Howdy B&Bers, what I am about to share with you is strongly YMMV.
I have long been in search of a BBS shave on my neck. I never shave ATG as weepers and ingrown hairs are commonly the result. I have what I would consider sensitive skin, and medium-coarse dark hair.
I was in the experimenting mood the other week while shaving after having just read a thread (now which I cannot find) that had a link to an article about a street barber in India I believe.
The street barber mentioned that instead of pulling the skin tight on his clients faces to perform a shave, he pushed the skin toward the direction of the blade, creating a loose roll of skin which he then shaved. He claimed this helped the hair stand up better and was easier to cut.
This, baffled me. We have always been told to hold the skin tight while we shave!
I decided I would try this type of technique on my neck (which is pretty much the only place on my face I have issues).
So instead of lifting my chin up to tighten my skin on my neck, I tilted my head down and to the right slightly (while shaving the right side). This caused my neck skin to relax. I'm not a big guy at all, and I tilted my head down till I almost got a small skin roll. I took my Progress on #2 and started buffing away ATG (south) and expected to start feeling the familiar warmth and burn with immediate weepers of my usual ATG pass.
To my amazement I didn't feel a darn thing. I had to double check to make sure my razor was cutting the hairs. Indeed it was, and what a fantastic job it did. I couldn't believe it. Had I stumbled upon my holy grail shaving technique? Yes!
I have continued this way every shave since on my neck, and each time it has gone by without a hitch. It takes a little while to get used to doing something so against the book, but it works for me.
If you have sensitive neck skin and are interested in doing an ATG pass, give this technique a try. But please, be very careful. You should know right away if this is going to work for you. For those of you that try, let me know what you think.
I have long been in search of a BBS shave on my neck. I never shave ATG as weepers and ingrown hairs are commonly the result. I have what I would consider sensitive skin, and medium-coarse dark hair.
I was in the experimenting mood the other week while shaving after having just read a thread (now which I cannot find) that had a link to an article about a street barber in India I believe.
The street barber mentioned that instead of pulling the skin tight on his clients faces to perform a shave, he pushed the skin toward the direction of the blade, creating a loose roll of skin which he then shaved. He claimed this helped the hair stand up better and was easier to cut.
This, baffled me. We have always been told to hold the skin tight while we shave!
I decided I would try this type of technique on my neck (which is pretty much the only place on my face I have issues).
So instead of lifting my chin up to tighten my skin on my neck, I tilted my head down and to the right slightly (while shaving the right side). This caused my neck skin to relax. I'm not a big guy at all, and I tilted my head down till I almost got a small skin roll. I took my Progress on #2 and started buffing away ATG (south) and expected to start feeling the familiar warmth and burn with immediate weepers of my usual ATG pass.
To my amazement I didn't feel a darn thing. I had to double check to make sure my razor was cutting the hairs. Indeed it was, and what a fantastic job it did. I couldn't believe it. Had I stumbled upon my holy grail shaving technique? Yes!
I have continued this way every shave since on my neck, and each time it has gone by without a hitch. It takes a little while to get used to doing something so against the book, but it works for me.
If you have sensitive neck skin and are interested in doing an ATG pass, give this technique a try. But please, be very careful. You should know right away if this is going to work for you. For those of you that try, let me know what you think.