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A one pass, south to north pass shave.

I usually perform a three-pass shave. I do a north to south pass. Then a east to west pass. Then a south to north pass. I experimented with eliminating the east to west pass. The end result was pretty much the same as a three-pass shave. It looks like the east to west pass isn’t really needed for my beard. Then I thought the south to north pass is my most efficient pass what if I just did that one pass and then a touch up. I used a Henson medium with a GSB. With this shave being it’s third shave for this blade. The end result was less than satisfactory. I got two weepers. One on my neck and one on the mustache area. Also, there was irritation. I don’t have any crazy growth patterns. The whiskers on my face lay in the north to south direction. On my neck the hair on my right-side sweeps to the right and my neck hair on my left sweeps to the left. I have never suffered from ingrown whiskers. My whiskers are wiry. My skin is not sensitive. I think I can eliminate the east to west pass but the others are necessary.
Has anyone else experimented with just a south to north pass?
 
It all depends on your beard growth direction, not points of the compass.
I used compass points in lieu of stating against the grain. My against the grain pass wouldn't be the same as others with different beard growth directions. Is there is a way to write this with greater clarity? I'm sure but I'm just hanging out with my dog and listening to some music. If you have a better way let me know.
 

Old Hippie

Somewhere between 61 and dead
I usually do WTG and ATG. Since I got the Konsul I started doing two ATG passes, one on a mild setting and one more aggressive. I found that yielded less irritation.

Lately I've been shaving with a devette (the "Un-Safety Razor") and mostly have just been doing a single WTG pass. That, predictably, doesn't get too close but it takes off a lot of hair. What's left is not disturbing to me. Also, instead of a 45-minute head shave I get done in 15 minutes. At this time of year when mostly I'm trying to get out the door and into the gardens that's well sufficient. Also, zero irritation.

It's a bit of an affectation, I admit. Once I've run the devette for a while I'll probably go back to doing more passes with some other razor.

O.H.
 
The 3rd XTG pass (actually multi-direction depending where on my face) removes most of the stubble feel left. If it doesn’t remove much it is the difference between a rough and a soft face.
 
My standard shave is two pass, WTG then ATG. I get up early and give myself time daily to do this. This week I've had intrusions into my morning routine almost every day so I have less time. I've been doing one pass ATG all week. I get the sense that face prep and lather are more critical.
 

thombrogan

Lounging On The Isle Of Tugsley.
I usually do one ATG pass with a little cleanup. My bestest results involve a relatively shallow angle, usually the Gillette slide, and a slick and wet lather.

If an ATG-only shave is what you’re seeking, please look for posts on it by @Esox , @JoWolf , @KQY61 , @psfred , @rabidus , and @Tallships for the deetz needed to reduce discomfort and irritation.

If you meant base of throat to sideburns regardless of grain direction, maybe read posts from @Seveneighth on shaving the contours of your face.

As always, it’s your skin, hands, and equipment; use ARKO!; everyone’s ”no pressure” technique could be done a little lighter; and comfort and enjoyment are the most important components. Also, use ARKO!
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
I used compass points in lieu of stating against the grain. My against the grain pass wouldn't be the same as others with different beard growth directions. Is there is a way to write this with greater clarity? I'm sure but I'm just hanging out with my dog and listening to some music. If you have a better way let me know.
As you may now see, most of the replies to your OP refer to grain growth rather than compass points. That is the correct way to refer to shaving direction, as everyone has different grain growths on different parts of their face.

If I shaved with just one south to north pass, I would be shaving partly WTG, XTG, ATG and some inbetween. Each part would have a different result, some BBS, some DFS, some CCS and some only SAS. I hope you now understand.
 
I usually do one ATG pass with a little cleanup. My bestest results involve a relatively shallow angle, usually the Gillette slide, and a slick and wet lather.

If an ATG-only shave is what you’re seeking, please look for posts on it by @Esox , @JoWolf , @KQY61 , @psfred , @rabidus , and @Tallships for the deetz needed to reduce discomfort and irritation.

If you meant base of throat to sideburns regardless of grain direction, maybe read posts from @Seveneighth on shaving the contours of your face.

As always, it’s your skin, hands, and equipment; use ARKO!; everyone’s ”no pressure” technique could be done a little lighter; and comfort and enjoyment are the most important components. Also, use ARKO!
This I find, is on the whole correct.

You will notice that Arko! does not guide you to magnetic north while shaving. It's directional powers are attuned to true north.

True North was the working title of a drama series that I submitted to the so called BBC in the late 1980's, detailing the travails of gritty northerners in their day-to-day lives. The fools never got back to me, but I digress.

Just use Arko!, and trust in it's remarkable sense of direction when traversing the perilous straits, shoals and currents of that hairy and whiskery expanse that is your personal ocean of beardism.

Let Arko! be your pilot. Trust Arko!, and Arko! will guide to the safe harbour that is marked on the charts as 2 pass BBS-On-Sea.

I trust I have made myself clear and that this thread can now be ended.
 
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As you may now see, most of the replies to your OP refer to grain growth rather than compass points. That is the correct way to refer to shaving direction, as everyone has different grain growths on different parts of their face.

If I shaved with just one south to north pass, I would be shaving partly WTG, XTG, ATG and some inbetween. Each part would have a different result, some BBS, some DFS, some CCS and some only SAS. I hope you now understand.
Ok my south to north pass is a XTG and ATG pass.
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
If one was to put their Rex Ambassador on level 6, Merkur Futur on level 6, or Gillette Fatboy on level 9, I could see how one could achieve a socially acceptable DFS shave, doing a single pass WTG. And I am sure, for someone who doesn't suffer from OCD, or isn't serving in the military, could get away with that. But if you are serving in the military, you arn't fooling any of your CO's, and their gonna call you out on it, if you don't do your ATG passes. And if you have OCD like me, anything less then BBS, is not good enough.

Maybe if you have the softeness whiskers in the world, you can get a BBS in a single pass, but I never heard of that in my entire life, so YMMV I'm sure. But with my course whiskers, to achieve a BBS shave, I have to do at least a minimum of 2 passes, WTG, and ATG. Now days that my technique has improved, and I have mapped my beard better, I can do a 3 pass shave quite effectively, a mix of WTG, XTG, DTG, and ATG. I can always get it done that way.

Also, another factor to mention is, you do take a higher risk, running super high blade aggression's, trying to get the shave done in a single WTG pass. On misstep, and you'll have yourself a weeper.
 
I can't do an atg pass on certain parts of my neck so I've never tried a single atg pass. For me I need two passes to get a good shave. First pass is always wtg and second pass is a combination of xtg and atg depending on what part of my face we're talking about.

I think you'd have the most success with a single atg pass if you shaved everyday using the most aggressive razor your face could comfortably tolerate with that schedule and style. That way if you did happen to miss a spot it wouldn't be as noticeable since you just shaved the previous day.

I shave every other day and at that point if I miss a spot on a single pass shave it's going to be reasonably noticeable.
 
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