Ranting: Why is the neck area so hard? I've never had a true BBS shave.

After revisiting more YouTube videos I decided to try scything. I think I found the secret to the elusive BBS shave. I started to try it on select areas like my chin and left jaw line while I shaved the rest of my face the same as I have been.
Every spot that I successfully "scythed" came out perfectly BBS with one pass, even the thick bristly whiskers on my chin. The Mach III had nothing to cut when I went back to touch up.

Now ill try this again adding more face to the scything motion tomorrow at my next session! If I can figure out good angles of attack on the rest of my face over the next several weeks I may be ok.

On another note, while performing this guillotine motion, I see what folks say about the squeegee effect. It doesn't feel like its cutting hairs at all. Feels more like "wiping" them off my face. I seriously couldn't feel it cutting anything. At first I had to feel to see if it cut any hair but that's when I found it left only perfectly smooth skin! So far this guy is a happy camper and although my neck is once again a bit raw from my traditional methods, I'll try scything it tomorrow and post results.

The scything stroke is good to clean up the neck of us heavy-bearded ones. However, getting BBS requires excessive pressure and leads to the abuse to the neck area and causes other problems such as ingrown hairs, much as with modern, mulitblade razors! As I started, I listened to old Lynn on this subject and realized that perfection is never to be had for most of our beards. It is better to be kind to your skin than to obliterate it! JMHO!

The scything stroke just glided over my skin with only enough pressure to keep the blade on the skin. I'll try the neck with the same light pressure and see what happens. I'm feeling confident that I can get a BBS shave from a straight, it's just going to take time to find the strokes that are going to work.

Scything and sometimes actually doing less preshave prep on the thinner neck hairs helps (so that they are a bit stiffer when you shave; be careful though!)

If your blade is truly shave ready, you only need enough pressure to wipe off the lather. Also on my WTG pass, the spine is almost touching my face. I feel your pain about the neck area...my beard grows all the way down my neck. You might try skipping the XTG pass. I go straight from WTG to ATG on most of my face. Good luck.

Did a WTG and an ATG pass today. BBS on the cheeks and sideburns. The neck was actually hit and miss with the BBS. I mean, it was close but just not quite there. I'm gonna try on a new soap in the morning and see if it improves the shave. I feel I am getting better every day so maybe 100% BBS isn't too far into the future.

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Originally Posted by Gotdzel

Did a WTG and an ATG pass today. BBS on the cheeks and sideburns. The neck was actually hit and miss with the BBS. I mean, it was close but just not quite there. I'm gonna try on a new soap in the morning and see if it improves the shave. I feel I am getting better every day so maybe 100% BBS isn't too far into the future.

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I've found scything to be the only way I can get BBS on my neck as my hair grows horizontal and thus can't get ATG, and you say about it being hit and miss, if your scything is all in the same direction, try going the other direction, like 1 pass move the razor with the toe leading, then for the next pass lead with the heel.

For me I 'scythe' towards WTG for my first pass, then my second scythe towards ATG. Both of these are N-S. The rare occasion I do a 3 pass I'll add a S-N scythe towards ATG. Usually the first two's enough for me. So depending on how your neck grows maybe try that? It works for me so you never know, may work for you too :)

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Originally Posted by OCDshaver

...3. Use your alum block on your fingertips to make gripping your skin easy....

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Good idea! When I re-lather certain parts, sometimes areas needed for stretching also become slippery. That might help...