Skin stretching is not for me

I have come to the conclusion that skin stretching is not for me.

By contorting my face into various different shaving positions I get the skin tight enough to provide an excellent shave. If I try and add a little extra stretch by using my hand, I get wicked razor burn and ingrown hairs.

It has been a little over a week since I had this moment of enlightenment, and since I have had 5 shaves with no irritation. I am even attempting the previously unthinkable ATG for the past 2 shaves.

I now wish my beard grew faster so I didn't have to wait a day between shaves.

Well you don't want to overdo it. Each of us has skin that has a degree of tightness unique to each of us. Some guys really don't need to do much in the way of stretching and some need to do loads. So if you contortions get you the kind of shave you want then that's proper for you. if additional stretching causes more pain than better shaves then that's just overdoing it for you.

It should also be pointed out that as you age your skin will lose much of its elasticity, and will require more skin stretching to get that coveted BBS shave. I'm sure some of our older members will agree. No offense of course, just pointing out the "symptoms" of the aging process.

Choosing from which side to pull might make a difference. Pulling against the grain will lift the hairs, giving a closer shave but risking ingrown hairs. Pulling with the grain will mainly flatten the skin and keep it taut to prevent skipping. Just a thought.

I felt quite same at first when I tried streching and got my first and only ingrown hairs.
Later I realized that I must lower the pressure if I do stretching. That is so logigal. Think about it. If you don't stretch at all you must give little more pressure to get a closer shave.

Check out this great article from Bart where he shows pretty good what happen whiskers during stretching.

Advanced shaving techniques for the straight razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki

My hands aren't normally steady enough to stretch my skin. I learned to adjust my technique to get the most out of my straights. I do get a BBS with mine.

I find that I end up stretching to do my neck and cheeks but rely on facial contortions to do my moustache area and round my mouth.