Thread: Shaving against the grain - ouch

Originally Posted by Joe Lerch

Or you could try it with the grain gently.

Gegtik,

I agree with Joe. I'd only done one cross-grain attempt since starting with a DE; it didn't go well. Joe suggested 2 light with-grain passes before trying the cross-grain and it was great! Also, take a day or two off before trying again.

I do one pass with and then one against. As long as my razor is sharp I have no problem with this.

There are probably as many ways of doing this as there are shavers, but I agree that you probably want to try to go with the grain of the hair first. Many people (though by no means all, as you've seen), including myself, shave with the grain, then across, then (possibly) against. In each case, using a very sharp razor, and a very light touch, will get you the furthest.

If your beard is very coarse, you might also consider restropping between passes to make sure it's as keen as possible. Lather, strop, shave, re-lather, re-strop, etc. If you lather and let it sit on your face for a little while, that tends to soften the hairs as well.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by RichZ

I do one pass with and then one against. As long as my razor is sharp I have no problem with this.

You know, I could never get that to work. If I don't have an intermediate pass I leave so many whiskers I might as well use a disposable.

Originally Posted by JerseyLawyer

If you lather and let it sit on your face for a little while, that tends to soften the hairs as well.

But you should relather before you shave to avoid it being too dry.

When I started shaving against grain (Lynn honed razor) I waited a few days between shaves so my face could get used to it. The initial shave was really smooth save under my nose and on my chin. I found eventually that very short repeated strokes using the tip of the blade worked best with least resistance. I still get the bumps periodically when I rush it.

It seems that shaving against the grain is a skill that takes LOTs of practice and I still have a ways to go.

Also, overly sensitive skin cannot shave against the grain without the irritation and bumps. A sad fact but true.