Thread: ATG a No-Go For My Neck

I've always had problems with neck irritation, no matter what method of shaving I use. And it's always in the same spot, bottom of my whiskers on either side of my adams apple where they grow straight up. I found over the last year that a WTG pass causes no irritation but does not provide a very close shave in that area. The truth is that probably no one notices but me but I still had to wonder if it could be done.

I had a shave on Sunday and it went great, BBS and I even tried AGT on the bottom of my neck again. I did a WTG pass as usual (S to N for me) relathered and did N to S on ONE SIDE ONLY (it was my weekend experiment). It felt ok and was nice and smooth on one side at least. And then things went bad from there. The next morning things didn't look too bad, but irritation doesn't start for me until my whiskers are getting very pronounced again. I'm sure you all can guess what happened next - I ended up with one side of my neck beet read (red painful bumps) and the other side was ok! And that was with good prep, sharp razor, you name it.

So basically I haven't shaved for 3 days now to let my neck heal. It wasn't the worst neck irritation I've ever had, but I still required some healing time to not make it worse. I've come to the conclusion that ATG is a no-go at least for me as my neck just can't hack it. I think I'll save the pain and misery of the ultimate close shave for special occasions like weddings, anniversaries etc.

There's got to be others out there in a similar predicament?

Hey Ryan, Were you using the new Bismarck by chance? What's your prep like?
I don't know if you use any pre shaves, but there are some good ones out there, I like CF and Proraso, both are good. I also use a Hot Towel before I lather, and again once I get the lather on my face. The only time I get irritated now is if my angle is too steep on the blade. You can try reducing the angle of the blade when you get to that area.
If your using Diamond Paste, Stop. That can further irritate. Instead of soap, use cream, it offers more protection. Get some Crox to give your blade the final polish on, it'll help. For post shave, after you rinse, use alum and then some Witch Hazel, followed by a good after shave balm.

Also, I just bought this Nivea face wash, it's exfoliating, has those tiny scrubbie things in it, Good stuff, You wash your face with it before you shave, it's good stuff, so are their after shave balms, They have Extreme comfort after shave balm, it'll at least put out the fire.....Anyway, it'll be lots of trial and error until you find what combo works best. Don't hesitate to contact me....

I have the same problem going ATG on my neck.
The left side of my adams apple I have an area that has a small swirl of hair which shaves fine WTG but ATG causes irritation like no other. Regardless of which razor I choose; Dovo Micarta 5/8, Feather AC RG (new blade), DE with a new Feather blade, Mach3 (new blade), Fusion (new blade) I get a patch of irritation. If I dare try ATG with a straight I get tons of small bumps that begin to bleed very tiny drops that don't require a syptic stick for coagulation. If it doesn't bleed ever so slightly then I tend to get irritation.

The worst case I've ever had, much like what you mentioned, is when I had a few beers one night and came up with a great idea to shave while half if not already fully tanked. I used my Feather, too. I walked out of the bathroom in near need of an ambulance. Aftershave was the most painful thing I did. The next day while nursing my hangover I nice and large, red puffy bumps and scrathes on my neck from trying to go ATG and worse in the area to the left of my adams apple.
It took me about 4 days to recover.

In case some of you are interested, my prep is good.
It's just the one spot to the left of the adams apple going ATG that gets irritation regardless of the razor or sharpness or prep. When I use the straights going ATG I allow the spine to glide on the skin and I get irritation even with little to no pressure. When I use a straight I tend to go ATG on the neck with a DE now.
Since SRP likes accronyms I will make one up.
SRATGNI = Straight Razor Against The Grain Neck Irritation

It's a no-no for my entire face, it is also totally unecessary.

To do a "true" ATG pass on my neck, I would need to use a very short blade with a very big smile.

One thing I have found useful on my neck, PLEASE BE SUPER CAREFUL IF YOU TRY THIS, is to move the blade at something like a 45 degree angle. Now, I'm not talking about the angle of the blade to your neck, but I mean that the toe would be leading by 45 degrees. It gives the blade a narrower path, and work like a guillotine. The french could never have chopped all those heads off if the blade of the guillotine came straight down, but it didn't. It was an angled blade so that it sliced and cut at the same time.

Originally Posted by fccexpert

It's a no-no for my entire face, it is also totally unecessary.

