switch or cross handed?

I am new here and have yet to find one specific routine for shaving my face. I am enjoying experimenting and am learning new angles and paths for each part of my face daily. Some days switching hands feels right, but mostly I like using a cross handed approach. Funny thing is, I think that my cross side cheek gets a slightly smoother shave than the obvious one. Not sure why this might be.

On another note: Does everyone find across the grain neck shaving awkward? I havent found my groove there yet. I'm sticking with the grain for now.

I agree with you that some days you feel like switching hands, some days you don't. It's a skill that has to be learned, so keep practicing!

I don't shave across the grain on the neck, I typically shave with then against the grain. Pay close attention to the different angles that hair grows on the neck. Some of mine is normal, some grows at an angle slanted back. I think part of it is how you stretch the skin too (just started a thread on that this morning).

Learning to off-hand shave isn't hard, just tedious. You may get a better shave too -- you're going slower, using less pressure, and paying a LOT closer attention.

I'm pretty fortunate to be ambidextrous for most tasks... which is great for str8 razor shaving! Hence, I find I can cut myself :eek: equally well with both hands, lol !!!

Each face is different, eh?

The few hairs I have on my kneck grow directly out from the adam's apple. Shaving up and down provides a cross shave. I have to come directly in from the sides to get the closeness of an against the grain pass. The blade is always turned slightly heel forward to get in there and I shave this as close to the heel as possible too, just works with the contours of my face. Switching hands would be a big advantage for anyone with more growth on their neck than I have I imagine.

I tend to cross shave, but have to switch for a few passes. I'm keeping these occasions in my "Pay Attention" file not only to be extra careful with my off hand, but also to notice how I might improve my technique and expand my repetoir with this hand.

X

It's a question of what works best for you. I do each side of my face both ways. For example, on my right cheek I'll use my right hand on a down strike starting from under the sideburn and move to the center of the face with siccessive down strokes. This allows me to use the tip of the razor at my ear. About an inch before I reach the side of the mouth, I switch hands because I now want to use the tip of the razor on on the right side of my mustache, mouth and chin.

I find across the grain shaving below my jaw impossible. I get some of that by stretching the skin up on the side of the jaw, but that jus does so much. I thought it would be impossible for me to shave my neck without that move, but I found it's not.

If you try to shave the neck the way Lynn does in his video (one long sweep down), you may develop a lot of irritation. On most guys with the grain is down on the cheeks and it reverses below the jaw. If you'r average, the first down pass may be against the grain on your neck and you're developing irritation because you're trying to go to skin with the whiskers too long. Once you've created that neck irritation, it will get worse on each successive pass. The barbers manual teaches that a with the grain pass should be done down on the cheeks and up on the neck below the bottom of the jaw. I discuss this problem in detail here http://www.msnusers.com/theWetShaver...raw%5Fneck.pdf

Once I started avoiding to go to the skin until I had a fine stubble, I found that I could do my neck by going only vertically or on a slight angle. If this kind of cutting misses a spot, I can usually get it by stretching on either side of the spot with my thumb and index finger and going at it directly with the razor.

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Originally Posted by Korndog

I am new here and have yet to find one specific routine for shaving my face. I am enjoying experimenting and am learning new angles and paths for each part of my face daily. Some days switching hands feels right, but mostly I like using a cross handed approach. Funny thing is, I think that my cross side cheek gets a slightly smoother shave than the obvious one. Not sure why this might be.

On another note: Does everyone find across the grain neck shaving awkward? I havent found my groove there yet. I'm sticking with the grain for now.

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Great information guys. Thanks!

My experience has been just about identical to Joe's.
Bob

Thanks Joe, but I have not ever heard of anyone telling me of irritation from stretching the neck either of the ways I have in the video. Actually, I advise new people to take smaller strokes. As you say though, there is much personal discovery and preference when it comes to the actual shave as everyone possesses a different face and beard. Take care. Lynn

I don't think stretching causes irritation. What I was talkng about is the direction of shaving. The barbers manual says that on most men the grain is down on the cheeks and up on the neck below the jaw. It teacges that in shaving with the grain you should shave down on the cheecks and up on the neck.

Someone with this type of beard who tried to shave straight down the side of the face on the first pass would be going against the grain on the neck. If you were trying to shave close, this could generate a lot of irritation. From that point on, it gets worse on later passes. It's happened to me, and I've had quite a few posts on several sites telling me that people were helped by this.

Some peole have the whiskers growing the same way on the cheek and neck. When they shave down the side of the face on the first pass, it's all with the grain, so they don't have this problem.

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Originally Posted by adjustme69

Thanks Joe, but I have not ever heard of anyone telling me of irritation from stretching the neck either of the ways I have in the video. Actually, I advise new people to take smaller strokes. As you say though, there is much personal discovery and preference when it comes to the actual shave as everyone possesses a different face and beard. Take care. Lynn

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Joe, you can't believe everything you read, but in this case, spot on! Regardless of the razor I am using, I shave down above the jawline, and up from below the jaw line.

Randy

You sure can't believe everything you read, but this was the baber's manual and it taught barbers to shave that way, so I think you can believe it.

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Originally Posted by rtaylor61

Joe, you can't believe everything you read, but in this case, spot on! Regardless of the razor I am using, I shave down above the jawline, and up from below the jaw line.

Randy

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I find my neck to be one of the most sensitive areas to shave. My whiskers go in very different directions. On the right side they go more west-east on the left side they grow more south to north. I follow the grain and avoid shaving directly against it. My beard is just to wirey and if I do otherwise I end up with irritation or ingrown hairs.

Hal

The grain on my neck seems to uniformly grow from left to right. That is to say, towards my adam's apple on the left side and away from it on the right. I make a downward pass giving a cross grain cut that works quite well. It's just to akward at this stage for me to try and go directly with the grain in this area.

The neck is always tough because a str8 is not that manueverable. I've settle on not worrying about the grain doing a pattern of fixed, non-agressive passes all over my face (down, across and up). During the last pass, I'll go back and hit the trouble spots against the grain as best as I can. I leave the rest for touchup, for which I use a special razor. It's an injector equiped with a Feather str8 blade tha has been cut down to fit. It's manueverable and gentle and ideal for final touch up. I end up clean.

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Originally Posted by halwilson

I find my neck to be one of the most sensitive areas to shave. My whiskers go in very different directions. On the right side they go more west-east on the left side they grow more south to north. I follow the grain and avoid shaving directly against it. My beard is just to wirey and if I do otherwise I end up with irritation or ingrown hairs.

Hal

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