Shaved off moustache, have issues with upper lip.

I shaved my moustache off a few of days ago (had it for years) and I have had a harder time shaving the upper lip than I thought I would. It seems that the whiskers are thicker on the upper lip than the rest of my face. I do the usual passes of with, across and against (very gently) the grain but the razor seems to pull and drag at the whiskers where the stache was (especially across and against the grain) instead of reducing them smoothly the way it does on the rest of the beard.
I have been shaving with the straight for about 6 weeks now (still a noob) but no problems on the rest of the face, even the neck. The razor is a Dovo Best purchased from SRD and alternated every other day with the Progress DE. Maybe about 20 shaves so far.
Could the razor be getting dull already or do I need to change how I shave the upper lip? I do a thorough pre-shave prep. I strop without pressure, with both the woven fabric side (X25) of SRD's strop and the leather side (X50). I do not use paste on the strop. I am a little stumped. Just more practice or what? Thoughts or suggestions?

Hello Bob,

I recently shaved my goatee (after having it for about 12 years). At first I thought that those whiskers were thicker than the rest on my face but I have come to realize that the whiskers are more dense (there are MORE of them) where my goatee was compared to the rest of my face. Strange, no?

Thanks,
Mike

Bob i have whiskers like a wire brush which is why i use a straight and my top lip and chin are the harder spots to shave i have a dovo best full hollow which has no problems with the rest of my face but really struggles where it's thickest because of this i decided to try half and quarter hollows and a near wedge and i find the less hollows do better with thick hard whiskers i love the near wedge it goes through them like it did when i was a kid

Well if the problem is only with one spot then I don't think it's your edge, otherwise you'd notice is tugging on the rest of your face as well.

The upper lip is a tricky spot to get the hang of, especially directly under the nose where I have to make silly facial expressions in order to get a good shaving angle.

How does that area feel and look after your first WTG pass? It should be presentable and feel smooth in that one direction and in my experience, that definitely makes a difference on how the XTG pass feels (I can't go ATG).

Sigh......I'm not a noob and I just recently grew back my stash as my upper lip is like concertina wire on a wartime trench.Yet the stash grows out soft and nice.That's whacked !!.... I feel your pain...for real ha .:confused: Welcome to SRP !

The upper lip seems to be a quandary of many with no two solutions being the same. I have always found that my lip is much more sensitive to pressure and blade angle. It was a bit odd at first, but I found that puffing my lip out like a blow-fish really helped.

While it doesn't sound like your edge is lacking in any way, it might be worth giving it a touch up if you have a hone. I have found that a razor will shave the rest of my face quite nicely, but if the edge isn't completely on the money it will make the lip much harder.

At any rate, good luck, and may we all reach shaving nirvana!:beer2:

I think your blade is fine; you might need more practice on that area. For me, it is THE toughest area to get clean on my face.

Try experimenting with facial contortions till you get that area big and flat. I like to stick my tongue underneath my upper lip and that really puffs it out.

Also, another suggestion is to try a larger angle. Yes yes I know it's unorthodox, but it really helped me out in that one spot. Try it out at least! :)

Thanks for the input guys. I really appreciate it!

I wore a stash for decades and shaved it off just to have something else to shave. :) The mustache, chin and hollows in the neck around the windpipe are the toughest part for me. The coupe de maitre is the stroke I mainly use for the mustache. Looks scary but when it is done correctly it works very well. I went to the old 'razor central' German site but it is apparently down so can't post a photo. Anybody have one ?

Bob,

When starting out the moustache area is indeed one of the hardest areas to shave using a straight razor. There has been some good advice given so far. Hang in there, you will get it eventually.

I've taken the suggestion someone else posted, and that's to do the mustache area first, right after your preshave strop. The fresh blade, or maybe just the idea of the fresh blade, makes it work better for me.

Sounds like a good excuse :) for a new razor :y --Dovo makes a nice little 3/8 wedge that could be just the ticket!

Stupid upper lip anyway....phooey ! :):)

All very good suggestions and insights. :bow
I will continue to practice, practice, practice. :) What a great idea!
I looked up the Dovo 3/8 wedge and that may just be another purchase in the future. I have heard razor acquisition disorder (RAD) can be an expensive and recurring chronic condition but I think I can learn to cope with it. Too bad there is no insurance plan for it. Just thinking out loud.

Can you tell me where you found this 3/8 wedgs ?There are so many place that sell different models.Is it a vintage or modern straight currently in production? :):)

I found it at The Superior Shave. It is $90 and has an inox blade.
It appears to be brand new.

I have the same challenge ... the dreaded upper lip.

For me, I can go WTG all day long and not get a close shave.

Unless I am ok with a scruffy upper lip, I have to do a XTG pass or two.

XTG with light but deliberate strokes usually works.

ATG almost always gives me at least one weeper; usually two.

I like to use soap on the first WTG pass, and more water than soap on the XTG pass... just enough soap to get the skin slick.

Seems to work for me.

Yep, The Superior Shave is the only place I've seen that Dovo 3/8 wedge. Are we about to make it a rare collectable?

I wish the current modern manufacturers would make more half ground and wedges in 5/8 6/8. Not everyone is blessed with teen whiskers. :(

looks good but i wonder if 3/8 would be a problem i have a 4/8 filly awsome razor but very easy to let the angle get a bit high a wider blade you can see when the angle gets a little high a lot easier you could always buy a wedge from the classifieds here for about the same money is awfully tempting to buy the dovo though

I was wondering if these discussions could cause buying sprees on items discussed. This little Dovo may become scarce. I have spent so many $ the last couple of months on shaving gear that another hundred would probably get the wife going about budget, etc.:rant: I would bet that issue alone could get a whole new thread going.

