Getting that BBS Neck!

[Frjeff]

Still pretty new here, but feeling I should be getting better shave of neck area. It seems for me to get it well, I end up extremely raw.
Hairs running every which way on both neck sides seemingly requiring many multi-direction passes.

I have mapped my whisker directions and trying to master the variety, but not doing so well without much tenderness and raw neck results. Just started using an alum block, and it reminds me quickly.

Any tips here?

 

[ackvil]

The neck is a tricky area to shave because keeping the right blade angle and little pressure is a challenge. The usual advice is to let the weight of the razor do the job - not put pressure on the blade. To put that in action I have found that using the two fingers and my thumb to hold the razor with another finger resting on the tip of the handle. This results in holding the razor very lightly with no pressure on the razor. You want to hold the razor as lightly as you can without it falling from your hand. I have found that using the right grip on your razor goes a long way in keeping pressure off the blade. The wiki deals with holding a razor and may help you. For information about blade angle, look here in the wiki.

My beard, particularly on my neck, grows in many different directions and in some places swirls. Accordingly, WTG and ATG are meaningless to me. It would be practically impossible for me to do a WTG shave on my neck since I would be changing the razor direction every two inches. So, what I do is to pick the way a majority of my beard grows and that becomes my WTG or first pass. The opposite becomes my ATG or final pass and the two other directions become my XTG or second or third passes. To get all my whiskers I have to do a four-pass shave. Because part of the first pass is XTG and ATG it is essential that I use a very light touch and watch the angle.


Some additional suggestions.


1. Be sure your lather has sufficient water in it. This makes your shave smoother.
2. Be sure your face is sufficiently hydrated whether you use warm or cold water. If your face is wet before you apply lather for each pass, IMHO, your shaves will be better.
3. Take a washcloth and dip it in cold water and then place it on your face after your last pass.
4. Use WH on your face after you do step 3 above. Use an after shave balm that is a good moisturizer.
5. At night, before retiring apply a good quality moisturizer to your face. I use CeraVe but there are other good ones out there, too. Look for a product that has ceramides and hyaluronic acid.

 

[Graybeard57]

This thread has good tips:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...-post-tips-suggestions-that-would-help-others

 

[rabidus]

For me to get BBS on my neck, I shave from the center outward on the first pass, South to North on the second and outward to center.

<--- --->
^^^^^^^^
---> <---

BBS every time.

I just started combining the 2nd and 3rd pass into one pass.

 

[BSAGuy]

Do fewer passes. More passes = more opportunity for irritation. Settle for less than BBS in some places on your neck.

 

[SteveF]

My Recommendations for Safely (and Enjoyably) Learning to Shave Using a DE Safety Razor

I would recommend to anyone starting to shave for the first time with a DE safety razor to start with the following products (They are super cheap, you will not hurt yourself with them, yet you will have great results. . . and with this "very forgiving" set-up it is "ok" if you use some pressure.): Lord "L6" razor; Voskhod, teflon coated, double edge "DE" blades; and a can of Barbasol aerosol shaving cream (I like the aloe). Use this set-up to learn to shave using a safety razor. . . Worry about using more aggressive / less forgiving razors and blades, and making your own lather for when you get your technique perfected!

* - By the way, I have been shaving for about 40 years, and for most of those years I have been shaving with double edge safety razors (I learned to shave in the 1970's using a Gillette Slim adjustable razor).

 

[fast shaver]

Good thread Jeff.! I also have trouble with my neck area & chin area without multiple passes.

 

[SharptoothC]

The best advice I ever got was that I didn't need to chase the baby on my neck. Like you, my neck has varied growth patterns. I have found that I can get a really nice shave and no one but me knows the difference. It isn't worth a constantly raw neck for bragging rights.

 

[Frjeff]

The best advice I ever got was that I didn't need to chase the baby on my neck. Like you, my neck has varied growth patterns. I have found that I can get a really nice shave and no one but me knows the difference. It isn't worth a constantly raw neck for bragging rights.

