Small nicks against the grain

Hello hello friends,

I am getting the hang of things I feel. I take my time and don't rush and am still trying different angles and ways of approaching my shaving. As of late I have been nicking myself against the grain. I know that many do not recommend against the grain but it does work well for me. I think I have tough skin as I have hardly ever felt irritation since I have start. That is apart from a little bit of redness on my lower neck right at the bottom of where my beard starts.

Recently, when I shave against the grain I have been getting very, very tiny nicks. So tiny that they do not persist after I have rinsed. Kinda like just tiny, tiny punctures (that is a bigger word than they are). I wonder is this due to uneven skin or is this because I should be shaving with a much more acute angle (flat to the skin I have been trying to do but perhaps as of late I have been complacent to really enforce this while shaving).

This has also coincided with me taking on my chin against the grain so I think getting the angles here is not that easy. I wanted to post this before I shaved again to get insight from you guys before I try this again. Look forward what you think. Thank you.

check the edge of your blade under bright light.

You may have a small "oops" on the edge.

I checked with a magnifying glass just now. I am not sure what an oops is (I assume a slight serration in the edge) but I could not find anything but a pretty clean line.

Do you use any sort of pre-shave? I can't shave against the grain, but did find that a pre-shave really helped me in being able to go across the grain without the small nicks that we call weepers.

In addition, what sort of strokes do you use ATG? If you're confident in your razor skills then you can look at some advanced shaving techniques, notably the scything and buffing motions.

This is a new problem where you didnt have the problem before.


We need to figure out what has changed in the past few weeks. If there is nothing wrong with the blade as far as nicks, wire edges etc is there anything wrong with your strop? Have you done anything to it to damage it?

Have you changed your stropping style?

New shave cream or soap?

Thanks commiecat, I just checked the wiki. Actually when i go over my chin against the grain I do more a guillotine motion. I say guillotine but it may be scything. The reason I say scything is that is more a diagnol motion as opposed to a diagnol curving motion. This works best over heavy beard on chin and around this area but this is where I have been getting the weepers. While I do go back over the skin that I have shaved atg, I haven't been doing buffing. I don't use a preshave but now will consider getting some to aid. Thank you.

Well I have been stropping many more laps but have checked my edges nder magnifying glass and they are fine. It happens with a variety of different razors (the three I use). i have used a new shaving soap but it is much mroe high quality than any I have used before. I will shave again tonight being especially careful on angle, I may have gotten a little over confident hence the weepers but I'm not sure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ganboyi

Well I have been stropping many more laps but have checked my edges nder magnifying glass and they are fine. It happens with a variety of different razors (the three I use). i have used a new shaving soap but it is much mroe high quality than any I have used before. I will shave again tonight being especially careful on angle, I may have gotten a little over confident hence the weepers but I'm not sure.

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Just on a whim, use your old soap for a week and see if the nicks go away.

Maybe the new one is more slick or less slick or whatever.

I will try this. Thanks!

Try do not shave ATG give time to your face to heal.
Then use only wtg and xtg +scything motion(you mention this early). Stretching is very important when you use scything shaving.
See what happens.

Try to use the shallowest angle possible on your atg and dont force it.

When going from the neck to jawline/chin it is really easy to have a very aggressive angle, IMHO.

Sham - Thank you. I've been giving my face a rest for a couple of days. You are right, if I did not the same weepers came up again. I've also tried to alternate and only do a with the grain pass after I do a shave with a couple of passes. I haven't really been stretching the skin so much with the chin but have just gone through the motions and can see I can do this well the same way I do my neck by pulling the skin down from the bottom of neck / top of chest. opposite my upwards motions. Very good pointer.

Slartibartfast (that is a mouthful of a name!) - I think you are right and that ius my initial reasoning for these weepers, getting the angle right from neck to chin I think is a tricky. I need to keep an eye out and pay special attention to this. Thanks!

scything motion is very helpful. When using ATG pass (Which some guys don't even need to do because they're very experienced), make sure your blade is flat on your skin. Later on you can add an angle to get more hair as you learn how to ease pressure on the razor.

What was your razor honed on? I am sure you bought it shave ready from someone else so you can ask them. Some finishing hones may work for others but not for you. Everything is preference in this art.

Disburden - That is interesting about certain finishing hones working for some people and not for others. I shaved again this morning everyone and much better. Still only a couple of weepers chin area. i thnik paying closer attention to the slightest angle possible using a scything (guillotine ?) motion helped as well as keeping skin more taut than usual. I am getting the feeling that I cabn remedy it with technique but yes still a couple on chin area. Thanks everyone for your help.

I have tough whiskers and until I got my honing technique perfected I couldn't shave "up" against the grain on my chin. The strength of my whiskers would drag the blade down into my skin. So the only place I shaved up was on my neck where the angle was easier.

Keeping the angle as flat as possible helps no matter what, and the chin is a challenge because the angle changes so fast. But when I finally was able to make a truly scary-sharp blade, I found I could shave up along my chin at any spot and it was as easy as wiping lather off my fast with a butter knife.

So the question I would ask is, have you got a backside of your strop treated with at least half-micron diamond or chrome oxide for refreshing the edge of you blade? Personally, I can't get that buttery-smooth shave without the use of my balsa lapping blocks as well as my good latigo leather.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Desdinova

Just on a whim, use your old soap for a week and see if the nicks go away.

Maybe the new one is more slick or less slick or whatever.

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+1
Yes, isolate and retest the change.

Soaps and other stuff used yesterday can
wreck todays shave so you will notice it
tomorrow.

I have a tender face that reacts to some fragrances
and products. These products give me small almost unseen
bumps/rash. I notice them the next day when they get attacked
by a razor, especially if my lather is not 100%...
or the edge is not up to snuff.

A week is about the right time....