Thread: Does anyone not shave against the grain?

Originally Posted by pcb01

This is one of 3-4 eternal, unanswerable, philosophical tonsorial questions.

Yes....

A lot of us are here because we find a good shave so hard to get.

No mater what the blade start with a smooth systematic shave
and always a good lather.

Depending on the angle of your whiskers ATG is a risk... the
razor gets under a whisker and then lifts a bit of skin and
give a rash. It can be worse with a multi blade razor but we are
all different.

Whiskers that grow at a low angle may best be shaved from
the side.

The lighter the touch the better.

Once you have a system... then map your remaining stubble
and experiment with various angles of "attack".

I've been SR shaving for six months now, and only went ATG reasonably often a couple of months ago. I go ATG maybe every second day, and only with certain razors, some are more forgiving than others for this pass. I myself find a thin, watery lather better for ATG; that is, I add water to the thicker lather I've used for the first pass. I tend not to do a XTG at all; just a WTG and a ATG. It's only in the last couple of WEEKS that I've been able to get a BBS at the LH side corner of the jaw where the mandible body turns upwards into the ramus.

I think with SR shaving I won't stop learning and getting better...it really can be a practiced skill if one tackles it as such...

Originally Posted by Stubear

I was told by a barber not to shave ATG, and I've found that I can't do it at all or I end up with really bad razor burn and irritation.

I try to do as much of my shave XTG as possible, as I find I get the same results with none of the irritation! Just a WTG pass is not usually good enough for me, and I find that the XTG is necessary to get the best results.

Some people can shave ATG. Their skin can take it and their beard responds well to that direction. Others of us cannot, and its really about finding the solution that works for you.

I find that this is my experience also, though sometimes I do a modified ATG, only at a diagonal, or one could look at it as a modified XTG.
Most of the time I just do a WTG, and XTG, and yes I'm aware of angle of blade along with using vary light pressure

Once in a great while i do a three pass shaving, on week ends mostly, my daily shave is a 2 pass mix of WTG and XTG and
other then a couple spots on my neck BBS........

I allways go ATG, I 've got oily skin and it's the best (only) way for me to get as clean as possible.

"This is one of 3-4 eternal, unanswerable, philosophical tonsorial questions."

The others are:

1. How long should I soak my brush?
2. Will I bleed more if I shave while I'm really drunk?
3. Should I add Styptic to my pre-shave preparation?

Originally Posted by Oglethorpe

Honestly, after a couple tries, I don't think any new SR user can come to the conclusion that going ATG is not going to happen. Everything straight razor shaving related has to do with technique, and there is always a way to do it.

For a while, ATG was very uncomfortable for me, but being the stubborn mule that I am, I continued to try it and now (very, very course beard and all), I get excellent shaves 9 out of 10 times. I'm looking forward to mastering it still, after almost a year later, so that I can get it 10 out of 10 times.

If you're happy with your shaves, then more power to you. But BBS is my objective, and if I feel anything when rubbing my face in any direction, I could have done a better job, in my mind. I can't get it any other way than ATG.

YMMV.

Enjoy!

I have to agree with Oglethorpe with a small exception. While my goal is all over Baby's Bottom, sometimes time does not allow. A perfect or near perfect shave is about a 45 minute investment for me. Against the grain is the only way for me to get there.

I do a with the grain pass, and then an against the grain pass. Just these two passes seems to work good for me.

To me, the goal remains to get the most enjoyment out of the experience as possible. It has taken a long time to perfect the shave to a level where even for my OCD personality, I truly enjoy the shave every day. I do know, as has been said, that the more passes I do and the more pressure I use result in a more uncomfortable conclusion. The grain of our beards is not the same and the sensitivity of our skin is different for all of us. For me, except for the neck hair which grows all over the place, against the grain is actually shaving from my ear to my chin so I try to limit my passes to two and then just try to pick up the stubborn areas with alternate strokes I have learned that work for me. So long as the prep is good, the razor is sharp and the pressure is light I will have success. Not 100% Sticky Smooth or BBS every time, but pretty close.

The journey is encouraged. Learn from what feels good for you. Take your time and have fun with this wonderful adventure.

ATG every time. I can't get a decent shave without it.