Looking for tips

Hey guys,

I've been shaving with the SR for over 2 weeks with a fair amount of success. However there seems to be two areas that are giving me a real difficult time. The first being above the upper lip. I'm not sure if most of you go XTG on the this area but I can't seem to get the razor moving. The other problem area is is going ATG on my neck. I've watched many videos and it looks like most people keep the 30 degree angle but it doesn't seem to be working. Also, I'm very careful to apply little to no pressure when going ATG. Any ideas or hints would be appreciated.

Thanks

I can only tell you my experiences. Two things concerning your upper lip. Try another XTG pass coming from the other direction and then a ATG pass, make damn sure the blade is sharp, and try very small "swipes" (okay, that was 3 things :) ).

For the neck a lot of people (me included) don't perform a full three pass shave. You constantly have to adjust your angle as you progress AND the direction of your hair changes (mine mostly runs west to east until under my right ear where it switches direction).

It's a learning process that doesn't end. The longer you shave, the smaller the improvements become, but it still happens.

Best of luck and let us know how it goes!

I had the same problems agree with upper lip I now do XTG in each direction never been able to do ATG even with a DE. It took me about 8 weeks to get a BBS on the neck. As your technique improves you manage to move the blade better and try different grips and angles. As each persons beard growth and direction is different there is no simple answer, just take it slow and one day it will all come together. One thing that worked for me when going ATG lay the blade flat on the skin and slowly lift it as you move it forward until it starts to cut hair. I found this angle is shallower than you think.

Doug do a search for the "fools pass" here on SRP and this should help,with the upper lip, I personally usually do a 3 pass shave on the upper lip WTG, XTG then fools pass using 2 hands
note I prefer a warm blade and you must have no doubt on the sharpness of it for ATG pass
Then neck is a matter of stretching and angles sometimes a find a slightly steeper angle works best for the neck also but that is only my workings

If you possess the most challenging mix of features on your neck -- course hair... a grain that either runs from adam's apple to ear, or is very mixed... and a lean, muscular neck -- then, like others (including me), it may be best to settle for a damn fine shave in the areas where your jawline and neck meet as the cost of BBS in those spots may not be worth the effort and irritation.

Early on when I was shaving with a shavette I went against the grain. It produced a fairly smooth lip but severe irritation. Not cuts, but kind of welts. I stopped doing it because I thought "what good is a smooth upper lip if it looks like I shaved it with a meat tenderizer".

Fast forward a bit. I became more proficient with the shavette allowing me to consistently shave with little to no irritation (still not doing a fools pass).
Then I saw Chimensch's video. He does sort of an upward/lateral sweep from the outside of his lip toward his philtrum. And yes on one of them I swear he is going to cut his nose off. (He has been shaving this way for about 30 years so your strokes don't have to be long and sweeping like his) then he does a series of short south to north strokes on his philtrum using both hands on his blade.
The upward/ lateral sweep is a natural progression for me from a stroke I do to clean up stubborn hairs in the "handle bar mustache area". I do the philtrum strokes but with my blade slightly angled. I think I could do this on my entire mustache area but haven't yet. I have also progressed to straights and have been doing it with them too.
My conclusion is you could go against the grain with two handed super short strokes (elbows braced against your body, leaning against the sink for stability) after you cleaned up with the upward/lateral sweep. But I'm not sure it is worth it.YMMV.

When going side to side on the neck, I try to pull my neck skin up to the cheek area. It makes the stroke a lot easier and covers about 3/4 of the neck. The lower 1/4 only gets a two-pass shave (down, then up.)

Hi Doug,
For the upper lip area, stretching is really important, and i have found guilotine strokes work, and if you are going to do a fools pass (up from lip to nose) be very cautious, stretching, and supprting the blade with two hands are both advisable.

I never go ATG with a straight or a de razor on my moustache area, that is guaranteed irritation for me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tedh75

My conclusion is you could go against the grain with two handed super short strokes (elbows braced against your body, leaning against the sink for stability) after you cleaned up with the upward/lateral sweep. But I'm not sure it is worth it.YMMV.

