Thread: End of week one- issues with neck...

Here I am after my first week of trying the straight razor and I still can't complete my neck without reaching for my d/e...

I still feel a little uneasy with my non-dominant hand; but, am okay for most of my face. When I reach the neck, I can get in a few short strokes below the jaw line; but, it just seems to start to pull as I work my way down...

I don't think it's the razor(s)- I bought 2 professionally sharpened and I have no such issues on my face. Upper lip and chin aren't an issue as I wear a goatee.

I know one of my limitations in having all this "catch on" is my eyesight; that is, I am rather farsighted and need my glasses to see what I am doing. And I am rather amblyopic... favoring my left eye. Further, some of the angles I turn to in the mirror force me to look "around" my glasses rendering them useless and me frustrated. I sense that once I get the "feel" for the straight razor I will be fine; just as I am with the d/e.

Suggestions and moral support are equally welcome...

TIA,
-A

Really this is a problem area for all beginners. The neck really didn't get comfy for me until I randomly laid the razor so close to flat that there may have been only enough room for a piece of paper to fit. For some reason and I don't care to know why I had to have a flatter angle on my neck. Basically keep experimenting with angle. It may just need a little play. Keep at it. It will catch on sooner or later.

The neck is hard for me, but if it helps it is slowly getting better as my technique improves.

Russell

There is no shame in finishing with a DE. They are great shavers, end of story. I think the big key is to have confidence in your strokes. If a backup DE helps you out in that department, you're already winning.

In terms of your vision and hand issues, we all have our little quirks that make our shaving experiences unique. You've now found yours. Rest assured, though, that slow, methodical advancement will take you up that mountain.

Keep calm and shave on.

I also Have glasses and have issues with the having to look around them to get the right viewing angle... I have come up with a somewhat Odd but ingenious fix for this... now bear with me here... to do the extreme left of my neck I put the right nose piece on the left side of my nose... and the revers is true for the right side, this opens up yer view by quite a bit make sure yer still using the correct lens for the correct eye but it works!!... now it takes a min to adjust yer focus so be patient, and to do the tight under the chin place where you hafta tilt yer head way back put the glasses WAY down on the tip of yer nose... I know these things sound silly but trust me they work fairly well... try it sometime!!

Necks are often loose and need a lot of stretching - both with the other hand and perhaps by turning your head this way and that.

To top it all off, the neck area usually is where you'll get the weird and wonderful changes of direction in the beard growth that make it such a difficult area to shave.

So all that adds up to the neck being by far the most problematic area for any shaver, let alone someone trying to learn a new shaving implement at the same time.

As others have said, give it some time. I'd also suggest trying to figure out (if you haven't already) the growth patterns of your beard in the neck area, and then map out a stretching and stroke-direction regime that enables you to move with the grain (at least initially) with the straight. Remember you can always stretch diagonally to move the grain into an easier direction for shaving, to a point.

Another thing that helped my neck shave was developing a short, blade-buffing type stroke. Also learn to "shorten" the razor by learning how to angle it so that only an inch or less of the tip or heel is on the skin - that can be useful on the neck area too - this is best done with a round point initially. But always stretch there - stretching is vital on the neck.

Good luck,

James.

Plus one to the buffing technique. Also if you are having trouble because of the neck growth (believe me i have a thicker neck beard than face beard) you might try starting with your razor at the bottom of the neck and doing short downward strokes ( less than a 1/4 inch) moving up after each one. It can help clear tough hair with minimal irritation for some

Im struggling in a couple spot on my neck too. Slowing down and short strokes is what stops me from the burn and close shave. Lather only half of your neck so you can stretch the other side. .....I think I said that right....it's Friday night have one more!! But don't o shave after!! Good luck!

admoore,

Welcome to SRP and congrats on finishing week 1. Lots of good advice above. Just keep in mind to take your time and get comfortable with the razor. It honestly took me a month before I was getting consistent ok shaves and two months before I was getting consistently good shaves. It's just one of those things that takes time but is definitely worth it to stick with it.

Happy Shaving

JC

I am about 3 months in and neck is still trickiest part. I have found short strokes make for the smooth and comfortable neck shave.