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Need advice!

So I've been DE shaving for about two weeks. I've gotten good at finding my angles, but I still have the occasional weeper. No nicks, knock on wood!

I just can't seem to get my neck smooth without irritation. I'm going WTG, XTG, and ATG. I know ATG, is a no-no for newbies, but the noticeable stubble annoys me.

I have really coarse beard hair and I sensitive skin. Bad combo.

My setup is a Dorco Prime DE, ST-301 blades, an Omega boar hair brush, and I use either Maggard soaps or Col. Conk.
I'm prepping my face with hot water right out of the shower, getting s good lather, and have the correct angle. Maybe I should use some jojoba oil to soften it? I don't know! HELP PLEASE!
 
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Hello and welcome. Great to have you here in B&B. On your neck, try some different angles and I would reduce by 1 pass. Be patient. I have to settle for less than BBS on my neck most days. That's just the way it is for me.

Wander on over to the Hall of Fame and introduce yourself.
 
Keeping the right angle on the neck can be tricky. Shallow is always a safe bet (more cap touching the skin). You could also avoid ATG and try XTG in opposite directions, that works for me.

And more importantly, don't obsess over BBS shaves, especially on the neck ... can be painful. You're the only one who will notice the difference between a BBS and a DFS.

Good luck. :thumbup1:
 
There are many variable to consider but to distill it down as it applied to my situation, I had the best results using a very thick, lubricating lather (either Barbasol, Proraso and Neutrogena), finding a smooth, sharp blade, and keeping my strokes short and light (one N/S reduction pass followed by minor XTG touch up).

I second the above recommendations to dial back your expectations until you've mastered your setup. A clean, nick free DFS beats a abrasion and weeper prone BBS any day.

Good luck sir!
 
I have also found it helpful to hold the razor so that the blade isn't perpendicular to the direction of the stroke....mimicking a slant razor.
 
Welcome to B&B.

You might check out Mantic's videos on YouTube, he has some advanced shaving techniques like buffing and j-hooking. I would caution you to take these new steps slowly. I use the buffing on my jawline, which is very troublesome for me.

Good luck, and as mentioned above don't obsess over a BBS shave right now, an irritation free shave is great IMHO.
 
Okay so it sounds like most of you are recommending changing technique. Thanks! Looks like I've got some research to do. You guys are the best!
 
First, welcome to B&B.

First, limit the number of passes you do on your neck. If I don't get a BBS shave on my neck, I just settle for less. The more you go over the same spot the more you increase your irritation.


Hydration is important to get a lubricating lather. So be sure to have sufficient water in your lather. Also, don't cheat on the product.

I have found it helpful to wet my face before each pass. The extra water on my face seems to make my shave smoother.

Irritation usually is caused by poor blade angle and too much pressure on the razor. The neck is a tricky area to shave because keeping the right blade angle and little pressure is a challenge. The usual advice is to let the weight of the razor do the job - not put pressure on the blade. To put that in action I have found that using the two fingers and my thumb to hold the razor with another finger resting on the tip of the handle. This results in holding the razor very lightly with no pressure on the razor. You want to hold the razor as lightly as you can without it falling from your hand. I have found that using the right grip on your razor goes a long way in keeping pressure off of the blade. This post may help you. Also, take a look at this wiki.

As for blade angle here is a good post that may help you.

I hope this helps.
 
Considering you're just starting I have a recommendation that I hope I don't get crucified for....
So do one or two passes with your DE or however many you can without irritation... Then use a single blade bic sensitive for what's left. I know I know, but they are cheap and only one blade.
When I need to suit up and have to have a smooth neck line for a button up shirt and tie I still do this.
Otherwise my neck is only DFS the other times.
With being so new, there's no point in hurting yourself and having to take day(s) off from shaving to heal. Go for comfortable shaves and you'll get more practice by being able to shave more often without having to heal.
When needed do your TouchUp with the bic sensitive and you'll be too to go.
YMMV just my method.
 
Keeping the right angle on the neck can be tricky. Shallow is always a safe bet (more cap touching the skin). You could also avoid ATG and try XTG in opposite directions, that works for me.

And more importantly, don't obsess over BBS shaves, especially on the neck ... can be painful. You're the only one who will notice the difference between a BBS and a DFS.

Good luck. :thumbup1:

+1 to all of this. Welcome to B&B!
 
Great advice here gentlemen thanks for your replies. .. Thanks for this post Yojimbo, Welcome!
So... Light on the stick, ease into it , hold your angle of attack, ..less is more for pressure and passes... be satisfied with the results; tomorrow's shave will yield more time to hone in on it, and inherently lead to better results. "Roger that!"
~Nice~
 
Okay, so I enjoyed a nice shave tonight. Used some Maggard Limes & Bergamot soap and finished with Nivea aftershave balm. Focused more on my blade angle, cut out the ATG pass, really got a nice lather going, and didn't focus so much on getting a BBS. No neck irritation!

You all are seriously the best! Many thanks.
 
Keeping the right angle on the neck can be tricky. Shallow is always a safe bet (more cap touching the skin). You could also avoid ATG and try XTG in opposite directions, that works for me.

And more importantly, don't obsess over BBS shaves, especially on the neck ... can be painful. You're the only one who will notice the difference between a BBS and a DFS.

Good luck. :thumbup1:

Great advice Edgar, going for reduction.
 
If you are getting weepers.. it's all about pressure and angle.

And two weeks in is a short time to believe that you have your angle right, it's something that can take a few months unless you're shaving 3 times a day.

The blade is also another issue, if it's not sharp enough, and various blades work better for people, so try another blade for a few weeks. A regular go-to is the Astra SP blades.

But again, it's pressure, if you feel any tugging, even the slightest fell of the blade then you have too much pressure and bad angle.

Note that there is no such thing as a perfect angle, I can roll my razor on it's head, I can buff it, I can flip it over, just about anything because with experience, you get a feel for it.

I don't even feel half of my neck/face due to surgery and I can still tell if something's off just by the feed-back in my hand and such, including sound.

You also need to consider that your face also needs to adjust to this type of shaving, the hairs will grow differently as you're not (should not) by doing the pulling, scrapping that you've done when using a cartridge multi-blade.

DE is a completely different beast, and you have to treat it as such.

Once mastered, you're able to simple drag the razor across your face and get just about every hair in a swift smooth pass, but it takes time.

Another note is to understand your face, map it (feel the direction of the growth) and adjust your technique for it.

Just take your time, don't aim for a perfect shave, just go for an ok one so that bit by bit, you'll get the hang of it and the shaves gets better and better.

Heck, I hated the multi-blade cartridges, they would always rip my face (reason of my conversion), and now, I actually fear them as many fear the DE because it looks scary at first.
 
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