Does seem the upper lip is a common concern. I can see a need, if the smaller wedges really do work on the upper lip, to use two razors for a shave. A smaller wedge for the lip and the 6/8 hollow or whatever larger size a guy likes on the rest of the face.

Would that be going too far with the shave???

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Originally Posted by BobW

I was wondering if these discussions could cause buying sprees on items discussed. This little Dovo may become scarce. I have spent so many $ the last couple of months on shaving gear that another hundred would probably get the wife going about budget, etc.:rant: I would bet that issue alone could get a whole new thread going.

Does seem the upper lip is a common concern. I can see a need, if the smaller wedges really do work on the upper lip, to use two razors for a shave. A smaller wedge for the lip and the 6/8 hollow or whatever larger size a guy likes on the rest of the face.

Would that be going too far with the shave???

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Meh, I don't think you need more stuff. Just practice a bit more and if you can't do it in a few months, then maybe you can consider getting something. I really think you'll figure that area out soon enough.

Yes, my upper lip and chin are tough areas to tackle, too. In my case, I think it has more to do with the density of the beard, not the thickness of the individual hairs.

My solution, if I have the time and motivation, is to do a "two and a half pass" shave. This is a three-pass shave (WTG, XTG, ATG) on my upper lip and chin, and a two-pass shave (WTG, ATG) on the rest of my face. When I do the ATG pass on my upper lip, I hold the razor blade with one hand and the tang/handle with the other. This gives me enough control to get the blade very close to my nose without concern.

I too had problems with the stach at first, but with short strokes, puffing out the lip, and taking my time with the razor, I've gotten bbs shaves every time so far. The only place I'm having problems right now is crease in the neck, and occasional razor burn. Otherwise, short strokes will help everytime. Also, like baseball, I've found if you choke up on the razor you will get more control as well.

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Originally Posted by BobW

I shaved my moustache off a few of days ago (had it for years) and I have had a harder time shaving the upper lip than I thought I would. It seems that the whiskers are thicker on the upper lip than the rest of my face. I do the usual passes of with, across and against (very gently) the grain but the razor seems to pull and drag at the whiskers where the stache was (especially across and against the grain) instead of reducing them smoothly the way it does on the rest of the beard.
I have been shaving with the straight for about 6 weeks now (still a noob) but no problems on the rest of the face, even the neck. The razor is a Dovo Best purchased from SRD and alternated every other day with the Progress DE. Maybe about 20 shaves so far.
Could the razor be getting dull already or do I need to change how I shave the upper lip? I do a thorough pre-shave prep. I strop without pressure, with both the woven fabric side (X25) of SRD's strop and the leather side (X50). I do not use paste on the strop. I am a little stumped. Just more practice or what? Thoughts or suggestions?

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I'll make an educated guess that after a long time of not shaving that upper lip is tender and has to adapt to a daily shave.

I have extra coarse wiskers on my upper lip, and chin areas.

For my upper lip, I use an ATG (S-N) stroke - BUT the razor has to be super sharp. ALSO, I have to make a XTG stroke first. After the XTG stroke, the lip feels 90% as smooth - but still looks a bit stubbly (maybe it's big pores / thick wiskers ???)

Also, it took me 3-4 months of daily shaves before I had the skill to to ATG on the lip without the razor just getting "stuck" &/or causing rash-like irritation &/or weepers at the corners of the mouth.

So for now, I'd recommend sticking with WTG until it looks as good as an electric shave (ie: all short stubble, with no wiskers twice as long as other stubble). Then spend another month perfecting the XTG technique.

Here's the best video of the XTG technique on the upper lip I've found:
YouTube - Chimensch's Shaving Video

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Originally Posted by roughkype

I've taken the suggestion someone else posted, and that's to do the mustache area first, right after your preshave strop. The fresh blade, or maybe just the idea of the fresh blade, makes it work better for me.

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I prefer to get "warmed up" on an easier area first, but I have taken to re-stropping for 20-30 extra strokes before going back to the moustache area; this does seem to help. Unfortunately, stopping to strop in the middle does add to the time taken.

When I started out the moustache area was the most sensitive. Now its been desensitized by shaving(3 times every two weeks)

I pull my cheek outwards towards my ear which stretches the moustache area and makes it much easier to shave. I can get a X/ATG pass doing this.

Good luck

EDIT: that videos great, gave me alot of ideas. My face has alot more hollows though, he makes it look so easy

After shaving off moustache, don't you have problems with self respect?

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Originally Posted by viggo

After shaving off moustache, don't you have problems with self respect?

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Perhaps shaving it with a straight commands more respect than leaving it. :P

I do a similar thing to the XTG strokes to finish my stache as the guy does in the above video, which gets it "close enough for me." I do have trouble getting the corners of it BBS that way, but I don't really worry about that . When I do want an ATG stroke there, I actually hold the razor more or less stationary with both hands, and contort my fact to move my upper lip up and down the razor. This gives a good amount of control and reduces the likelihood of a bloody nose.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I wore a stash for decades and shaved it off just to have something else to shave. :) The mustache, chin and hollows in the neck around the windpipe are the toughest part for me. The coupe de maitre is the stroke I mainly use for the mustache. Looks scary but when it is done correctly it works very well. I went to the old 'razor central' German site but it is apparently down so can't post a photo. Anybody have one ?

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That's it! Right There!

:D

I've almost shaved off my 'goat' so many times in the last few sessions I care not remember... I've worn that grey thing for 40 years... it's white now!

I paint it and my stash with lather and one of these days that blade is going to stop 'trimming' and.... oh.... I can't say it....

:)

I know it will just show my double chin when it's gone... but what a great area it will open up... all those whiskers... one blade... no waiting...

YeeHaaa!