Against the grain it hurts it hurts.....

[Twelvefret]

I was told by pros on BB to shave with a regular safety razor not the qshave adjustable to begin with. I will check if the blade is held right. Ill check the angle again. I felt I had to apply lots of pressure and scrape multiple times just to get rid of stubble. It was so stubborn. I'll use the williams soap till i get the arko soap and make a manual lather.

I am now concern your blade is dull. There should be no need for pressure. There is no hair that an Astra cannot cut if at the correct angle. And, all razors have an angle. I tend to hover and use short or micro movements. Keep the razor in the fingers and flex the fingers rather than move the razor with the wrist. There is a bit of artistry is this.

This video changed how I will shave forever. I've watched it more times than I can remember. Notice how he shaves with short strokes and his attention to detail. He's not just doing X number of passes, but what it takes. Notice his use of lather. This is a master at work.

 

[Brian C.]

I am now concern your blade is dull. There should be no need for pressure. There is no hair that an Astra cannot cut if at the correct angle. And, all razors have an angle. I tend to hover and use short or micro movements. Keep the razor in the fingers and flex the fingers rather than move the razor with the wrist. There is a bit of artistry is this.

This video changed how I will shave forever. I've watched it more times than I can remember. Notice how he shaves with short strokes and his attention to detail. He's not just doing X number of passes, but what it takes. Notice his use of lather. This is a master at work.

Wow. This makes me want to go to my barber for my shave today. Amazing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Heckle]

@benlym As others have said, there should not be any need for pressure. It may sound counter intuitive but, the weight of the razor should be plenty for a shave. Maybe the Astra blades are not the right ones for you. I went through about three sampler packs before I found some blades that worked for me. Have you tried some sampler packs? You can get some different ones online. If you want to PM me your mailing info, I can send you some blades to try. I still have some of the sampler blades as well as a stock of Gillette Sliver Blue, Wilkinson Sword and Feather blades.

 

[Nikonsal]

Just don't go to this barber!

 

[Tallships]

I've shaved ATG since 1962 with no issues. First tip is to hydrate beard, I've always used a hot tapwater face soak with washcloth for at least a minute.
Second, I use a hard soap with brush, making a rich hydrating lather, inexpensive soap like VDH or even mens Dove will make a fine lather
third, I like to use what some call a Gillette Slide, Angle razor, stroke up, riding the cap.
It's important to keep the beard hydrated thus softening the beard and using a slick soap

 

[ajkel64]

If ATG is causing you grief then I would give it a miss for a while and just go WTG and ATG until you master these 2 passes and then gradually add ATG. Remember it is gradual beard reduction.

 

[BigJ]

I'd suggest that that right there is the primary cause of your discomfort. Traditional shaving is about whisker reduction, further and further with each pass. WTG first for the main reduction regardless of how long ago you last shaved. After that XTG and ATG become a matter of preference and ability.

If you are only planning on doing one pass, make it WTG.

+1! There is NO requirement to go ATG!! None.

 

[johnwick]

I don’t think the blade is dull on shave two. Key here is great pre shave prep, Ditch the foam, and think of this as beard reduction. I have a pretty much identical neck as far as growth pattern and for me on that section of the neck, the razor hasn’t reduced enough to make xtg possible after even two prior passes. For me it takes a fourth pass on that section or else the blade will drag and pull due to the density of the beard/hairs. I shoot for DFS in this section 90% of the time in the name of post shave comfort. No need for 100% BBS every day. 95% is good enough.

 

[Razorcan]

I still don't understand if before doing the atg pass you did a wtg and an across the grain pass.
If you didn't than it is a huge,and painful mistake to shave only atg.
Also please understand that some skin types can't handle ATG at all and that's life I am afraid.

 

[andromeda673]

I had issues with razor burn with an astra blade, changed to some more flexiable blades and lightened up the pressure and problem solved.

Light pressure is the variable for me

 

[PreachTheWord]

Try another brand of blade. I didn't find anything to like about the Astra SP blade. Give GSB's a whirl.

 

[Chevyguy]

I always do WTG, XTG, ATG and then touch ups ever day. Total BBS shave with no irritation unless I get in a hurry. I agree with others on ditching the foam as well. Just take your time, pay attention to your technique and pressure and you’ll be getting great shaved in no time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Shaving foam works just apply it with your brush so the whiskers are lifted up.

