Thread: 1st shave against the grain

Greetings All,

Well I received my 1st pro honed DOVO INOX Razor from SRD. So I tryed my 1st shave against the grain of the beard. I did alright except for the lower lip area. I can't seem to shave upward along there. The razor is very nicely honed, so I do beleive it's me. I'm thinking of getting the BISMARCK 6/8" razor from SRD. Maybe a heaver blade will work better for me. Any thoughts?

ljhblues
May one day I'll have the answer, when I am older and life moves faster.

Hey Blues, congrats on the new razor. Each of us must "learn his beard", so to speak. Since no two of us have the same hair growth direction, beard type, etc, we require small differences in technique.

What works for me in the lower lip area is to start WTG cross handed (razor in right hand, shaving the left corner of the lip), drop my jaw, and work at about a 45 degree angle along the lip. Then I switch hands and do the same in reverse for the right side of the lip. For the against the grain pass I start in the center and use the same 45 degree stroke working up toward the corners of the mouth. Also, for the "soul patch" area on this pass I steady the end of the blade with my off hand.

Might work for you, might not.. good luck.

rs,
Tack

I think it's all a matter of figuring out which way is best to shave, for me i only need to do against the grain and it's all done. Play around until you find the right angle!

Good luck!

I have a couple of spots where a razor will catch so to speak when shaving against the grain. The underside of the chin and the lower lip are definitely two of them. I find that if I lift my chin a little higher to stretch the skin more there or pull the lower lip tighter over the lower teeth that it stretches more to get those areas. I really have to watch my angles as well to make sure they don't open up in these areas with those types of strokes. Sometimes a more scything motion on those strokes helps too.

Have fun.

Blues - 'grats on first ATG. That's not a small accomplishment. Towards the end of your post, you ponder if another blade would be easier to use. Possibly, but its awful early to throw money at an issue that's more technique. The Bizmarck is a lovely razor w/ a bit more heft in the spine & shank. 'Nice ergos. But rather than spend, I'd encourage you to hook up w/ other member that might let you try some of their blades. A more thorough departure from light blades would be some of the heavier grinds, which some find easier to learn with. I benefited from trying a heavy grind. It gave me more confidence to try all kinds of stretches and strokes. Soon, I could do the same strokes w/ any blade. Another new user bought an extra hollow, then asked about a heavy grind and found it served him the same way. If your travels bring you near Portland, OR - give me a hollar. Try gear. The time w/ other experienced users shortens the distance to shaving joy - and can save some serious coin.

Awesome job sir! I am a year in, and just now getting the atg pass up to my standards. It's all about learning that angle and stretching the skin in different directions. I think you would be better off perfecting atg with your current blade, as opposed to trying with another. Just imo.

To all of you, many thanx. I do believe I will put your advise to task. I also realize that I must trust that this razor will do its job. I just need to learn to do mind.

ljhblues