Using a merkur HD with a no name blade and just what the title says. I get razorburn if I go ATG
Can't get BBS without going ATG
- Thread starter anthonyscardina
- Start date
Shave more for a while until your technique improves. Don't worry about BBS just yet.
I can't get BBS without an ATG pass either. But, I always do a three or four pass shave, ending with an ATG pass.
I can't get BBS without an ATG pass either. But, I always do a three or four pass shave, ending with an ATG pass.
- Thread starter
- #4
Yeah sampler is on the way. Tried the merk blade that came with the razor as well as Gillette platinums both were "meh". I'm using aos soap or co bigelow (proraso) as of late
I too save the ATG pass for the end as a "clean up" to result in the BBS. I agree that you may have to change out the blade brand. I have heard that the Merkur blade that comes with the razor is complete crap. I have started and stayed with the Astra SP and have not had any big problems as of yet. I find that I get more of the razor burn if I go ATG too early. I doubt that it is your soap or cream that is having any effect on your results.
IMHO BBS is very overrated. The only one who's going to know you've got it is yourself. +1 on working on your technique for now, as that improves so will the shaves. I'll take the BBS when it comes along, but I'll settle for a DFS anyday.
They're great when they happen, but not worth the burn. Razor angle is a lot of it, so check that yours is consistent cheek , chin, neck,etc. You may also just be like me: my toughest hair and worst grain is on the most sensitive part of my neck, so I just give it one pass, maybe an XTG, but don't try for more.
Try a Titan Stainless Steel Razor from Above The Tie. its the best 1 or 2 Pass Razor i have ever tried, and a 3 Pass ATG Froget about it....... Its that good.
Most of the time i do a 2 pass and its as close to a BBS as i want to be.
Most of the time i do a 2 pass and its as close to a BBS as i want to be.
All due respect to almost 12,000 posts (damn!), but my wife of 15 years notices a BBS shave and loves it. Definitely try some decent blades. It's well worth it!
It shouldn't be a surprise that ATG is required to get BBS. I would say that's true for the vast majority of folks. For myself, there is no way BBS is possible without an ATG pass, even with the R41 or a straight, and even on the easiest parts of my face. But, as others have said, going ATG doesn't have to be irritating. Keep working on the technique, and certainly try some other blades so that you can do an ATG pass. Or, just settle for a DFS..no harm in that either. An extra WTG or XTG pass may get you pretty close to BBS.
+ 1. The blade is essential...
+1 No need to cause yourself discomfort as a DFS is quite a good shave, in my opinion. If you want BBS, then practice better technique and try some different blades. Good luck.
Absolutely. Another factor to keep in mind is that the very idea of ATG can make you tense up a bit, causing you to press down on the razor unintentionally. "No pressure" is especially important when going ATG. Relax and let the razor do the work. Also, your face may need time to get used to ATG, so don't overdo it early on. (Don't overdo it later, either.
)Yep, very much so.
For the OP: One thing that that will help with ATG is using as a shallow a blade angle as possible (handle sticking out more). When you go ATG, the hairs are really trying to force the blade down into your skin, especially in areas with thick, course hair. The more blade exposure the razor has, the more you'll notice this, as the blade is less supported. Keeping the blade at a more shallow angle helps to keep the blade from riding down the hair and digging in.
For the OP: One thing that that will help with ATG is using as a shallow a blade angle as possible (handle sticking out more). When you go ATG, the hairs are really trying to force the blade down into your skin, especially in areas with thick, course hair. The more blade exposure the razor has, the more you'll notice this, as the blade is less supported. Keeping the blade at a more shallow angle helps to keep the blade from riding down the hair and digging in.
Absolutely. Another factor to keep in mind is that the very idea of ATG can make you tense up a bit, causing you to press down on the razor unintentionally. "No pressure" is especially important when going ATG. Relax and let the razor do the work. Also, your face may need time to get used to ATG, so don't overdo it early on. (Don't overdo it later, either.