Clayton

Sent from my LG-K450 using Tapatalk

 

[beer nuts]

I find that going against the grain feels like i am scaling a fish...

 

[Badgerstate36]

Shaving ATG with no weepers or irritation takes a lot of skill. Some people have been shaving for years and still cant do it. You have to really know what you are doing and watch you angle and pressure.
You may try using a milder blade that is less likely to dig and nick you. I dont think the problem is the Gillette foam. I do find soaps to be any slicker than canned foam. If you want slickness, get Cremo.

 

[Nicholas]

Last time I did ATG on my neck, I regretted it. Never again.

One WTG and one XTG and I'm set for a perfect DFS.

 

[nimaranjbar]

Lots of great tips and sound advices above.

If it hurts when going atg, in my opinion: 1- lather quality is low 2-blade isn’t sharp enough

 

[Esox]

utopia saftey razor

This is the second mention I've seen of this razor in the last few minutes.

The Utopia razor below compared to an EJ DE89.



The baseplate design of the Utopia razor is the same as virtually any EJ/Merkur/Muhle razor, including my R41. They offer little baseplate support. A result of that can be blade flex when shaving ATG.

The first blade I use in all new razors is Derby Extra. Its always given me a great, smooth and comfortable shave. All of my razors are rigid designs but one, the R41. When I used it a Derby Extra in my R41 for the first shave, it was horrible. Rough and with a lot of tugging, even WTG on my cheeks.

Because that razor lacks baseplate support, I tried a Feather blade and had a great shave with no tugging.

The sharper the blade, the easier it can cut and the less it will flex.

Try a Feather blade bearing in mind they need to be respected. Feather blades, for me, tamed the R41 and let it do its job a lot easier. The sharpness of the blade made up for the lack of baseplate support.

 

[NARSIL]

Folks i need tip how to shave against the grain on neck area. When I did it did hurt and was very difficult with astra sp blade. It was the second shave with the blade so it should be good. Any tips would help. The hairs on neck on right side grow towards right so i have to shave from right toward left and the hairs on left of neck grow down so i have to shave bottom to top to shave against the grain. I did use the astra sp yesterday very smooth but today one thing I did was only shave atg since i wanted to get rid of stubble on neck. I just want a baby smooth shave which i sort of have but had to really scrape atg to get rid of it.
Maybe i need a feather blade to shave atg? I used a utopia saftey razor and gilette foam and astra sp blade. Omega bristle shaving brush.

Thanks,

Ben

A brush and soap will help with the entire shaving enterprise. You need a lather with plenty of slickness and residual slickness to shave well.

 

[Macduff]

This method i use helped another member here with shaving against the grain so i figured i’d repost it. I also have the same beard growth pattern you described so it may be even more relevant:

Do your first past with the grain as others have said then try what i’ll term a “hybrid” of across the grain and against the grain. Basically it’s a diagonal pass using short strokes. If you beard grew straight down it would look like this (with the straight lines representing the neck and diagonal lines representing the razor pass)

|/ \|
|/ \|

After the with the grain pass and the “hybrid” pass you should be able to do directly against the grain for your third pass no problem.

As others have said though, the blade you’re using is also a key part of this so definitely experiment with some popular options. Regardless of blade though, i can never go directly against the grain on my neck without using that “hybrid” pass.

I was able to with a cartridge razor but i realized it’s because the 3-5 blades are basically doing multiple passes and reduced my beard enough in one pass that i could go directly against the grain on the second. With DE, i need the first two on my neck area in order to do a touch up against the grain pass to finish up. Hope this helps!

 

[sm29]

I have a similar difficult spot on that part of my neck. What works for me is first pass on the neck is downward. Then I shave upwards (XTG). Finally I go right to left with a bit of an angle on the lower part of my neck. At that point its essential to use NO pressure or the blade will bite. Don't try too hard. leaving a miniscule amount of stubble in the problem areas is better than going all day with an irritated neck. As @DCRIII said good, wet shaving soap applied with a brush helps a lot.

Almost exactly the same for me. My final agt is from outside to the center of my neck with a very light touch.