Thread: 2-3 months in, 80% there...

God, I'm SOOO close! I can get 80% of my face BBS now with 2 passes. The lingering issue is the ****ing bottom 2" or so of my neck. The hairs literally grow sidways/outward. I have not figured out a way to position the razor to shave against the grain there. The length of the blade just doesn't fit between my chin and chest. Best I can do is a few additional passes perpendicular, but that doesn't get BBS. But I'm very happy to say, that I can get an amazing shave now from the adam's apple to the sideburns in 2 easy passes. Upper neck/jaw took me a few weeks to learn, but now it's nothing. I actually grab most of that as I'm coming down from the cheeks.
This probably sounds stupid to most of you "old timers", but for us newbies, it's a good feeling. And I'm still amazed at how long the straight shave lasts. I shave every 24 hours, 7 days/week, and with the DE/Shavette I would have noticeable growth before that next 24 hr mark. Now I'm questioning if I even NEED to shave again because I could probably go another day without anyone noticing I didn't shave.

Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic

Now I'm questioning if I even NEED to shave again because I could probably go another day without anyone noticing I didn't shave.

I also shave for two months with a SR, and I agree 100% with that sensation.

I have exactly the same problems with the hollows around windpipe, no angle to get rid 100% of whiskers. And really easy with a DE safety razor.

Keep at it...this is the fun part...trying all the different ways to use the SR, sometimes hitting, sometimes missing...a year from now you'll have all that down pat and be checking out scything passes and starting another fun learning curve...great thing about this art is that there is no end game, it's an ongoing curve that you'll constantly find new nuances in using the blade...and that's one of the many aspects I really like about this.

Then there's soaps, strops, hones and brushes that can change up the mix as well....this brush, with this soap, and that razor....you get it!

@Phrank - I never thought I would ever think about my own face this often. I literally sit in meetings during the week, semi-not-listening, because I'm contemplating how I'm going to approach my next shave.

Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic

@Phrank - I never thought I would ever think about my own face this often. I literally sit in meetings during the week, semi-not-listening, because I'm contemplating how I'm going to approach my next shave.

Ohhh....I know exactly what you mean...I'm trying to develop the 75 pass shave that takes an hour or so!

Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic

@Phrank - I never thought I would ever think about my own face this often. I literally sit in meetings during the week, semi-not-listening, because I'm contemplating how I'm going to approach my next shave.

Same here - lol I used to think about the pretty colleague sitting across of me, now I think of what to use for the next morning shave. lol

I just posted this to another thread of yours about knowing your face: You can use a backhanded stroke on your neck from outwards bottom to inwards top (to chin line) and reach a more than an across angle for shavin your neck. Hope you get what I mean. You can also hold the razor at about a 45 degree angle ( about like this: / - looking straight in the mirror, edge inward for the right side of your neck and vise versa) and pull it upwards with a backhanded stroke to give the razor a slicing action, similar to a Guilutine. Be careful, otherwise you'll slice more than your whiskers.

Hope I was of some help.

Best shaves,
OldSalt

Sideways neck beard here :-) too, I absolutely couldn't shave sideways just weeks ago. I just kept doing practice strokes with a blade that didn't have an edge until I got what I needed: how to stretch my skin, how to point my chin, where to turn my head, how to hold the blade, and so forth.

After lots of attempts it just happens, very slowly and cautiously at first, but I am getting more confident. I also use a 5x swivel mirror which is helping a lot. I don't know if this is intelligible but I will try. The hardest part for me is the ATG pass on my neck. Which on both sides means sideways from below ears to trachea (Adam's apple).

I need to use both hands to do this well. The right hand does the right side of my neck, and the left hand does the left side of my neck. I do this in three regions. From my jaw line down about 2.5 inches (6.3 centimeters), a strip at the bottom of my neck about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters), and what is left in the middle.

Only the strip at the bottom is different and needs an odd traction to get really clean, the two strips above both work the same way. But to have enough room in the middle, I have to clean the strip under the jaw line with an easy sideways stroke, dry with a face cloth, and then stretch up the skin to get enough room for the blade to go sideways farther down my neck.

I initially hold the blade with the edge facing me, with my thumb on top and my fingers below the tang. Then I rotate my hand and the blade towards me while twisting my hand in a comfortable position. This leaves the blade more or less flat against my skin and pointing vertically down. The hinge pin is pointed up towards the top of my head. The toe of the blade pointing towards my feet.

With the other hand I stretch up the skin from above, in this way I can take a sideways stroke across the lower portion of my neck. If careful I can go directly side to side, I can also get a scything stroke.

The whole time I'm doing this, My chin is pointing up and my head is turned to the side, I'm watching my neck out of the corner of my eye in the mirror.

Sort of think of a windshield wiper like motion across your neck where the pivot is at your jaw or lower. But with concentration I can also go directly sideways.

It works like a charm now and it was impossible to figure out just weeks ago.

Best,

ed

still working on the neck.

I find my neck is easier to get with my smiling blades ,, I really like the way they cut around the ins and outs of the neck. Tc