Problem

Been reading previouse posts and I'ce seen quite a few on shaving with the grain or against it. Can someone clarify what the proper procedure is, with or against or both? I tried with and that went well. I tried against and that went not so well. So if anybody can put me in the know that would be fantastic.

David

David,

I shave first with the grain and then against it. It's my way to get the best shave.

Rich

I also like to shave first with and then against...

Sometimes I do three passes, though. One with the grain, one across the grain, and then one across the grain the other way. It's still not as close a shave as against the grain, but pretty darn close.

However, I did (and still do) find shaving against the grain more difficult. I think the hardest part for me, for some reason, is stretching the skin well.

Any thoughts on how to make it easier?

Jim

With the grain, followed by against or across the grain. Some folks have a hard time going directly against the grain, so against (90 degreees offset) works well too.

Stretching the skin is important regardless of which direction you're shaving.

True , true the wholt trick to shaving against the grain or across is keeping skin taunt. 8)

I just cant get the angle down, and when I think i get im scared im gonna cut myself.

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Originally Posted by MastrTcal

I just cant get the angle down...

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David,

That's the whole trick. There's an angle that just right for your face. Don't rush it. The more you shave, the more comfortable you get. Once your hands figure out just what you're trying to make them do, everything settles into place quite nicely.

It was quite awhile before I was comfortable going against the grain. I couldn't hold tha razor in a way that didn't feel awkward. When I finally did start, I went against the grain on just the neck, then gradually worked up from there.

Good luck!

Mike

As far as angle of the razor goes, you're shooting for 30 degrees. It's easiest to think about keeping the spine about two spine widths away from the face.

Start with easy areas like the cheeks. As your skill and confidence improves, start adding other areas.

It sounds like you are trying to accomplish everything all at once. My advice is to slow down and focus on the basics first. Stropping, beard prep, angle of razor (30 degress) , pressure and stroke and skin stretching.

For the time being forget about the cross grain and against the grain shaving. Your skin is to new to tolerate that much friction at first. Your eye/hand coordination and skin stretching also need to be developed. Don't worry, it all develops rather quickly.

I, still being new to this, have found that it is much more comfortable to shave with and across the growth. Unfortunately, my hair grows very steeply downward. This is the reason I looked to straight razors as I had a problem with ingrown hair. Also, since my hair grows so steeply downward, shaving down or across doesnt get very close even while stretching my skin. My only choice is to shave against the growth. Doing this with a Gillette (sp?) or any other mass produced razor causes too much irritation.
Since using a straight razor, even against the growth, I have had ZERO ingrowns on my face. I have had one on my neck. I have found that the trick for me to shave against the growth is first, stretch your skin as far as you can. I have to stretch opposite of the growth direction to make the hair stand at attention. Second, zoom your focus into small spots. That is, divide your face into several small areas and take your time. I am very comfortable shaving against the growth now and I've only done it about 10 times. Once you find what is comfortable for you, it goes much more smoothly and quickly.
I think that the keys to remember are:
1. Hot water ; get your hair as soft as possible. My face can handle hotter water than my hands can.
2. Sharp razor; If the blade isn't sharp, you are pulling the hair more than is needed with a sharp razor and causing irritation.
3. Stretch the skin; this gets the hair to stand out of the skin a bit more and seems to help prevent nicks.

I hope some of what I said makes sense. Good Luck.