ATG advice?

[njpaddy]

BUT!.....Did you ever cry at night?

Nah. In college, beer was the solution to every problem. However, it was the 60s and after breaking a few styptic pencils, and tired of using toilet paper, I found a can of powdered shaving alum at the drug store. Nothing worked better for weepers, nicks and cuts. Use a wet finger to apply some to the cut, let dry and wipe off. Reapply if needed. Goodbye toilet paper and styptic pencils. You won't find shaving alum today because it was cheap, it worked, and a small amount lasted forever. I still have some of mine from 1965. I'd use it if needed, but keep it around just to drive my wife nuts. For those rare weepers today, I use McCormicks Alum, but any grocery store alum will work. It's all the same.

If anyone hates their alum block, put it in a baggie, pulverize a corner to use for weepers and nicks, and use the rest of the block for deodorant.

 

[Esox]

You might find some useful information below.

ASP - ATG SINGLE PASS - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/asp-atg-single-pass.592265/

 

[BigJ]

ATG is definitely not required. So I am with the consensus.

That said, I go ATG daily! Otherwise my shaves are just not close enough for my liking. For me the keys are: #1 proper razor angle, and #2 NO (actually minimal) pressure (same as going WTG or XTG)!

 

[slimshavy]

You can definitely do a modified ATG/XTG. I do one for the mustache area in preparation for a true ATG with some blades, but you can stop there. Someone above said to go toward the nose; I've found this is ATG with the way my hair grows on the sides of my mustache, so I go the opposite way--from lip toward eyeball.
Also, how long the shave needs to last. If I get BBS everywhere, the chin and jaw need a shave again before the mustache. So the spots I get most weepers--mustache corners and under the lip--aren't necessarily the areas that grow out fastest.

 

[Phoenixkh]

You can definitely do a modified ATG/XTG. I do one for the mustache area in preparation for a true ATG with some blades, but you can stop there. Someone above said to go toward the nose; I've found this is ATG with the way my hair grows on the sides of my mustache, so I go the opposite way--from lip toward eyeball.
Also, how long the shave needs to last. If I get BBS everywhere, the chin and jaw need a shave again before the mustache. So the spots I get most weepers--mustache corners and under the lip--aren't necessarily the areas that grow out fastest.

I sort of do a modified ATG on my moustache area too... mine grows from the middle toward my ear on both sides, so I use ~ a 60 deg. angle in the direction of ear to nose.

 

[Filudo]

Do against in the cheeks rest across.

Maybe some other time, re try with different NEW blade with no pressure at all.

 

[FarmerTan]

Excellent post, friend @LAPlatypus !

I chased BBS Saturday night for the first time in a LOOONG time. I was going to post about it, but life got in the way....

My advice: if you are as incredibly handsome (as indicated by your intelligent post) as I am, who do you need to impress? My face hurt for a good 36 hours after my shave, and here I sit, STILL not needing a shave!

And I am STILL incredibly handsome, because my mom just posted that truth to me in a text message!

So just do what I do, because I really am intelligent (according to my wife on payday)..... Do two passes and skip even touch ups. You can shave again tomorrow.

I'm FarmerTan, and I confess that I have not shaved since Saturday...

 

[LAPlatypus]

OK, you can all stop replying. I thank everyone for the advise. I'm going to give up on going ATG for a while and I'm letting my face heal nearly a full week before i put a blade to it again. If i ever do try to go ATG again i'll be sure to use a fresh blade, use EXTRA light pressure, and maybe do more ATG at an angle, like a XTG+, instead of a full ATG.

 

[gpjoe]

I don't even try ATG. My 3-pass consists of WTG, XTG, followed by a second XTG in the opposite direction, sometimes on an upward diagonal on my cheeks from chin to ear (if that makes sense) but never directly ATG.

I never chase a BBS shave, but still get better shaves than I ever did with carts or electric.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I'm FarmerTan, and I confess that I have not shaved since Saturday...

I shaved on Sunday evening... I was going to shave today but I did too many physically demanding things today.. all I could manage was a hot shower.

 

[gpjoe]

I'm FarmerTan, and I confess that I have not shaved since Saturday...

I'm trying to picture an impossibly handsome cave man.

 

[Invicta]

Lots of irritation and weepers, especially around the upper lip and center neck area.

Weepers and irritation comes down to technique which needs some work. Pressure and blade angle are items to look at. I am not familiar with your razor so I cannot say if it is considered aggressive but I prefer something like the Merkur 34C for a daily shave.

 

[musicman1951]

There are parts of my face (definitely upper lip area) that will not tolerate ATG. I can do it, but I will suffer the irritation all day so I don't. I use blade buffing XTG and that gets me most of the way to the same result.

Weepers, on the other hand, are generally attributed to technique: almost always wrong blade angle, too much pressure or both.

You might want to wait until you rarely get a weeper going XTG before jumping in again. And the forum is right - there is no requirement to shave XTG. Do what makes you happy. But I wouldn't assume it's an impossibility after one or two failed attempts if you're bound and determined to accomplish ATG.

 

[Dtownvino]

I can shave against the grain accept my neck. I recommend letting it heal, one nice warm shower first, and use the lightest (no pressure) against the grain with your first or second day of a new blade.

 

[hairless wonder]

On my last two shaves, I went from a three pass shave to two. I left out the XTG. I did have to do some buffing on my chin, but I have to do that even if I do a three pass shave. I've used an ATG pass when using a Gillette cartridge razor. I never did an across the grain.

I didn't notice any difference in the final results so I plan to continue that strategy. We'll see how it turns out. I can't get a close shave without an against the grain pass. One of the main differences now with wet shaving, I'm re-lathering. I didn't know about that during my decades of cartridge shaving.

Are you me from two or three years ago?

Seriously, though, I started doing only a two pass (WTG and ATG) shave exactly this way and for similar reasons (I can't get a BBS without a ATG pass). Leaving out that extra XTG pass has significantly reduced the chances of irritation for me.

It may not work for everyone, but a two pass shave is pretty darn perfect for me.

 

[albsat]

ATG is no go for me under the neck. I can achieve it with my best razor but I will get red spots without feeling anything going wrong. Just do two passes. ATG is a bit overrated.

 

[Lord NSIC]

I went ATG and got BBS once, and a few hours later the whiskers began to grow back again, and that's when I realized BBS was just BS with a B in front of it.

 

[FarmerTan]

I went ATG and got BBS once, and a few hours later the whiskers began to grow back again, and that's when I realized BBS was just BS with a B in front of it.

Yes, I figgered that out too. Unless I'm shaving for the Undertaker or the Hangman I ain't NEVER gonna do it again!