Thread: Shaving tough spots question

I've done a few shaves with my new straight razor - so far so good. But I'm having a problem with a couple of spots:

I can't seem to shave against the grain above the lip. It just doesn't go smoothly, keeps catching hairs. Now, I know it's not the razor - it's a newly professionally honed razor and it works fine ATG in most other places.

Another tough spot is below the chin just where the neck starts. I guess I have mixed direction growth or whatever it's called. In order to get those spots with DE I need to shave WTG, XTG and ATG and usually multiple times (buffing). However, I can't get the angle with the straight - I'd have to put the the blade perpendicular to the floor and go from one side of the neck to the other and I just can't do it. Not to mention that it scares me a bit. So I end up doing multiple passes up and down and overshaving those areas and it's still not as smooth as I want it.

Any suggestions? Is it just a matter of practice or wrong angle or just stretching the skin differently? Thanks.

I just started to go ATG on the upper lip and what I've found that works well (with a properly sharp razor) is to go up on a diagonal with the blade almost flat and I only use the tip. I go very lightly and start at the corner of the mouth, angle the blade with the tip slightly backward and take short strokes along the path up to the center right under the nose. I then do this on the other side. Let's see if I can diagram this:




under the nose



corner of mouth(1) corner of mouth(2)

Now, imagine you draw diagonal line from CoM1 up to the nose and from CoM2 up to the nose. If you keep the blade angled like \ and take short upward strokes and keep moving up the path to the nose, the effect is like slicing the hair as opposed to meeting it square on. This has resulted in excellent closeness and little or no irritation but it takes patience and practice and a sharp blade and good lubrication.

As for where the underchin and neck meet. Try a downward stroke but stretch the skin to the side. I saw Lynn do this and tried it for my entire neck area. I love the results.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by addicted

Any suggestions?

Grow a mustache.

Really. I had to. I never could get shaving my lip right.

Originally Posted by Scrapyard Ape

Grow a mustache.

Really. I had to. I never could get shaving my lip right.

I think my wife would kick me out. Plus, it's not that I can't get it right - it just doesn't feel right while I shave it. Also, there's always and option to finish off with DE I guess.

Originally Posted by addicted

I think my wife would kick me out. .

Ah..... the "higher authority" come into play. I can't help then.

Steve, my grain above the upper lip naturally goes down and side, not straight down. So I normally shave it the way you describe.

As far as the neck, I can seem to find the right way to strech the skin. I have some hairs growing parallel to the chin line. I tried to strech it this way and that but I can't seem to find the right way to raise them enough for an up or down stroke to get them. Maybe it's just the lack of experience.

The overshaving is killing me. I'm thinking of giving up on those sports for a while and see if it will work out with time. Might have to give up facestrubation for now

Originally Posted by addicted

I can't seem to shave against the grain above the lip. It just doesn't go smoothly, keeps catching hairs.

Shaving AGT on the upper lip is definitely a trick. I wrote this last year on the subject, but I can also tell you that if the blade is overhoned or underhoned it goes worse than desired. Chris Moss has, I think, shown the only 100% safe method in his Art of the Straight Razor Shave (pg. 35) which is in the Permanent Archives section of the Help Files. Have a look at it. As always take care.

Originally Posted by addicted

Another tough spot is below the chin just where the neck starts. I guess I have mixed direction growth or whatever it's called. In order to get those spots with DE I need to shave WTG, XTG and ATG and usually multiple times (buffing). However, I can't get the angle with the straight - I'd have to put the the blade perpendicular to the floor and go from one side of the neck to the other ...

I do this all that time. The hairs under my chin tend to swoo to the right so I reach over my head and stretch the skin well to pop those hairs up and I angle the blade slightly outward away from my jugular. That's just under my chin though. I haven't got much happening on my neck, but what's there plays the same game, growing straight out from the adams apple. For this I employ a reverse grip, flip the scales round to form a 90º angle with the edge inside the bend rather than outside like normal and use my stretching hand just below the growth line to stretch the skin as flat as possible.

In both cases I tend to employ a very shallow shaving angle with te blade almost flat against my skin. Those are just my techniques. Each man finds his own way through his woods. Remember, good beard prep and full stretching are your best friends.

X

Originally Posted by xman

Shaving AGT on the upper lip is definitely a trick. I wrote this last year on the subject, but I can also tell you that if the blade is overhoned or underhoned it goes worse than desired. Chris Moss has, I think, shown the only 100% safe method in his Art of the Straight Razor Shave (pg. 35) which is in the Permanent Archives section of the Help Files. Have a look at it. As always take

X

I do a very similar thing to Chris but probably with a less vertical angle (I keep getting my lip in the way and I don't want to cut that off). Seems to work well but I waited a couple of months before ever attempting it. It certainly it the toughest thing to do (at least for this newbie)

I try to do it the same way but it seems to catch hair - maybe it's just a matter of the skin getting used to it.

But in general, I'm pretty scared to do a few things that he shows. Particularly with side-to-side XTG pass - I've don't a few vertical cuts in the beginning so now I'm not so eager to do those. I try mostly to angle it either slightly up or down - works much better for me.

Originally Posted by addicted

I can't seem to shave against the grain above the lip. It just doesn't go smoothly, keeps catching hairs.

I don't shave my upper lip against the grain. I used to, but it turned out it wasn't necessary. I shave it from the sides to the center, then shave the grooved area (whatever it's callled) diagonally down. Then I relather and shave from the center out, then shave the grooved area diagonally down the other direction. BBS every time, and it's dead simple to pull off.