I wouldn't get anything near a close shave without the ATG pass. My facial hair is as thick as copper wiring and I've been shaving since thirteen. Some guys, it's a must.

Originally Posted by Ryan82

I've always had problems with neck irritation, no matter what method of shaving I use. And it's always in the same spot, bottom of my whiskers on either side of my adams apple where they grow straight up. I found over the last year that a WTG pass causes no irritation but does not provide a very close shave in that area. The truth is that probably no one notices but me but I still had to wonder if it could be done.

I had a shave on Sunday and it went great, BBS and I even tried AGT on the bottom of my neck again. I did a WTG pass as usual (S to N for me) relathered and did N to S on ONE SIDE ONLY (it was my weekend experiment). It felt ok and was nice and smooth on one side at least. And then things went bad from there. The next morning things didn't look too bad, but irritation doesn't start for me until my whiskers are getting very pronounced again. I'm sure you all can guess what happened next - I ended up with one side of my neck beet read (red painful bumps) and the other side was ok! And that was with good prep, sharp razor, you name it.

So basically I haven't shaved for 3 days now to let my neck heal. It wasn't the worst neck irritation I've ever had, but I still required some healing time to not make it worse. I've come to the conclusion that ATG is a no-go at least for me as my neck just can't hack it. I think I'll save the pain and misery of the ultimate close shave for special occasions like weddings, anniversaries etc.

There's got to be others out there in a similar predicament?

Do you apply a very hot towel to your face before you shave? I found that using this method for a preshave makes the ATG pass on my neck a totally easy going experience, with little pain or irritation. Before then the ATG pass on my neck wasn't so comfortable. I would try that out. Actually, I would probably never shave without the hot towel treatment first, it's truly a wonderful thing for me. The difference in the shave is incredible. Also try using the blade at a totally flat angle on your face with you go ATG.

If the hair is growing up on the side of the adam's apple, have you tried really stretching the skin toward the side of the neck away from the adam's apple and then shaved it? Same on the other side. This really should work.

Lynn

Very good advice! I was going to mention that also in an edit of my post. Stretching to the side should be key.

Thanks for the replies. I'll try to answer some of your questions.

Originally Posted by zib

Hey Ryan, Were you using the new Bismarck by chance? What's your prep like?
I don't know if you use any pre shaves, but there are some good ones out there, I like CF and Proraso, both are good. I also use a Hot Towel before I lather, and again once I get the lather on my face. The only time I get irritated now is if my angle is too steep on the blade. You can try reducing the angle of the blade when you get to that area.
If your using Diamond Paste, Stop. That can further irritate. Instead of soap, use cream, it offers more protection. Get some Crox to give your blade the final polish on, it'll help. For post shave, after you rinse, use alum and then some Witch Hazel, followed by a good after shave balm.

Also, I just bought this Nivea face wash, it's exfoliating, has those tiny scrubbie things in it, Good stuff, You wash your face with it before you shave, it's good stuff, so are their after shave balms, They have Extreme comfort after shave balm, it'll at least put out the fire.....Anyway, it'll be lots of trial and error until you find what combo works best. Don't hesitate to contact me....

I did indeed use my Bismarck for that last shave, but it's happened with my other razors too. My prep is sound and doesn't cause ANY irritation 99% of the time. I shower and then use Proraso pre shave before lathering. I never let my lather run dry either. For ATG in other areas I do reduce the angle (almost flat) and it seems to do the trick. I follow up with a cold water rinse, sometimes a bit of skin protector (Body Shop maca root) before my AS splash. Nivea does make a good product IMO, but I switch it up fairly regularly.

One thing that you mentioned was the diamond paste; I believe Lynn uses it as a final polish. Maybe my skin doesn't like it. I do have some chrome ox, which my skin seems fine with.

Originally Posted by Disburden

Do you apply a very hot towel to your face before you shave? I found that using this method for a preshave makes the ATG pass on my neck a totally easy going experience, with little pain or irritation. Before then the ATG pass on my neck wasn't so comfortable. I would try that out. Actually, I would probably never shave without the hot towel treatment first, it's truly a wonderful thing for me. The difference in the shave is incredible. Also try using the blade at a totally flat angle on your face with you go ATG.

No, I don't bother with a hot towel, but will try it out.

It's funny, I shave ATG from the bottom of my neck straight up to my chin every shave with no ill effects. It's only on the sides at the bottom that gets irritation if I try.