¡ATG All the Time!

[thombrogan]

Starting a new club/information clearinghouse for folks who endeavor to shave against the grain from start to finish whether a single pass or passes get used.

Was part of ASP, but I suspect the cleanup on my shaves counts from between 0.1 to 6.5 passes.

If shaving only ATG is your thing, please stop in and share your tips.

If shaving only ATG is something you should never do, but you have no desire to stop and believe you’ll reach your promised land of a quick, comfortable, possibly close ATG shave some day, you’re like my psychological twin or something and the invitation remains.

 

[Golden Green]

I’ve been trying a 1-pass ATG + touch ups shave and comparing it to my usual 2 pass XTG/ATG + touch ups shave. I shave daily and so far haven’t missed the added XTG pass. Particularly on my neck, anything other than ATG is a waste of a pass that unnecessarily increases the risk of irritation.

 

[Mitzie]

Just invariably shave in the opposite direction in which the whiskers grow, with 'heavy' pre shave. ie Hot flannel/face cloth, glycerin rub, aloe vera gel, shaving soap with a dollop of moisturizer then lather on top of all that shaving predominantly against the direction of whisker growth. Mostly a single pass shave with touch ups followed by a warm rinse and alum block rub with further touch up if necessary

currently this routine has transformed the closeness of my shavette and SR shaves

As in golf the less the number of efficient strokes wins the game.

 

[Phil Dumont]

Altough i have medium sensitive skin, i also always only shave ATG, i do either one ATG pass with touch ups or a two pass ATG shave.
I already did this from when i shaved with cartridge razors, because even when i first did a first WTG pass, i found this to only reduce the stubble but i needed an ATG pass anyway, so i figured that first WTG was mostly waisted effort.
I do recommend a good pre shave routine (hot towel or shower, pre-shave cream/oil, i use either Proraso cream or 3Pcream, or a home made pre-shave oil (olive oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil+some aloe vera gel and a bit of water, also a few drops of menthol or eucalyptus oil).
I dont understand exactly why cutting the hairs WTG which gives a not close enough shave followed by an ATG would be more comfortable than one ATG.
Of course i know for a lot of men this WTG is needed/wanted but i dont understand the "shave mechanics" behind this.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

I dont understand exactly why cutting the hairs WTG which gives a not close enough shave followed by an ATG would be more comfortable than one ATG.
Of course i know for a lot of men this WTG is needed/wanted but i dont understand the "shave mechanics" behind this.

For some guys with denser, longer, or flatter growth, when you're starting against the grain you're cutting one whisker at the surface but catching the next one in line closer to the tip. So it can be a challenge because it can feel tuggy even if the initial cut is clean.

 

[Phil Dumont]

For some guys with denser, longer, or flatter growth, when you're starting against the grain you're cutting one whisker at the surface but catching the next one in line closer to the tip. So it can be a challenge because it can feel tuggy even if the initial cut is clean.

Aha, indeed, this makes sense. I don't have very dense growth and i almost never shave waiting more than 2 to 3 days, so ATG works out well for me.

 

[thombrogan]

Last night, I tried going for the gusto with minimal prep. Barely loaded my synthetic brush from the puck to apply a lather that’s more “lightly poisoned water” than an ode to trapped air, and kept my angle shallow enough and touch light enough for long, sweeping strokes.

Definitely not BBS, but also not the time-sink many of my “one pass” shaves can become.

 

[APBinNCA]

Hmm, I go back and forth on this. On the one hand, sometimes, limiting the amount of passes is easier on my face(with good technique). Sometimes, due to the razor used, it's too much struggle resulting in an uneven shave. I looked at my new E3 injector this morning and thought, why not, let's do this! Low angle FTW. A bit patchy several hours later, nobody but me would notice. Skin is uncertain if it appreciated this, but neck certainly does!

 

[gpjoe]

I do 3 passes always ending with ATG. Can't imagine leading off with an ATG pass. Maybe eliminate the XTG in the middle.

Either way, most of my touchup is ATG on my chin. I have given up on BBS, especially on my neck. That usually results in an uncomfortable shave.

 

[thombrogan]

Five of my last six shaves were with no prep and that other shave has a light face washing because I had done yard work and it was the lightly poisoned water instead of an opaque or translucent lather that has made all the difference in elevating the quality of my shaves.

 

[T Bone]

Not sure I'm in the club, but interested. Typical first pass for me is a XTG/ATG hybrid. I typically shave every other day, and if I go straight to ATG in the goatee area or just below the chin, those whiskers are tougher and it doesn't go so well. Second pass is an ATG/cleanup hybrid. Light cleanup (if any) on the cheeks and sideburns, ATG j-hooks on the neck and jawlines, and ATG on the goatee.

My promised land is a quick, close shave with rare weepers. I'm not sure if that's quite psychological twinny or not, but it seems close. I can get DFS+/BBS- most days, which I'm good with. Still have some ways to go on the blood - that's a technique problem, but I don't think it has to do with starting mostly ATG since probably 90% of weepers are on the second pass. But I'm not sure I can finish any quicker without sacrificing the other 2. I don't think I can eliminate a pass or partial pass, but maybe with the right razor/blade combination, less cleanup will be required. I'm still experimenting there.

