addition to preshave?

ok I've played with my angle against the grain to the fullest extent i can think of and I'm getting good shaves. however my shave is not bbs yet especially during the shave. after my pores close I'm pretty smooth atg and xtg but could be smoother.

my hair on my cheeks tends to lay very flat and it is hard to get enough skin stretch on atg.
everything glides fine for the most part.

here is my question. is there anything i can do preshave to help the hair stand up.

i use a pure badger with cake soap either bald frog or vdh and sometimes uberlather standard wtg xtg atg straight shave. though that is tricky because my hair runs in a lot of different directions

I have a suggestion for you, pre shave facial scrub. It gets rid of all the dead skin, dirt, and any other buildup. Rub it in good and rinse it off then proceed as you normally would. You can get a cheap scrub at Wal-Mart. Its a really abrasive type soap if you will. The first time I used it I noticed a much closer shave. Peace.

I've experimented with many different types of pre-shave treatments, oils, washing, showers, towels and all of that, and never found much difference in the results. However, when I started aggressively stretching my skin with a wash cloth to provide traction, that has made all the difference in ATG passes for me.

I vigourously rub my beard with warm water, I believe that it has some effect on the flexibility of my facial hair... But I'm not sure it's not just a placebo.

I use Proraso green tea and oat pre-shave cream. It does make my beard stand up. As always, YMMV. ;)