Shaving Neck - Do you go Vertical?

I recently got into wet shaving with an Injector and DE's.
It has been quite an improvement, I am thinking of trying out a straight though as it seems interesting.

I was wondering; the hair on my neck grows vertically, out from the adams apple.

When attempting an initial with the grain pass, are people able to shave side to side on the neck?
Even with a DE or Injector I find this difficult as I am a bit of a bean pole which results in quite a curved neck even if I tilt my head back or atempt skin stretching.

The next best thing is upward on a 45* angle; would this cause much irritation with a straight?

Thanks!
-Geoff

Hi Geoff and welcome :) ,

I think it's fairly usual to make vertical passes on the neck and initially go north to south, if you know what I mean. I wouldn't recommend side to side on the neck - maybe some angles if you've got whirlpools and eddies.

45 degrees against the grain shouldn't cause irritation with a straight, but it needs to be properly sharp.

James

Thanks for the quick reply.

That certainly makes sense.

Welcome Geoff.

I can't get a close shave without going against the grain. For me, that means going forward under the chin along the neck. That's easy with a DE, but it was the hardest thing to learn with a str8. I did learn how to do it eventually.

The only thing that I still cant get smoother with a straight than a DE are some areas of the neck due to the angles...but its a learning process.

A South North pass on the neck is not a big deal. Most men's hair grows as yours does and that would be the initial with the grain pass. Following with an against the grain pass or North South would be how to get extra close. The real challenge for me is the East West and West East (normally cross grain) passes. The few hairs I have on my neck grow straight out sideways from my adams apple demanding the sideways pass. Unfortunately, as you allude, this can be a difficult.

I suggest you try as many different angle and subtle direction changes as you can imagine. One of them will get you just that little bit closer. I also get best results from 'smiling' or curved blades since they let me get around some of the tighter spots better.

Good luck.

X

I find that making a southward, followed by a northward pass on the neck gets most of the hairs. Afterwards, I've got to stretch the skin in a few places so I'm able to mow down a few hairs that grow in odd directions, but it's pretty easily done. I don't believe I ever go completely "east" or "west" on the neck, but I do make some diagonal strokes.

It's easy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JLStorm

The only thing that I still cant get smoother with a straight than a DE are some areas of the neck due to the angles...but its a learning process.

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That is true. The neck hairs are in some funky angles but they are shaveable.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JLStorm

The only thing that I still cant get smoother with a straight than a DE are some areas of the neck due to the angles...but its a learning process.

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Same problem here, almost all of mine on the neck grow sideways. It's frustrating to try to get them close enough that I can't feel them when I run my hand against the grain.

I'm making some progress with diagonal scything strokes and found the point where those become slicing strokes :eek: won't go there again.

The area of the Adam's apple is hardest to shave. My hairs grow from left to right, exactly horizontally which makes it very hard to get a BBS shave in that area. Some days I am more successful than others. After not having shaved for 48 hours I find it easier to get it really smooth than after 24 hours.
The sharper the razor the better the results.
My skin around the Adam's apple is very prone to irritation which makes it even more problematic.

I do a several passes on my neck when I shave. North south, then south north. I then do a diagonal pass on either side and lastely as sort of sideways rounded pass that the blade to move from east to west and west to east while following the linds of the jaw so that I dont cut the crap out of myself with a the point. This works very well, but I never get my neck baby butt smooth like I could with a DE...although its a future goal :D

Josh,

So many passes around my Adam's apple would turn me into a redneck!

The closest I can get to doing a W-E type pass on the neck is right along the jawline. Other than that its a S-N then N-S pass. I've tried all kinds of angles but it makes no difference. To get my neck baby butt smooth against the grain I have to go W-E or E-W and that is impossible. However, I still get a very close shave so as they say don't sweat the small stuff.

i find that folding the handle inward (so that it makes a right angle, almost from the edge of the blade) allows me to get as close to lateral passes on the neck as i'm ever going to get with a straight razor. with the handle opened outward, i can't get close. try it and let me know what you guys think.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cyrano138

i find that folding the handle inward (so that it makes a right angle, almost from the edge of the blade) allows me to get as close to lateral passes on the neck as i'm ever going to get with a straight razor. with the handle opened outward, i can't get close. try it and let me know what you guys think.

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That's how I do it as well.

maybe we read it here. sometimes i can never remember if i thought of something or not.