I'm just curious to see what everyone's normal routine is like. I go WTG and XTG for my face, then WTG for my neck.
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I'm just curious to see what everyone's normal routine is like. I go WTG and XTG for my face, then WTG for my neck.
I normally do two passes.
WTG and XTG on my face.
WTG twice on my neck. I still cannot seem to find a way to get XTG on my neck as my hair grows north to south, so it is awkward.
My chin usually needs a little extra touching up, but that does not count as a pass.
I generally do 4 passes....WTG, ATG, XTG and the final pass is a very very light WTG pass and seems to make the shave last longer...almost a polishing pass....don't do much in the way of clean up.
My technique has improved to the point where I can get by with one on most of my face/neck but two maximum. Some days only the one. Depends on the razor.
for my daily shave i do one pass. WTG down my side burns XTG on my Cheeks and Jaw and WTG on my neck. Its not a BBS but close enough for my daily needs. I to 3 passes and maybe a touch up if i want a slicker than snot shave.
If I'm shaving every day, I do WTG, XTG, and a little cleanup.
If I'm skipping days, I do WTG, XTG, and ATG.
Every day WTG then ATG except for the chin that get XTG.
Mike:)
I do 3.5
1 = WTG stubble reduction: N-S
2 = XTG: Ear to Chin on cheeks, chin & lips + S-N on the neck & under the jaw (my neck hair grows E-W)
3 = ATG: S-N on the cheeks, chin & lips + NE-SW on the neck & under the jaw.
3.5 = Touch ups: Corners of my jaw (chin to ear), inside the nostril openings, and neck valleys (sything stroke NE-SW) + a 2nd touch up on the neck valleys (SE-NW guillotine stroke).
I used to have to do 5.5 passes to get the same smoothness. I think changing the path to follow the contours of the swirl patterns and using different streching angles for each swirl pattern is what made the difference.
One or two max with the occasional need for touchups. :)
I spend half an hour shaving every morning, and I shave WTG, XTG and ATG with touchups. After I discovered the feeling of BBS, it is very hard to be satisfied with anything less.
North south is primarily WTG for me.
I typically do one north south pass and one south north pass. I guess that would be close to a WTG and a ATG, but not entirely.
If I am in a hurry I just do one south-north pass (which is mostly ATG).
Two passes does it for me. Sometimes I do some additional touch up/buffing, but it's not the norm.
One thing that becomes rather important is each persons objective for the shave...
In my case Comfort is first and foremost, and the reason I use a straight razor.. I can't use any other form of shaving even a DE is a distant second for me... So if I were doing more then 3 passes max I think I would be looking to change something... For me BBS is a goal, but a DFS is good with me...
Most days consist of testing razors so I do one WTG pass and one ATG pass with each razor I can't test more than 8 razors in one day so that is my limit for honing... If I shaved off the beard, I could test more, but I would need to find a new wife at that point in time :D
Now on My days, :) where I use one of My razors, then it is WTG and a MDG (Multi-directional grain) pass. I have been using a cool water touch up pass and love that, I just clean up the beard lines with that...
one and a half passes for me in most places.
I try and combine the WTG and XTG,
--I can get just below the jawline bald in one pass.
--above the lip takes two passes - WTG and a X/ATG stroke (kind of in the middle stroke).
--3 passes on the sideburns
--WTG and ATG on the neck
--2 passes just above the jawline leading to the chin
--and I'm playing with the chin right now can't seem to stretch it enough to get a XTG pass but i'll get there!
Thats a nearly BBS shave for me, still getting the technique down just need to work on prep and stretching technique in some areas. waiting on mitchells woolfat soap to try and see if that'll provide some more moisturising and softening of the beard (I'm using £3 soap from Boots which is surprisingly decent)
A quick shave, I just do WTG and thats a nice close shave for me and very comfortable.
kind regards
alex
I usually do two: WTG and XTG and then a few clean up swipes for any bits I missed.
I never do ATG as my skin is quite sensitive and the ATG pass sets my face on fire..!
I usually do two passes to get BBS. If it isn't enough then first thing to do is to get razor back to barber hone.
I usually go WTG for my first pass, then XTG on face only, then ATG on cheeks and neck area. It's around the lip area that I have to be the most focused and I do XTG around this area, sometimes going ATG lower lip.
I do 2 1/2 passes. A WTG, an ATG and about half of my face XTG.
When I'm out of lather and there is no more buttering bread sound I have to stop.
I usually do a wtg/xg pass, atg, and then a final pass to hit any places that still make any noise. Still working on getting the chin totally silent without an extra pass. Getting better every day.
I almost hate to be done.
When I'm in a hurry I just have to use a de. I can get a ok shave with one pass of the straight but I just can't stop with that and would end up running late.
I'm a one pass guy. One pass WTG and then a little XTG/ATG at the chin area for some of the tougher to reach spots.
