Thread: Can't get a close shave

Might be better if I re-relegate the str8 to weekends, when I can really do just that with every aspect.

Brenton,

You need to master the finer point of skin stretching.
Somehow, you must grip the skin in front of the hairs (not behind) and pull in the opposite direction as they grow. The idea is that your whiskers "attend hut".

Here's a drawing that shows the idea:


Once you figured out how to get those hairs upright, you must finetune the cutting path of the razor. Don't try to go ATG against all odds, if that part of your face doesn't allow for it. In your neck, go South to North, instead of ATG, but do add a bit of a scything direction, that goes against the direction the whiskers grow. Or otherwise keep the blade slanted a bit.
Here's a drawing that shows it in downward motions. In your case, you need to translate it to upward motions.


Finally, experiment with the angle between you skin and the blade. A low (shallow) angle is safer and less irritating, while a higher angle will shave closer, but also tends to be harder for the skin. I recommend to learn these (new?) motions at a shallow angle, and try raising the angle as you gain confidence, but no more than necessary to achieve the desired closeness. And certainly never more than 35 degrees.

On a final note, if the problem spots at your neck are a bit "hollow", a razor with a decently smiling edge will help to shave closer.

Kind regards,
Bart.

Hey Bart,

Thanks for these tips and accompanying illustrations.

Fortunate that I have a razor with a smile ... Ok, I cant wait for the weekend to try again. I think there's definitely room to be more diligent about the skin pulling when it comes to the neck. Easy on the cheek -- push sideburn up, bring razor down (for WTG, etc).

And also this Grim Reaper-esque scything you're recommending is something I haven't tried on the neck.

Good advice on the angles, because as I tried to tidy things up with increasing passes, the skin on my neck was getting irritated to the point that that electric shaving son of mine was teasing me about hacking myself up.

(The Brat!)

Alright lads,

I'm pleased to report that while far from perfect, and perhaps even worse on the cheeks, I paid careful attention to stretching, scything, guillotining, and decreasing the spine-to-skin distance with each pass on the neck, and in that area things are a tad better today than before.

I will continue to practice these things, evidence suggesting I can expect some continued improvement here.

Thanks again, one and all!