To help cut down on irritation you can try using your off hand (the one not holding the razor) to stretch your skin. Pull up at your sideburns. Puff your cheeks to shave them. Lay your hand flat below your lather and pull down while shaving your neck and throat, moving your hand around to be under where you are shaving. For your chin you can pull back at your cheeks to get that area tight. Use alum on your finger tips to help you grip your wet/soapy areas. Play around stretching your skin without shaving (while sitting around) to find out where you need to pull to get an area tight so that when you are all lathered up you know what to do.
When shaving try to use short rapid motions, not long slow ones. You want to cut your beard not mow it down.
Try to lock your wrist and elbow and move the entire arm that is holding the razor from the shoulder. This will help you keep a consistent blade angle as the entire razor will move in one plain since you are not adding several additional movements with your wrist and elbow
When shaving try to use short rapid motions, not long slow ones. You want to cut your beard not mow it down.
Try to lock your wrist and elbow and move the entire arm that is holding the razor from the shoulder. This will help you keep a consistent blade angle as the entire razor will move in one plain since you are not adding several additional movements with your wrist and elbow
I also use a Merkur HD and it is one of my favorite most effective DE razors:
-It is critically important to keep the beard wet (soft) and easy to cut as the beard gets harder to cut as it dries. Remoisten the face or retouch the lather as needed immediately before ATG shaving,
-Showering, shampooing, and conditioning immediately before shaving makes my beard as soft as it can get,
-ATG shaving should be attempted only after reducing ones beard as much as possible using WTG and XTG strokes. This helps reduce tugging, irritation, and the risk of in-grown hairs,
-ATG is used mostly to clean up the spots that have not already come clean using WTG and XTG,
-Skin stretching should help raise the hairs so that they can be cut more effectively ATG,
-Use only very light razor skin pressure ATG, even less than the weight of the razor, if necessary,
-Be sure that the DE blade is sharp, I like Feathers in my HD,
-Having a close comfortable shave is more important than striving for BBS at the expense of your face. Some people's skin will tolerate very little or no ATG shaving,
-People who cannot shave ATG now may later become able to shave ATG after they gain more DE experience, find the products that work best on their skin, and their skin has acclamated to the DE razor.
-If your skin is irritated, you may need to give it time to heal before attempted ATG shaving again in the future.
-ATG shaving carries a greater risk of irritation. With experience, you will know how much ATG your face will accept. I get a great shave almost every day but cannot get BBS everytime and everywhere and you may not be able to get BBS everytime and everywhere.
One should discontinue ATG shaving before experiencing significant skin irritation, when necessary.
HTH
-It is critically important to keep the beard wet (soft) and easy to cut as the beard gets harder to cut as it dries. Remoisten the face or retouch the lather as needed immediately before ATG shaving,
-Showering, shampooing, and conditioning immediately before shaving makes my beard as soft as it can get,
-ATG shaving should be attempted only after reducing ones beard as much as possible using WTG and XTG strokes. This helps reduce tugging, irritation, and the risk of in-grown hairs,
-ATG is used mostly to clean up the spots that have not already come clean using WTG and XTG,
-Skin stretching should help raise the hairs so that they can be cut more effectively ATG,
-Use only very light razor skin pressure ATG, even less than the weight of the razor, if necessary,
-Be sure that the DE blade is sharp, I like Feathers in my HD,
-Having a close comfortable shave is more important than striving for BBS at the expense of your face. Some people's skin will tolerate very little or no ATG shaving,
-People who cannot shave ATG now may later become able to shave ATG after they gain more DE experience, find the products that work best on their skin, and their skin has acclamated to the DE razor.
-If your skin is irritated, you may need to give it time to heal before attempted ATG shaving again in the future.
-ATG shaving carries a greater risk of irritation. With experience, you will know how much ATG your face will accept. I get a great shave almost every day but cannot get BBS everytime and everywhere and you may not be able to get BBS everytime and everywhere.
One should discontinue ATG shaving before experiencing significant skin irritation, when necessary.
