Thread: This is normal right?

Originally Posted by pitbulls20

I thought stretching the skin was to help keep from cutting yourself, not to lift the hairs. Now that I think about it, it does make sense

You're right though. That's probably the main purpose. With a sharp razor, whatever protrudes gets cut.

Thanks Joe for your post yesterday. I'm a newbie as well and your explanation of how to stretch and why clarifies things a lot.

The grain of my beard on the neck is almost horizontal so it is a little problematic (at least at this stage of my skill) to go strictly in the direction of the grain but it's something to shoot for.

Bob

when i first started doing my neck i had to take many many short little choppy strokes to shave my neck. first week or so i only did 1 pass on my neck and finished with a shitty gillette sensor excel. it was uncomfortable and it pulled.

on week 2 it started to get a bit easier, i could do fewer short strokes and still get the job done. it wasn't very pleasant still and hurt (pulled) while doing it. i never got any irritation or razor burn / ingrown hairs from it though.

on week 3 i had it figured out which hand to use on what part of my neck. how i needed to go jaw down on the top 3/4 of my neck..and then S-N on the lower 1/4 of my neck in order to get the best passes with least irritation. also i found out that N-S passes with one hand might be uncomfortable while the same N-S pass with the other hand in the same location would be much better. so try different hands different places

on 4th week i could do my neck with very very little problem doing a couple long passes N-S would clear it all no problem. from this point onwards its very closer and more baby butt smooth each time.

SO, don't give up. understand it takes time to figure out all the little intricate parts of your beard growth. try differen't hands, understand that you AND your skin need to adjust. it will work out beautifully in the end, just keep with it!

~J

Originally Posted by JAG

The grain of my beard on the neck is almost horizontal so it is a little problematic (at least at this stage of my skill) to go strictly in the direction of the grain but it's something to shoot for.

I had the same problem. I have to go forward to go against the grain on my jaw and upper neck. I'm right handed and I do it on the left side of my face by using the lower heel of the blade and keep ing the rest of the blade up in the air. It takes a very sharp blade. I start with the flattest angle possible and when the whiskers get really short I increase the angle a bit and reduce the pressure. I also do the right side of my jaw and upper neck with the right hand (mostly I use both hands), in this case with the tip. I follow the same plan.

As my technique improved I foound that I could get most of the neck by shaving down and forward. I have an additional complication that the whiskers in the center of my neck are almost straight down and are pretty tough, so the last pass in that cener strip is straight up and over the chin.

JSCOTT, to me it sounds like your stropping and honing may have improved and had a lot to do with it. What makes me think that is the description of the pulling. Typically, that has to do with sharpness. What's really happening for most newbies is that they can't maintain a constant cut with the razor and end up skipping or not fully cutting all the spots. The short strokes allow for constant correction, but it takes a while to understand what the correction has to be.

As you improve you have a better feel for blade angle (flatness) and how the cut should feel. That allows for longer strokes because you're adjusting the razor to maintain the cut. See Lynn's video where he does the entire side of his face in one sweep, and watch the blade angle change as he goes around the jaw. That takes a lot of skill. It comes in time, but not quickly for most of us.