WTG and ATG for me usually. Usually 2 passes are pretty much bbs, but if there is a particular reason to be very well shaved I may spend a little extra time touching up. Or if I'm testing a new razor. Or a new soap. Or a new brush. Or I just feel like it :)
No attention to the grain at all for me. This is impossible for me as my beard tends to grow in all manner of directions.
One straight down the face. Sideburns and upper lip down to neck.
One straight up the face. Neck to upper lip.
Touch up if necessary.
My normal shave is a simple 2 pass WTG w/ warm lather, XTG/touch up w/ cold water. This gives me a nice looking shave, even though it isn't BBS.
When I go for the BBS, I do 3 passes. WTG and XTG with warm lather, then a final ATG with cold water.
It's nice to see all of your routines. I can't believe some of the stuff some of you are getting away with (e.g. a pass with just water :dropjaw:)
I felt the same way before I tried water only, then I had the thought, "I feeling more afraid of a water only pass than when I first put the straight razor to my face. That's crazy!" There are many benefits to water only, especially for later passes; being able to see better, being able to grip better for stretch, ect.
It was hard for me to ditch the lather, but it was better for me to let go of my fear and branch out to something new. Whether it was better or worse is beside the point, as many aspects of shaving vary from face to face anyway, what was important was that I tried, that I experienced it for myself, and incorporated that experience to better my technique.
I can get away with shaving every other day,so i go for the full monte, 3 passes = BBS, if it aint BBS we aint shaving.
THAT'S RIGHT, I GO WITH THE WHOLE HOT LATHER/HOT TOWEL TREATMENT AND GO WITH WTG/XTG/ATG, DO A VERY COLD RINSE TO TIGHTEN THINGS UP, AND TOUCH UP WHICHEVER DERECTION IS NEEDED, WITH AND WITHOUT LATHER. I AGREE THOUGH, THERE ARE BENIFITS TO LIGHT TOUCHUPS WITHOUT LATHER, EASIER TO SEE WERE YOUR GOING, AND MAYBE A SLIGHTLY CLOSER RESULT. AFTER ALL, BABY/BUTT/SMOOTH IS THE ONLY GOAL FOR ME, OR I WOULD BE BACK TO DISPOSABLE MULTI - BLADE PLASTIC RAZORS AND CANNED GOO AND ALL THAT BLOODY WELL MEANS!!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY 'YA ALL, KEEP PREPIN'!!
TINKERSD OF SRP!
Normally, I use two passes, WTG and XTG. Sometimes I go one more and go against the growth. I find that it leaves my face very smooth and I don't have to shave again for another two to three days. Normally shaving is an everyday affair.
2 passes WTG.
2 passes. N-S on the whole face for the first pass and hybrid pass for the second. Basically S-N on all parts of the face except the outer section of the neck which is a diagonal pass and then L-R on the lip followed by a R-L, and finally a R-L on the lower chin. This works pretty well and if I use a round point I need a DE to clean-up the nostril.
I'm a 3 Pass guy. WTG, XTG, then ATG :tameshigiri:
Three - WTG, XTG and ATG - all light with no pressure. BBS every time!
Three lathered passes W, X & ATG in about 20 minutes. After a water rinse, I check for spots that need a water only ATG touch-up. BBS is my daily goal.
The map of my face would make a tightrope walker dizzy. ATG on my cheek next to the ear is median to lateral. Rest of cheek is lateral to median. Lower part of my neck is NE-SW. Upper part (to the jaw) is SW-NE. Jawline itself is lateral to median.
Anyway, first pass is N-S. This involved wtg some areas, xtg others, and atg still others. This reduces stubble everywhere. 2nd pass is atg, and in specific areas this may be sw-ne, ne-sw (see above), or any number of variations.
If it's a great blade, I have BBS. If it's not I may feel the remnants of stubble with heavy pressure here and there (jawline, lower neck).
I pretty much always do 2 passes. 1 wtg and 1 atg
I'm a three pass shaver. After that, touching up spots that don't pass muster.
Daily shaving I usually do a single pass on the cheeks wtg, neck with and cross, chin gets cross and touch up..
If I skip a day I usually do two full passes.
If meeting new clients usually three. Then again it depends what mood I am in.
Most days, it's 1 and a half pass for me. I do a N-S for the whole face and neck, then a S-N on the neck, chin and lower lip. My beard grows in so many different directions, if I were to organize my shaves by ATG, XTG, ATG, my face would look like a checker board half way through. So I do a few E-W or W-E follow up swipes on the first pass all the way down.
On special occasions, I go 3 passes and touch up; N-S, E-W, S-N for the whole face. BBS is not unusual on those days, but if not- who cares? It's the best damn shave in the room!:tameshigiri:
3 pass with a little touchup if I got sloppy in any spots. That is for 2-3 days of growth and gets me BBS, or damn near it, every time.
It did take me several months to get to that level, and I am still refining and trying small things here and there.