Afternoon esteemed gents and clever people. I have a strange question - we all follow the same routines of WTG, ATG and XTG when shaving, but what is your personal secret weapon manouevre for shaving? I know of the J-hook and diagonal slide, but does anyone else do anything quirky/special to get those stubborn hairs or difficult clumps if stubble? I mean like the golden, hallowed advice that is once heard, once tried and then used all the time?
Secret weapon shaving technique
- Thread starter Theaspicioway
- Start date
Understand your direction of growth. Use the most rigid design you can and shave directly ATG first pass.
Live or die by the ouch-hook.
since i shower shave, I store the extra lather in my chest hair. For the final pass, I have this super slick combo of water and extra lather that I smear back onto my face with my hands. It tells me exactly what needs touched up, and it's super slick. It also sounds weird now that I'm typing it out in a public forum.
I'll do a "cross-hatching" pattern during the ATG pass in areas that have a general direction, but with a lot of variety.
Letting your cream or soap soak into your bristles for about 2-3 minutes before applying the blade.
On the cheeks... I use the “wheel”
I start at lower jaw below ear with North stroke. Then continue from lower corner jaw with upward strokes each progressing Northwest. Pattern is like bicycle spokes starting at lower corner of jaw.
This works better for me vs straight horizontal and vertical strokes.
Inside of that I throw in slanted head angle in addition to perpendicular angle.
I start at lower jaw below ear with North stroke. Then continue from lower corner jaw with upward strokes each progressing Northwest. Pattern is like bicycle spokes starting at lower corner of jaw.
This works better for me vs straight horizontal and vertical strokes.
Inside of that I throw in slanted head angle in addition to perpendicular angle.
Remembering that what works for 99% of others "WILL NOT" work for me!! Find the pattern that will work for you and stay the course. ATG on the 1st pass has been and will always be the biggest mistake I've ever made in shaving to this day...
I haven't tried it yet. Saw a post of adding a pre-layer of lather, letting it sit for 5 mins, washing off, and re-lathering before the 1st the pass. Something I definitely want to try with my stubborn facial hair.
For me, a quick no detail or complete knock down on the thickest most course areas followed by two detailed passes have dramatically improved my result with SR, DE, or SE.
I'm way too new to try that fancy stuff but man, that sounds bloody to me. I'm confident in my abilities at this early point in DE shaving to say my technique, lather making and blade selection are good. Not great, but good. I get a DFS every time with zero nicks, cuts or blood.
Trying that trickeration...I'm just not confident enough yet.
Trying that trickeration...I'm just not confident enough yet.
We are all different. There are only a few of us that shave like this as far as I know.
I can shave directly ATG first pass with any of my rigid razors. Some have less blade exposure so that translates to more passes for the same level of BBS, but they're all smooth and comfortable.
I just finished a shave like that with my Brit Old Type clone and a second use Feather. Two passes ATG with lots of buffing and one clean up. BBS everywhere but left side jawline and cheek. That razor has little blade exposure, imagine an OC postwar Tech. Using Wholly Kaw soap today, I couldnt feel the blade at all. Only shaving with my right hand, I obviously dropped the angle a bit. Still a very comfortable shave though.
This statement from brother Admiral probably is the best strategy for the most shavers.
All the other tricks are secondary, and work for some but not for all.
I've done that, though I haven't gone as long as five minutes -- three is more like it, for me. Partly because I can't just stand there at the mirror with my lathered face hanging out. I have to do something. Normally I scoop out the cat box and make my bed; that keeps me busy.
- Thread starter
- #15
Dare I ask what an ouch hook is?? Sounds painful if you get it wrong...!
Blade buffing
Almost died!!!![emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787]
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
Rare I don’t get BBS shaves with any razor. I use short, fast strokes. Seems like every shave video I watch, they use long, slow strokes.
Could be in my head, but I just think that short and fast would cut the hair better.
Could be in my head, but I just think that short and fast would cut the hair better.
- Blade buffing (preferably with an open-comb razor because it redistributes the lather better)
- Use well-broken in blades (more than 10 times, as many as 100)
- Press harder with the broken-in blades. None of that "weight of the razor" nonsense.
Nope.
Rarely XTG on purpose for me. Mostly WTG for the first pass, then ATG from then on.
Similar threads
