Thread: Is this bad and wrong?

Halfway through my shave today I found myself wondering about the whole WTG/XTG/ATG thing. When I try this progression for a full shave WTG doesn't remove much even with the sharpest of my razors, and XTG isn't possible due to the way my beard grows and the shape of my jaw and chin (XTG here would require an odd diagonal stroke down and across the underside of my jaw, with my off hand, which means there is a significant risk of facial slicing and subsequent blood).

Because of how my beard grows I've been only doing ATG on my chin and neck, which then became ATG everywhere, usually two passes (one for the bulk, one for touchups). I can get a really smooth shave like this without any irritation, but remembered during my shave today that someone was talking in a fairly recent thread about "stubble reduction". This got me thinking - should I be doing the whole WTG/XTG/ATG rigmarole, or is my current technique permissible? And yes, I do realise it's harder on the razor's edge than the traditional way.

Here is an SRP Wiki article on the topic. Probably nothing you haven't heard before. Why not try it for a week or so ? One way or the other you'll find out if it is a workable solution for you.

every time I see someone ask a question similar to this I eventually see a response that sounds something like, "what ever works for you". I assume if your shave is smooth without bumps and burn and you do the whole thing ATG you'd be ok.

Even in Lynn's video on the wiki on how to shave I think he mentions that some guys go WTG/ATG/XTG but that he's fine with the one pass (I think that is what I heard).

now someone may very well come in and correct me but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say (in my limited experience)...

"what ever works for you"

...I dunno, I could be talking out my ass here.

Well, what I do is I shave XTG on my cheeks for the first and only pass (from my mouth out towards my ears) and then I shave WTG/XTG on my neck depending on the angles I can make.

I find that the XTG pass gives me the best finish with minimum irritation so I aim for that as much as possible. Doing the whole WTG/XTG/ATG thing would totally irritate my face and probably make me look like I'd been attacked with a cheese grater! :-)

The wiki and SRP posts are just guidance, not the definitive answer and I really do think that one size doesnt fit all. If you find something that works well for you, do it! Dont follow a different regime that might give worse results or irritate your skin just because.

As TheBaron says, do whatever works for you!

If it's comfortable and works, go for it.

Reminds me, actually, I need to have a shave before I go to work!

I made a similar discovery during my shave last night. I can usually get the first two passes no problem but my razor binds up and scrapes like crazy if I try to go against the grain. On a whim I started my against the grain pass at the TOP of my cheek and "buffed" (Shaving passes - Straight Razor Place Wiki) my way down. Insanely smooth shave was the result with almost no irritation. Seems to work good for me so I think I'll stick with it. If you've got a routine that gives you the shave you want, sounds like you're doing it right to me.

Thanks for the replies guys. It's good to hear that my way, although not the traditional method, is still ok.
I guess now I think about my method more I realise that it could be also classed as a form of stubble reduction - WTG for me, no matter how much stretching I do, my face still has the stubble lying very flat, meaning I need to use a steeper angle to remove much of it which makes for an uncomfortable shave. With my way, I use the first ATG pass with a very flat angle which removes the bulk of the stubble, then after a restrop I clean up the little that's left and and have a nice smooth face with far less irritation that I would with the traditional method.

That WWFY advice is a sound as it gets. So long as you are satisfied with the results of the shave and shaving process itself is comfortable, things are good. After all, shaving is a completely subjective activity: you are the entire courtroom, defendant, judge, jury, and all the others as you are the only one who needs to be satisfied with the process.

I do essentially a N-S first pass and a S-N second pass (or a ?tg and ?TG) and it works just fine for me.

I'm comfortable doing WTG, XTG and then ATG. But just because this works for me doesn't mean it will work for you. My face is like leather, almost nothing can irritate my face. That doesn't mean you are the same as me. So, do what ever works for you.

I shave my neck ATG from the get go its the easiest way for me and I get good results, not perfect, but good.