2 pass shave

[dan86]

2 passes is

With the grain in the middle of my neck is a different direction for the most part than the right or left sides. I tend to do WTG and XTG on my neck but I agree with others who have suggested trying out different combinations.

As of this year I decided to try doing a third ATG pass on my neck - very light touch - with certain razors and I’m not getting irritation on the neck. Perhaps a combination of improved technique vs skin getting more used to it?

There are two razors in the old collection I won’t do a third pass on the neck with, but to be fair my Merkur Futur and Mühle R41 give me a closer shave on the neck (and in general) compared to the others in my collection with 2 passes.

 

[tonich]

There are only three simple rules here:
1. Never chase BBS!
2. Do what your skin/beard tells you!
3. Never chase BBS!

 

[mattps1]

I find I can get away with 1 pass on

Hi all,

Apologies for lack of originality as I am sure this topic has been discussed countless times before, but just looking for some advice.

I have 'relatively' sensitive skin and trying to find the optimal shave experience to obtain a good (not necessarily BBS) shave without any hint of irritation.

A number of comments I have seen on the Web seem to suggest a 2 pass shave, and I wonder whether a WTG followed by an ATG could be best, or whether a WTG then a XTG could be the right trade off between closeness and lack of irritation?

Thank you

As other people have mentioned it's worth mapping out what direction different areas of your face the stubble grows, and see how different areas respond to shaving wtg/xtg/atg.

I'm if doing 2 passes I usually do 1 north to south pass (which for me is mostly wtg and some xtg). The 2 pass shaving neck south to north (mostly agt with some xtg), and then from ear to nose which is mostly agt/xtg)
I find this cleans up everything, it's not that scientific but it works for me.

If I have more time and lather to burn i'll pass 3 which is a nose to ear pass and another south to north pass on neck.

 

[freeasimo]

This might be also a combination of trial/errors to look into in addition to hair growth direction.

0)if possible, letting hair grow out a bit more, instead of cutting the "shadow" the next day. So the blade has something to cut into.

1) less sharp/aggressive razor blade
2) less aggressive/less exposure/less blade gap of razor
3) all-natural preshave oil / hot towel method
4) unscented/all natural shaving soap (possibly vegetable based) soaps coupled with good lathering build
5) all natural after shave

 

[joeyboy]

I do WTG then ATG. If I need a touch up I will do it. I used to do WTG, XTG, ATG because that seemed like the thing to do, according to the forum and YouTube. That caused issues. Now I just use a more aggressive or more efficient, depending on how you look at it, and do the two passes.

Great shaves.

It really depends on the quality of your soap, IMO, but I'm sure I'm wrong about that.

 

[MntnMan62]

Only your face will be able to answer that question for you. Start out by doing a shave going WTG followed by ATG. If you still feel too much iritation, then do WTG followed by XTG. But I'm betting you'll be able to do the WTG/ATG shave. When I'm pressed for time and can't do my full 3 pass plus touch up shave, I'll do WTG and ATG. I find that WTG/XTG doesn't give me a close enough shave and always leaves way too much stubble for my liking. Good luck in finding what works for you.

 

[Macduff]

Many thanks everyone, very helpful. I will try the WTG followed by the 2 XTG passes initially and see how I get on.

In terms of sensitivity (and I guess this is fairly usual in terms of where irritation occurs for most people), I am always fine on my face (i.e. I could do a three pass and be fairly ok), but I do get some redness and irritation on the left and right hand side of my neck when doing 3 'standard' passes. I wear a shirt and tie at work so this further aggravates.

Thanks again

Personally i consider that “normal.” At least as far as i’m concerned. The solution (again my opinion) is to just experiment with what your face can handle. Do you have to shave daily for work? If not try the ol’ 2-2-3 method. Shave sunday, tuesday and thursday. I find the 3 day weekend “rest” tends to help my skin and avoid overly irritating shaves. If you have to shave daily, i’d try not going against the grain and settling for some stubble. I think that most people, myself included, just don’t grow a bead fast enough to warrant shaving daily. Combine that with some tough whiskers and it’s a recipe for irritation and disappointment. Unfortunately you’ll probably have to settle for a less than BBS shave daily or space it out and rock the 5 o’clock shadow for a day.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Hi all,

Apologies for lack of originality as I am sure this topic has been discussed countless times before, but just looking for some advice.

I have 'relatively' sensitive skin and trying to find the optimal shave experience to obtain a good (not necessarily BBS) shave without any hint of irritation.

A number of comments I have seen on the Web seem to suggest a 2 pass shave, and I wonder whether a WTG followed by an ATG could be best, or whether a WTG then a XTG could be the right trade off between closeness and lack of irritation?

