Thread: neck shaving

I can get my cheeks as smooth as silk. Almost. But when it comes to my neck I have hair growing east to west nw se and all around. It takes me a good 40 minutes to get a less than presentable shave.

Tips?

Matt,

I will stretch the skin of my neck down and back. It seems to raise the whiskers enough for me. I'll do 2 very light passes like that and I'm all done for the day. If I've stretched it properly I get smooth as glass.

Originally Posted by steve

Matt,

I will stretch the skin of my neck down and back. It seems to raise the whiskers enough for me. I'll do 2 very light passes like that and I'm all done for the day. If I've stretched it properly I get smooth as glass.

Pretty much the same for me if the razor is sharp enough.

My neck is my real acid test for sharpness. If the razor isn't perfectly sharp then I won't get smooth there no matter what, but if it is sufficiently sharp then a single pass against the grain will get BBS. Anywhere else on my face I can compensate with extra passes or more pressure, but on my neck there is simply no substitute for sharp.

Originally Posted by mparker762

My neck is my real acid test for sharpness. If the razor isn't perfectly sharp then I won't get smooth there no matter what, but if it is sufficiently sharp then a single pass against the grain will get BBS. Anywhere else on my face I can compensate with extra passes or more pressure, but on my neck there is simply no substitute for sharp.

This is very true... I have noticed the same thing.

One thing I've noticed is that it's possible to overstretch the skin on my neck. When I do this, the hairs lie flat and don't get cut. I try to stretch just enough that the skin isn't going to catch the razor.

You also want to resist the urge to go after pesky hairs with pressure. Light pressure and low blade angle--actually flat against my skin in many cases--works best.

Glad to hear you're making some progress on your cheeks, at least.

Josh

sO HOW should one hold a razor when Trying to move from east to west on the neck. I am finding it quite difficult to move in a horizontal direction on the neck.

Best thing I can tell you is to experiment, and do so s-l-o-w-l-y. Different strokes for different folks. I haven't found a way to do a complete horizontal cut that's anywhere near safe, but you can do a nice across the grain once you work it out.

Same with me. I use a barber hone each time I shave. Then I use Tony Miller's 1.0 pasted and 0.5 pasted paddle strop. After all that I strop being careful not to go on an angle. I also use some hair conditioner in the shower.


After I do all that my neck gets BBS (almost). Otherwise I can not get the neck smooth.

Jerry

Originally Posted by matt

sO HOW should one hold a razor when Trying to move from east to west on the neck. I am finding it quite difficult to move in a horizontal direction on the neck.

Try a cutting motion with the toe leading. It's not quite 100% horizontal but it is safer and the recommended cutting stroke according to the barber manuals.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/compo...d,3/mode,view/

Whenever I do this I just, very lightly, pull the razor down and slightly diagonally toward the tip of the razor. Seems to work well.