HTH
Last edited:
I think I need to work on this aspect of my shave too. I (SWMBO) have made significant improvements in the quality of my shave but not without a little irritation. Perhaps I am still using strokes that are too long. I, like most, seem to have a couple of areas that are harder than most to shave.
Keep at it Anthony. You will find out what works for you eventually.
Wait a min... is it possible to get BBS for some without ATG? My kung fu must be week, to be sure.
At some point I think we need to acknowledge that
Of course, I don't want to discourage people from striving for perfection. I happen to be lucky enough to have been born 99% there
and achieved the last bit after learning this manly art. But not geting BBS should take up approximately 0.0% of the part of your brain dedicated to "**** I care about today." If it takes up more, you're insane. Again, trying for perfection is great, commendable, blah blah blah... but you will get another chance if you didn't get it right this morning. If you did get it right, pat yourself on the back because for the next 240 minutes your face is going to feel AWESOME... then quickly proceed to get over yourself. Really, nobody cares, except us tools. The amount of personal consideration you should dedicate to impressing us cannot be adequately expressed in written form. If you at any point consider taking any action or changing your behavior in any way because of a desire to impress this loony bin, here's what I want you to do: take a step back for a few minutes for quiet reflection, take a look at the world in which you find yourself and consider your place in it -- then kill yourself. [\needlessly snarky rant that kind of went to a weird and oddly mean place unexpectedly.]
At some point I think we need to acknowledge that
- BBS to us is different than bbs to an outside observer
- what we feel with our fingertips and what we sense through the skin of our faces is different.
- Distinctions between bbs and something less than that (i.e., smoother than dfs but not bbs) is going to be unnoticeable to the majority of people
- visually, it will be identical (this is my personal cutoff for dfs vs bbs... if this isn't what official B&B dogma holds, don't bother correcting me. I love you guys, but I don't care and I'm never going to change.)
- again, someone touching your face likely won't feel the microscopic stubble that lies between dfs and bbs
- Maybe they'd feel it rubbing against more delicate parts of their anatomy.... let's hope that the moment dictates this distraction can be overlooked
- the visual appearance of bbs vs dfs is only noticeable upon very close inspection
- Closer than anybody should be grilling your face... even loved ones.
- Even people we are intimate with that might be able to discern a difference by feel are not likely to look at your face with that level of scrutiny.
- I'm having a difficult time thinking of social situations where someone is looking at you that closely that doesn't involve a medical procedure or an autopsy.
- YMMV, but the fact is that BBS is temporary.
- most of us may visually maintain bbs for a good portion of the day, but tactilely speaking it may vanish before you've had lunch
- less than bbs is not going to kill you
Of course, I don't want to discourage people from striving for perfection. I happen to be lucky enough to have been born 99% there
and achieved the last bit after learning this manly art. But not geting BBS should take up approximately 0.0% of the part of your brain dedicated to "**** I care about today." If it takes up more, you're insane. Again, trying for perfection is great, commendable, blah blah blah... but you will get another chance if you didn't get it right this morning. If you did get it right, pat yourself on the back because for the next 240 minutes your face is going to feel AWESOME... then quickly proceed to get over yourself. Really, nobody cares, except us tools. The amount of personal consideration you should dedicate to impressing us cannot be adequately expressed in written form. If you at any point consider taking any action or changing your behavior in any way because of a desire to impress this loony bin, here's what I want you to do: take a step back for a few minutes for quiet reflection, take a look at the world in which you find yourself and consider your place in it -- then kill yourself. [\needlessly snarky rant that kind of went to a weird and oddly mean place unexpectedly.]- Thread starter
- #20
so my blade sampler came and I decided an Astra SP was the first to try...wow what a great shave! was able to go ATG in even my worst spots with no irritation! next I'll try an israeli persona, maybe a derby, and eventually a feather. my slim should be waiting in the mailbox tomorrow, oh so many toys so little shaves!
Similar threads