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I did it tonight. Started with the philtrum. Blade angled(guillotine stroke like Ed said). Short strokes with two hands, etc. Then did the whole stache that way. Threw a bit more lather on and did a second pass with one hand while stretching. Not the philtrum, just the sides. It actually came out quite smooth. Some irritation as you would imagine. Not terrible. Didn't cut my nose off. I don't think I'll add it to the daily shave though.
If its important to you give it a try. Just go slow and don't force anything. You'll be fine.

Thanks for all the replies. It seems I'm going to need to experiment a bit to find what works. Today I tried a few different angles along with stretching the skin and it worked very well. However when it comes to the upper lip, I still can't get the razor to glide simply shaving wtg. I tried using two hands to support the razor but it doesn't move.....maybe its not sharp enough.....not sure. Thanks for all the feedback, definitely helps.

We usually recommend new shavers start slow and progress as your facility with the razor and confidence increases. This process can take months. Two weeks is nothing. I'd simply wouldn't be doing any advanced strokes at that time. You might find a month or more from now the upper lip is a piece of cake.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

We usually recommend new shavers start slow and progress as your facility with the razor and confidence increases. This process can take months. Two weeks is nothing. I'd simply wouldn't be doing any advanced strokes at that time. You might find a month or more from now the upper lip is a piece of cake.

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Yeh I only went WTG & XTG on the upper lip for a month or 2 until I got the rest of my face with no Irritation,
& yes the blade must be flat against your lip & truely sharp,
I dulled my first blade a bit when stropping when I first started as many do which made it catchy on the fools pass which put me off for a while also but once I rehoned it & got it back to fully sharp it did it with ease.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BDRebel

When going side to side on the neck, I try to pull my neck skin up to the cheek area. It makes the stroke a lot easier and covers about 3/4 of the neck. The lower 1/4 only gets a two-pass shave (down, then up.)

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Wow! That's a heck-uv-a stretch! Lol.

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Originally Posted by Steel

Wow! That's a heck-uv-a stretch! Lol.

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Short neck :D (and saggy skin)
Tilt the head to the side you are shaving and pull the cheek skin up. That will give a nice smooth surface to shave your neck area

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tedh75

It actually came out quite smooth. Some irritation as you would imagine. Not terrible. Didn't cut my nose off. I don't think I'll add it to the daily shave though.

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OK so I might have added it to my daily shave. Feels nice having a smooth upper lip.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

We usually recommend new shavers start slow and progress as your facility with the razor and confidence increases. This process can take months. Two weeks is nothing. I'd simply wouldn't be doing any advanced strokes at that time. You might find a month or more from now the upper lip is a piece of cake.

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Sorry, didnt really take the 2 week part in.

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Originally Posted by edhewitt

Sorry, didnt really take the 2 week part in.

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No, need to be.

Thanks for the info.

I should probably mention that the only time I have cut myself badly so far was on my upper lip; going with the grain with my shavette.

As of today I have roughly 75 shaves under my belt. I'm able to shave the upper lip, however the chin and ATG is proving to be a rather difficult. In some areas on my neck I'm able to go ATG with relative ease while others the blade will just stop. But with that said I never rush the process or get frustrated, I just stop and finish up with a cartridge........I know this will be a long process.

I'm pretty new to SR too. I was around 50 shaves before I could get my upper lip reliably. I'm still working on getting my entire neck reliably.
Keep working at the different angles and skin stretching. You will get there, it just takes more time than you want it to.

I keep a beard so I can't offer any advice on the upper lip. For me the only way I can get a smooth ATG on my neck is if I hold my jaw line, pull up while tucking my chin. It's a little unconventional and doesn't tighten the skin much, but it works (for me). I should also mention the hair on my neck grows up, so my north to south pass is ATG.

OK, so I have about 3 months under my belt and I've read about the angle of the SR being at 30 degrees. After watching a few videos and seeing individuals open the angle past 30 degrees I decided to try it and I think that's what I've been doing wrong the entire time.