I've only been at this for a little over a month, so the idea of trying the blade buff technique when I'm still a raging newbie probably wasn't a great idea, but I tried it anyway. No matter how I adjust the angle of my blade, or the direction of my strokes, or the water content of my lather, I just can't get the hair off my neck and chin.

Yes, there was a steep learning curve to it. I got a little irritation and burn, though less than I thought initially. When I applied my aftershave I didn't get anywhere near the amount of burning I expected, so that was REALLY encouraging. No, I didn't achieve perfect smoothness. But what I did achieve is a much smoother shave that didn't require a DE touchup or anything at all. I feel very smooth with the grain, mostly smooth across it, and a patchy scratchiness against the grain.

It felt REALLY natural and comfortable and I loved it. I think it might be the key to getting the close smooth shave I'm looking for.

But there seems to be one area I'm confused about. While the grain on my neck goes in seemingly all directions at once, predominately the grain grows from ear to ear, side to side. If I buff up and down, or at an angle, I get all the hairs that grow in those respective directions. But how to I get the hairs that grow side-to-side? It doesn't seem that I can fit my blade in that space comfortably...does anyone do that? I know that if I lift my head up enough, I can fit the blade underneath my chin and shave ear-to-ear, but then I can't see what I'm doing.

What should I do?