Thank you

Which razor(s) and blade(s) do you use?

Until you get your beard mapped out and are confident that you know which direction is XTG and which direction is ATG, I would do two WTG passes and then do spot touch-ups as needed.

Also, I agree with @tonich and no longer chase BBS. My skin is very happy about that.

Just my opinion.

 

[Enclave68]

All,

Many thanks for your time and responses, very much appreciated.

I think I will try the WTG and then ATG and if that causes problems will then go WTG followed by 2 XTG passes. I am using a brass Karve with a B plate and an Astra SP blade.

I guess we all have different beard growth - I notice that alot of the YouTube content providers go completely North to South for their initial (so I assume WTG) pass. For me, my hair tends to grow North to South on the face BUT on the neck and chin (where it tends to be a bit all over the place, which is I guess part of the problem!) it seems more side of neck in to adams apple on both sides.

 

[alla2465]

I have sensitive skin, I can get a BBS shave in 2 passes.
I think anything more than 2 is really overkill, one pass with the grain, one pass against. If you can't get close to a BBS from that, then I honestly think it's a matter of technique.

 

[samhain666]

I have really bad skin on my neck. I too do a 2 pass shave.

Cheeks are good, I do 1 WTG and 1 ATG and be done with it.

On my neck, hair grows paralell to my jaw bone so what I do is for my first pass is kind of a mixed pass, it incorporates WTG and XTG... I do diagonall pass from jawbone down and 2nd pass is opposite direction but upwards. Hard to explain. It took me a bit of experimenting to get it down.

Shortly: I recommend WTG and XTG for troublesome skin. Not as close but pain free

 

[NPK]

2-2-3....works for me!

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

I’ve been doing two-pass shaves since I started wet shaving. I go for DFS and ultimately do two passes XTG to get there. My skin cannot handle ATG shaving as I have some dense wire for stubble growing out of fairish skin.

 

[never-stop-learning]

All,

Many thanks for your time and responses, very much appreciated.

I think I will try the WTG and then ATG and if that causes problems will then go WTG followed by 2 XTG passes. I am using a brass Karve with a B plate and an Astra SP blade.

I guess we all have different beard growth - I notice that alot of the YouTube content providers go completely North to South for their initial (so I assume WTG) pass. For me, my hair tends to grow North to South on the face BUT on the neck and chin (where it tends to be a bit all over the place, which is I guess part of the problem!) it seems more side of neck in to adams apple on both sides.

WTG on my face is North to South.
WTG on my neck is South to North.

 

[kingfisher]

One pass WTG, then one ATG. A little touch-up and done.

 

[Invicta]

I think I will try the WTG and then ATG and if that causes problems will then go WTG followed by 2 XTG passes. I am using a brass Karve with a B plate and an Astra SP blade.

I guess we all have different beard growth - I notice that alot of the YouTube content providers go completely North to South for their initial (so I assume WTG) pass.

You just have to experiment till you get an acceptable two pass shave. I am not familiar with the razor but the blade is very good.
North - South for a first pass is not always WTG for everyone but seems to give reasonable results. I also note many repeatedly stroke the same area with plenty of overlap on each stroke; something to avoid if you are getting irritation. Each stroke should be with a minimum of overlap.

 

[Leo501]

A number of comments I have seen on the Web seem to suggest a 2 pass shave, and I wonder whether a WTG followed by an ATG could be best, or whether a WTG then a XTG could be the right trade off between closeness and lack of irritation?

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but you could do a 2 pass going WTG on both passes. I'll do that sometimes and it has its benefits- it's rather mild for sensitive skin, reduces chances of irritation, and gives a really close shave.

 

[Esetter]

Like many, two passes WTG/ATG; always 36-48 hours between. I think the extra growth plus a light touch contribute to the lack of discomfort I feel. It might be my hide as well.

 

[MtView]

I also have sensitive skin on my neck and coarse whiskers that grow in different directions. I found milder razors lead to more irritation because I need to do more touch up after a WTG + ATG pass.

This was counterintuitive to me at first, but I’m getting great shaves now with more aggressive razors with much less irritation. A Blackbird is on deck next.

If I don’t nail it, I’m trying to get better at accepting good enough. Good enough is still 10x better than what I used to get with a cartridge.

 

[Owen Bawn]

WTG and then a combo XTG/ATG and a few small touch ups on my throat. I stop at the slightest hint of irritation, because enjoying a smooth & comfortable 2 pass shave again tomorrow is far more important than chasing BBS today.