Thread: Shaving against the Grain on neck

I know, I know, it's me again so soon with another question (oh I forgot this is a forum and new posts is what makes it fun so glad I could help you out). My question: When I shave my neck with a Mach XXXXXVI against the grain it gets super irritated and red. It doesn't like it much at all. My face can take it fine, just not my neck. Is it different with a straight razor? I'm sure others have had the neck thing going on ........ I'm just wondering if the straight razor fixed that up or is the same either way. Thanks "AGAIN" in advance. Dave

I cant shave against the grain at all, my skin just doesnt like it. And if I try I get all red and irritated as you describe..!

You can get a BBS shave with a straight razor using just the WTG and XTG passes, with practice. I only ever do WTG and XTG passes and I get great results, plus no irritation!

Just dont expect the results immediately, it does take a bit of time to get the passes down...!

At the start, just focus on getting the with the grain passes correct, and start adding other passes later. Leave the ATG passes until later on, when you have more experience.

Personally I find ATG irritates my skin as I say, so I just worked out how to get the results without that pass. You dont need it, and a mix of other passes will get the same result.

Good luck!

I find that if I cut the whiskers rather than plowing into the skin to shear them off I don't get irritation. It took me awhile to realize this. The temptation to use pressure had to be overcome for me to avoid razor burn. The razor skims over the skin rather than pressing into it.

ATG isn't necessary for all areas on my map and I only use it where it works well and doesn't bother me. I use WTG on the first pass and on my second and final pass a combination of XTG and ATG. I don't do a third pass but many do that and more. Blade angle and proper skin stretching is all important too.

In wet shaving with a straight or with a DE (double edge) the gradual stubble removal technique using multiple passes is the most efficient and pain free way to shave. It is described here.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I find that if I cut the whiskers rather than plowing into the skin to shear them off I don't get irritation. It took me awhile to realize this. The temptation to use pressure had to be overcome for me to avoid razor burn. The razor skims over the skin rather than pressing into it.

Yeah I think that needs to be posted at least 20 more times today Jimmy

A straight razor once learned correctly is the Mildest form of shaving there is IMHO and many others....
Whether you will ever get to go ATG is only going to be known to you...

BTW Welcome to SRP I read yer first post, that had me grinning...

I'd recommend the article Shaving passes - Straight Razor Place Wiki in the Wiki. Here are two exceptionally useful graphics for cutting angles and skin stretching as an appetiser...

it works when the razor is sharp enough and as Jimmy said little presure and cut the hair not low through it. As the above post says 5 deg angle is what you are looking for, but I would start with the razor flat on the skin and then if needed raise a bit from there.

Berlin is the man! I really like that graphic every time that I see it. I might also add that with a scything motion the shaves get even smoother when the blade is at 5 degrees, but that is for later when you get enough razor control.

Take Care,
Richard

One of the big advantages of a straight razor is you have full control over the aggressiveness of the blade. So when going against the grain you can lay the blade flat against your skin and it won't irritate the skin at all. I have the same problem as you on my neck, and after I got some experience I started shaving it against the grain on the first (and only) pass in that area. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this technique for a beginner, but it's worth considering after you get a bit of experience controlling the blade and keeping the blade sharp, because although it sounds rough it helps reduce irritation because (a) it's only 1 pass against your skin (b) the blade is flat against your skin so no scraping (c) your blade is sharp enough to simply snip off the whiskers on contact without being shoved against the skin.

The neck is arguably one of the hardest places to shave. I have to say that I can't even tell you if I'm shaving XTG or ATG because the direction varies so much in different areas. Sometimes, I swear it even changes direction during a shave.

Originally Posted by leadduck

The neck is arguably one of the hardest places to shave. Sometimes, I swear it even changes direction during a shave.