Thread: Shaving ATG

So i got my first straight razor and i been shaving WTG and XTG just fine but when it came to ATG OUCHIES i'm not sure if its because of my angle or my soap, im assuming it because I haven't had it professonally sharpened yet. Is having a professionally sharpened straight razor going to make a difference on shaving ATG? or is it my technique (the reason i havent sent it to a professional is because i been trying to learn to sharpen myself)

Now it may be your technique, this takes a while to learn.
But I urge you to get it honed professionally, you need a benchmark for what a true shave ready razor is.

+1 with Blix. It is probably both your technique and the razor. Certainly you should have it honed otherwise you will never uncover the culprit.

For us to help you, you'd have to tell us something about your "OUCHIES". Is the razor pulling, cutting you, giving razor burn, stopping in the middle of a pass? For a complex set of reasons, the ATG pass is not merely a slight variant of WTG.

good question and sorry i wasn't more specific. Since my first few weeks learning how a cut feels before it goes deep enough to make a bloody mess, everytime i attempt ATG i feel as if my hair is redirecting my blade into my face and i begin to feel the blade digging into my skin, because i go slow I an able to avoid deep cuts but i get bad razor burns. I even tried extremely shallow angles and it still felt like my hair is directing the blade into my skin.

Also worth noting my strokes typically very short and since coming from a mach 3 for over 10 years (i know i feel like such a boob) I have a habbit of applying preasure but with the first week i've learn quick to not. But even in ATG i can't even start a stroke it immediately starts cutting my skin.

any thoughts?

You are correct that your razor is redirected by your whiskers into your face. This happens especially on the upper lip. If you are using enough pressure that redirection will result in cuts. If you cannot cut whiskers without pressure in the ATG stroke, then your razor is not sharp enough for the job. In the WTG pass the razor either cuts or passes over the whisker. But in the ATG stroke it either cuts the whisker or additional pressure forces it down into your skin. I can tell you from my experience that with a shave ready razor the ATG stroke is no more difficult than the WTG stroke and requires no additional pressure. It does require better technique and more caution. For example, on the upper lip you can move the blade parallel to the skin so it cannot be redirected down into it. I'd check your razor's sharpness, and have it honed.

That was what my suspicion was, I wanted someone with experience to comfirm was all. I guess ill suck it up for 4 weeks and send them in. Its just a shame theres no industry standard on the term "shave ready"

There is no industry standard for shave ready, but there is a minimum criterion, and it's rather simple. Shave ready is when you shave with the razor and notice nothing but an easy shave and a good result. When you don't find that is your experience, it is time to check and adjust the edge.

Hello Chumunga:
Yes, the professionally-honed razor will help. So will the proper technique. Go easy on the against-the-grain stroke. For one thing, not every skin can handle the against-the-grain pass. Mine can't, especially on the neck going south to north, so I avoid it with the straight razor. Creative stretching helps to mitigate the move. You may not receive a silky smooth shave, but your skin will thank you for it.

I had a very similar problem when I was starting out.

For me it was a razor that was not truly shave ready (even though it was brand new and should have been) as well as I was using WAY too much pressure (If you think you are being too light, make it lighter!!)

But to be honest, Right now, I'd focus on making sure you have a truly shave ready razor and just shave WTG for now, once you have that down pat, then try an XTG pass, once you have THAT down THEN add the ATG etc... Focus on zero pressure and don't chase a BBS shave for now, it takes time to get there, Just slow down, relax and enjoy the trip

Hope this helps