget to stretch the skin? Usually if I don't stretch a good bit the razor tells me that fact very rapidly.

Stretching is one of the key things you need to do in order to not only get a good shave but not get some really nasty cuts.

This could be my entire problem. I mean my skin gets streched by the way i move my neck and my jaw. But is that enough?