Thread: Shaving against the grain

I sympathize with your frustration. I've been at it for 2 years and it's only now that I can get a BBS shave predictably, every time. Up until now, I'd get BBS shaves for a couple shaves, then everything would go to hell on me & I had no idea why.

Now that I've got it, I'm glad I didn't give up, but it was tempting.

Anyway, no two faces are alike. If you can do almost as good WTG as ATG, then skip ATG, esp. if it's tearing your face up. For me, I never get a good shave WTG. ATG is necessary for me, and it doesn't irritate me, so I do it. If it weren't necessary, I wouldn't do it.

Bottom line: do whatever works for you.

Yep, exactly.

I watched a Lynn video about shaving and he showed a tip for the area under the ear on the neck and going forward a bit. This tip made a significant difference in a problem area for me, especially when I wear a collared shirt with a tie. I could never get a close enough shave there before, but now it works just fine.

I'm glad to know, in a weird way, it took you a while to get steady results.

I hope to be there someday too.

I laugh at myself when I feel like I've got it down, then the shave gods kick the chair right out from underneath you!

Originally Posted by English

I find these discussions interesting. It really does show that we are all individuals and what works for one man doesn't always work for another.

For me it's simple. When I go to shave in the morning, I expect my straight razor to shave against the grain as easily as a throw away razor will. If a blade hangs against the grain it isn't sharp enough and I will not give it shelf space. Life is just too short.I like to enjoy my morning shave just as much as I enjoy my breakfast.

What is clear to me is that some men have tougher beards than others and some razors take a sharper edge than others.

I agree that good preparation is essential, but for me, a blade that hangs against the beard is just not sharp enough. So I would check this out first. If after a professional sharpening, the problem persists, I'd look to getting a different razor that holds a sharper edge.

Unfortunately, it is this aspect of straight razor shaving that doesn't really get enough airing. Finding a suitable razor takes time, patience and sometimes, a little money.

I have owned probably 100 straight razors and I would say 10 of them were just too old to be used, 50 of them did not suit me and 40 of them I could get a good shave from any morning with some slightly better than others. The 50 that did not suit me were all really good razors. Some were too heavy, some the blade size didn't suit, some did not hold an edge sharp enough for me, some were too stiff a blade for me, etc.,etc.,
One thing is certain, one man's meat is another man's poison.

In conclusion, you may have to change your razor.

English, this is a good point, and one that may very well apply to this gentleman.

But it is not always the case. I have put razors made of excellent steel well into the "too sharp" range and had the same problem, it almost always boils down to prep work and perfect technique. Both of which improve with time.

The bottom line is: get yourself a good razor, good soap, maybe pre-oil if you want (I dont use it), and just keep at it. What's the rush?

First of all, thank you all for the atention you paied to this thread I started. You all gave me great tips... good to know I'm not the only one with ATG trouble. I was starting to feel a bit stoopid here... but guess not, it's normal.

So I read thouroughly trough your replies and maped out my face (again) and studied it a bit closer. My beard growth is rather strange, though very organized (as if designed by someone very tidy, but excentric...). After doing so, and reading some of the tips you gave me, this morning I decided to give it a go; one idea on the back of my mind: don't give up!
I skiped the XTG pass and after the WTG pass I went straight to the ATG. Lathered up very thinly and went for it: I did the pass in an agled way, trying to slice the hair instead of chopping it. After some effort and hardly any pain, I did it... Some blood pearled through the lather but ok, I guess it's a first time thing.
The important thing is that I managed to do it for the first time. The razor didn't pull as much, or hardly. I tried small strokes, patience and it paied of. I managed to mantain BBS almost all day on the places where I did the ATG pass. Smooth... And no irritation whatsoever... just a little sore, but hey... I drew a little blood! What did I expect?

Thanks for the tips! But I guess my razor is starting to ask for a little touch up on the hone and on the pasted strop. I'll give it a go tomorow and see how it goes.

I'm unable to get a good shave against the grain under my chin near my neckline. I have only come close to smooth in that area on occasion, and usually there is enough stubble there to sand rust off an old blade

Originally Posted by fpessanha

First of all, thank you all for the atention you paied to this thread I started. You all gave me great tips... good to know I'm not the only one with ATG trouble. I was starting to feel a bit stoopid here... but guess not, it's normal.

So I read thouroughly trough your replies and maped out my face (again) and studied it a bit closer. My beard growth is rather strange, though very organized (as if designed by someone very tidy, but excentric...). After doing so, and reading some of the tips you gave me, this morning I decided to give it a go; one idea on the back of my mind: don't give up!
I skiped the XTG pass and after the WTG pass I went straight to the ATG. Lathered up very thinly and went for it: I did the pass in an agled way, trying to slice the hair instead of chopping it. After some effort and hardly any pain, I did it... Some blood pearled through the lather but ok, I guess it's a first time thing.
The important thing is that I managed to do it for the first time. The razor didn't pull as much, or hardly. I tried small strokes, patience and it paied of. I managed to mantain BBS almost all day on the places where I did the ATG pass. Smooth... And no irritation whatsoever... just a little sore, but hey... I drew a little blood! What did I expect?

Thanks for the tips! But I guess my razor is starting to ask for a little touch up on the hone and on the pasted strop. I'll give it a go tomorow and see how it goes.

WAY TO GO!!

That 's great news. Things will improve shave after shave... with a slightly frustrating platform of non-progress every once in a while . But their always lies another break-through ahead.

If a may add one last word of advice... Don't forget to allow your face some time to rest in between shaves. As your technique is not perfect yet, your face might not like ATG passes on a daily basis.

Have fun,
Bart.

Sounds like you made some good progress. ...

Might I suggest one more thing give the razor a strop 10 passes before starting the ATG pass. I think it will really help,

Giving the face a rest for 2 days is definitely a good idea.

Originally Posted by mischievous

Yes, I've used that and it works well but I'm going to try this one next:
1. In the shower, Wet face with warm water.
2. Smear on generous amount of Proraso preshave
3. Shower, washing face last, gently rinsing only non-bearded area
4. Apply Preshave oil
5. Soak hot towel, DO NOT wring it out. Apply to face fully soaked with hot water.(do this for a couple minutes) repeat of you like.
6. Before exiting shower, rub face gently with hot/soaked towel to remove any excess preshave. Face is very slippery at this point.
7. Apply Proraso Prep presahve cream again.
(Exit shower)
8. Apply lather to face, with brush.....then rub in with fingertips. Rinse with hot water
9. Re-apply and fully lather face. Then shave.
Stay Tuned...

I'm here to tell you that the overall technique you describe ought to do wonders for softening a really tough beard. It's very similar to the "800-pound gorilla" technique posted here (see post #10 and following, especially the updates at the end, post #48).

I use Noxzema instead of Proraso in step 2, and there are several different mixes for the oil cleanser, most of which are probably cheaper than the premium shave oils.

Originally Posted by fritz

I'm here to tell you that the overall technique you describe ought to do wonders for softening a really tough beard. It's very similar to the "800-pound gorilla" technique posted here (see post #10 and following, especially the updates at the end, post #48).

I use Noxzema instead of Proraso in step 2, and there are several different mixes for the oil cleanser, most of which are probably cheaper than the premium shave oils.

I'm going to try Noxzema when I run out of Proraso. I've also setteled into a routine where I do the proraso in the shower and Trumpers skin food between passes, which works most excellently! I pass on the oil for now.