 

[thombrogan]

@T Bone , have you tried tilting your blade so one corner is more forward? Like a guillotine? That makes the blade’s edge an effectively narrower angle.

 

[T Bone]

@T Bone , have you tried tilting your blade so one corner is more forward? Like a guillotine? That makes the blade’s edge an effectively narrower angle.

Like a Gillette slide? Not really consciously, but sometimes I catch myself doing so in some parts of my second pass. Is that more effective? Where do you do that?

 

[thombrogan]

It works easier for me most everywhere and makes a perfect setup if I can’t find the correct angle and go for a J-hook.

 

[sgarnett]

Most of my beard grows dead flat against the skin, though the grain is somewhat random (not swirls, just a lot of non-conformists bucking the trend).

That said, I try to shave mostly XTG/ATG. WTG accomplishes very little.

 

[Bobovata]

Have not tried it myself, but interested.

Is the amount of growth (days since last shave) a factor in how efficient and comfortable it is? If you leave it too long is it better to do an WTG/XTG first?

 

[thombrogan]

@Bobovata , some of the folks who’ve provided me information on this way of shaving; @rabidus and @JoWolf ; usually shave once every 7-8 days.

@rabidus does a single pass with as many strokes as it takes per section (chin taking much more strokes per pass than cheeks for example) until he no longer hears the blade cutting. @JoWolf used to make one or two passes as comfort dictated.

Unlike me, both shaved to BBS. I just shave to “I can live with it“ and consider it a coup if no weepers, irritation, of aftershave sting occurs.

 

[JoWolf]

@Bobovata , some of the folks who’ve provided me information on this way of shaving; @rabidus and @JoWolf ; usually shave once every 7-8 days.

@rabidus does a single pass with as many strokes as it takes per section (chin taking much more strokes per pass than cheeks for example) until he no longer hears the blade cutting. @JoWolf used to make one or two passes as comfort dictated.

Unlike me, both shaved to BBS. I just shave to “I can live with it“ and consider it a coup if no weepers, irritation, of aftershave sting occurs.

I recently let up a little Thom. My shaves are now 1.5 - 2 passes. If the lather and or the skin is feeling a little extra nice. Lathering always was the best part for me. Even in my cart days it was always about the lather. I fell out of rhythm. I haven’t weekly shaved in over a year. Having had to use electrics and also playing around with facial hair, I missed the weekly shaves. Even tonight I was reorganizing the shave cabinet, and I most definitely want to get back to a weekly schedule. That’s the plan.

 

[thombrogan]

To hold onto a blade until its last bit of sharpness is gone or have them steadily flow into the blade bin (forbidden apple juice bottle in my case)? That is a question.

There are two ATG-only d00ds that get 6-100+ DE shaves on this forum; at least one more getting 3-6 on DE and GEM blades; and two using a Feather or other sharp DE blade and chucking it after the shave.

All you other ATG-only peoples,

Do you one-and-done your disposable blades to always have that deliciously vorpal experience? Do you keep using them to enjoy the dopamine release of a buttery edge? Are you somewhere in the middle and only swap blades before you suspect they’ll mistake your skin for whiskers?

 

[JoWolf]

To hold onto a blade until its last bit of sharpness is gone or have them steadily flow into the blade bin (forbidden apple juice bottle in my case)? That is a question.

There are two ATG-only d00ds that get 6-100+ DE shaves on this forum; at least one more getting 3-6 on DE and GEM blades; and two using a Feather or other sharp DE blade and chucking it after the shave.

All you other ATG-only peoples,

Do you one-and-done your disposable blades to always have that deliciously vorpal experience? Do you keep using them to enjoy the dopamine release of a buttery edge? Are you somewhere in the middle and only swap blades before you suspect they’ll mistake your skin for whiskers?

Do you one-and-done your disposable blades to always have that deliciously vorpal experience?

Sensitive skin areas are shaved first in my shaves. If they were shaved last, 80% chance of irritation. In my case single use Feather’s reduced irritation on my ultra sensitive skin areas. Like many shavers I had always shaved neck areas last. A couple years of DE before I rearranged mapped shaved areas in order of sensitivity.

ATG shaving strokes can be irritating or even painful for some shavers. Some gents do not use the stroke much, if at all. Skin prep and care not necessary for some men’s skin and critical for others. In this arena blade selection and sharpness should probably be better than average, because the ATG strokes are.

All my electric shaves were exclusively ATG. I would compare those shaves to a used or duller blade. DFS shaves were the norm, with electric for me.

ATG BBS plus shaves cut whiskers slightly below skin level. The ATG stroke can remove more skin than other strokes. At this shaving level are we skinning as much as shaving?

Filleting a fish, skinning a bunny, removing skin from my face. Sharp blades work best for me. Using a single use Feather I am always using the same sharpness, same sweet spot angles, same pressure used.

Best efficiencies are parallel to best comfort. It is more difficult to achieve these goals using duller blades. Also increasing the risk of irritation. I love short quick strokes.