What's new

Fewer days or fewer passes?

I had a really rough shave the other day, which led me to take a couple of days off from shaving to let my very irritated neck recover! My ATG techniques still needs lots of work to get right :(

I'm now wondering what would be better for your skin and reducing irritation for those of us who struggle...

All other things being equal:

a) Doing, say, a really close 3-pass shave every other day in order to give the skin a "day off" between shaves

b) Doing a simple 1-pass WTG shave every day

Which would be best?

I think with a good 3-pass shave I'd look presentable enough on the second day, but probably not as good as a quick 1-pass every morning.

Would be interested to hear everyone's thoughts and experiences.

Cheers,
aytri
 
I recently have found to skip ATG and do two WTG. Then I can better choose to shave the next day or skip. It's saved my neck from irritation big time.
 
I have to do a true XTG before doing anything approaching AT otherwise it tears me up :(
 
I make 2 passes on my neck and 3 passes on the rest of my face. WTG-XTG-XTG. I shave every day without any problems at all.

Try to shave as often as possible- the practice will do you good- maybe make 2 passes every second day.
 
I agree with fewer passes and more often. My face doesn't like ATG, so I usually just go WTG and XTG.
 
b) Doing a simple 1-pass WTG shave every day

I'm very new to this, but I have just taken the decision to stick to 1 or 2 pass shaves every day. I think we all get hung up on BBS, when really it looks no better and can actually look bad if you have irritation.

You also have the option to only do 1 pass on the sensitive areas.
 
You should strive for a close comfortable shave (with the emphasis on comfortable).

If a single pass or two single passes (same direction) gives you an acceptable shave without irritation that is your answer.

perfection will come with time.

Shaving every day should be your goal as it will provide you with an acceptable appearance.
 
Fewer passes is the logical choice since it's the movement of the blade across the skin that causes irritation. As for foregoing an ATG pass, that's dependent on you alone. I can do *one* ATG on my neck with no real irritation. Not so on my cheeks and chin. There it's WTG first pass, WTG/XTG mix for the second. I broke that rule today in the goatee area and it's raw on one side. I really should learn to learn from my mistakes. Good luck!Rick
 
Thanks chaps. I've tried 2 passes (WTG/XTG) and it's looking and feeling better. However, I wish it were closer :( Maybe I just have to accept that ATG on my neck isn't going to happen!

Cheers,
aytri
 
Hi Aytri, not sure how new you are to DE shaving but while learning I favoured comfort over closeness and in the long run it worked out better.

Another vote here for fewer passes, good luck buddy!
 
I'd say it depends on how your face feels and what is considered acceptable appearance for you. My face feels fine after doing 3 passes (though I'm still working on getting a good smooth shave on my neck). At my office and for me personally, I can take a day off from shaving. Sometimes I may even take 2-3 days off. It allows me to take my time when I do shave, because it's spread out a bit more.

That being said, if you're beard grows too fast to take days off and achieve acceptable appearance, fewer passes every day would be better for you (I'd think).
 
Hi Aytri, not sure how new you are to DE shaving but while learning I favoured comfort over closeness and in the long run it worked out better.

Another vote here for fewer passes, good luck buddy!

Thanks! I think I'll try that tactic. I've pretty much settled on Astra SPs now, so I'll try to work my way through 100 of them doing two passes daily and then step it up again when I look at buying some new blades.

Problem is, it's so tempting to go for BBS!
 
Thanks chaps. I've tried 2 passes (WTG/XTG) and it's looking and feeling better. However, I wish it were closer :( Maybe I just have to accept that ATG on my neck isn't going to happen!

Cheers,
aytri

It will come with time as you get better in technique. Like others said fewer passes right now will help. Personally I have also found razor selection plays a large part for me. With a New LC I'm able to do a three pass shave every morning which my skin hated when I was using a Merkur. You may want to try a completely different type razor to see if that help at all.
 
Top Bottom