Thread: Cross Hand Natural?

Originally Posted by Pops!

seems to work for this master of the straight razor.

the way he goes up on his upper lip on the third pass just looks scary.

I use the cross hand on the XTG pass from the ear toward the nose and on the ATG pass. Otherwise I use the same side hand. I don't think about it, though, I just do what comes naturally.

Originally Posted by Pops!

seems to work for this master of the straight razor.

I like the idea of an alum block to give you a better grip. I've always wondered how people can grip their faces so well because I never can.
Guess I'll need to buy one.

I hate how the guy has no adams apple, contoured neck or sharp jaw line to deal with. Some people are just lucky that way.
I've yet to use a straight, but my day is coming (this week, maybe) and I fear going near my neck. I only plan on doing my cheeks WTG, but if that goes ok I might get overconfident and try my neck. "Oh that wasn't bad..." Next stop, stypticville. In this case it might be a clotting agent, gauze and a call for help.

Originally Posted by JohnnyDemonic

I like the idea of an alum block to give you a better grip. I've always wondered how people can grip their faces so well because I never can.
Guess I'll need to buy one.

I hate how the guy has no adams apple, contoured neck or sharp jaw line to deal with. Some people are just lucky that way.
I've yet to use a straight, but my day is coming (this week, maybe) and I fear going near my neck. I only plan on doing my cheeks WTG, but if that goes ok I might get overconfident and try my neck. "Oh that wasn't bad..." Next stop, stypticville. In this case it might be a clotting agent, gauze and a call for help.

IMHO, the tricky part of the neck is figuring out the growth patterns and angling your razor to actually go with the grain. Aside from those sideways hairs, it's not too bad of a spot to learn. For me, the skin is easy to stretch and pull, and when I go to shave the little patch on the front of my neck, I can pull it entirely off to either side of the trachea so that it's flat.

Originally Posted by commiecat

IMHO, the tricky part of the neck is figuring out the growth patterns and angling your razor to actually go with the grain. Aside from those sideways hairs, it's not too bad of a spot to learn. For me, the skin is easy to stretch and pull, and when I go to shave the little patch on the front of my neck, I can pull it entirely off to either side of the trachea so that it's flat.

Pre-straight-shaving-philosopher-out-on-a-limb-and-safety-razors #2 here.

It is indeed all about the grain. After about 10 years of (painfull) shaving I've finally found out the grain of the hair in my neck, about two weeks before starting straight shaving (and probably exactly because of that too, really). My conclusion is that all the hairs on my neck go their own individual way. On the left ATG is north-to-south, on the right east-to-west. And the other way around. But that's another half an inch down and a completely different story.

Plus I have to figure out how to shave the two inches below my adams apple without giving myself an extended cincinatti bow tie.
Or razor burn, don't know which one is worse.

And I second the alum tip. Plus the sponge. Simple, yet effective. And these things being so simple and obvious is probably the reason I haven't come across them. But again, the past two weeks have been mainly dry practicing and philosophising about the art of shaving. Now how's that for shave-prep.