I will continue to work to get better, for a bit. But, this makes infinite sense to me if it continues to be more work and pain than it is worth.

 

[smudge]

I find that skin stretching is particularly important in the neck area, along with short light strokes.

 

[xxvaleria]

I do skin stretching and blade buffing to get close on my neck.

 

[ratlover]

Im still pretty new, so ive found i like to listen to everyone's techniques and experiment. Adams apple and below what works for me is one pass south to north wtg with my chin up(neck tight) one pass north to south atg chin up, one pass atg chin down. I have to be VERY careful about pressure with my chin down and neck skin lose. XTG on my lower neck dont work for me. That finally cut down the number of clean up passes for me. Too many clean up passes on my neck and it became irritated. Above the adams apple WTG, XTG, ATG with neck tight works for me. So maybe try losening your skin? Think its called bullfrogging? Funny how this is, one guy needs to strech his neck, another needs to losen the skin.

 

[jasonledbetter125]

Honesty my advice is dont worry about a bbs shave. (But by all means you do you) One main reason i went to DE is that carts pulled my hair and cut to close or under the skin, irritating my skin. A single sharp edge cuts it at the skin surface. It fascinates me that some of us use DE to get closer shaves, and some use DE to get less close shaves that are more comfortable and less irritating. That tells you how much of a personal experience shaving is and how different things work differently for different people.

 

[kaizen]

There is zero shame in running simpler 2-3 passes all WTG within that area. I wouldn't obsess over getting a BBS but achieving a comfortable DFS.

 

[sandstone]

This thread has good tips:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...-post-tips-suggestions-that-would-help-others

+1

 

[Reinier Ramirez]

I've never been to obsessed with BBS. Sometimes I get a subpar shave and make mental notes of what the problem may be. Most of the times I get superb shaves that I really love. Anyway, if I decide to get a BBS every time, it would only last an hour!! Ha!

 

[VerbaVolant]

...Any tips here?

The 2012 study Insights into shaving and its impact on skin offered me "the why and how". I can get BBS on lower neck anytime, although I end up with some irritation if I go every day for longer time. Instead, I shave daily with a very comfortable "almost BBS".
I achieve a perfect shave whenever I use a scrub (exfoliant), just not daily.

I hope this helps.

 

[psfred]

I'm slowly learning how to get a DFS shave in one pass (all ATG). I'm still not getting the direction right on my neck, and indeed, that's were the grain goes all sorts of directions.

My recommendation is to make a first pass in whatever direction eliminates most of the stubble, then lather up for a second pass and use the fingers of your non-razor hand to find the stubble and direction in spots that didn't get removed on the first pass. No point in re-shaving parts of your face with no stubble left.

I also have "phantom" stubble on my neck -- it drags on a wash cloth wet, and I feel it, but when my face dries I can no longer find it. Shaving won't remove it and repeated passes just irritate the skin there. Check for that, too.

For me the key to a smooth shave is a good initial ATG pass. You may or may not be able to tolerate that, I appear to have iron skin. Takes some real abuse for me to get razor burn.

Peter

 

[garyg]

The neck has been the problem since I wore short pants. I can get it all bbs with a real injector, that can slide everywhichaway around those knolls, due to the short length of the blade. Stretching helps, as does a sharp blade and knowing how the beard down under flows. Or, you can be a settler

 

[gitira6]

I have sensitive skin on my neck, and have the same problem as you with irritation. My hair is very tough and wirey also, especially on my neck. What has worked for me (YMMV), is progressing to aggresive razors over time. I got into slant razors, and stayed with the Merkur 37c for a while, then the Fine slant, and Razorock 37.
I guess I could consider myself a little obsessed with BBS, and I like the smooth feel on my neck especially, and I dont like stubble sticking to my collar or shirt. My problem is that I have sensitive skin also, and I figured out that I was going over the same spots too much to get rid of it, and irritation was evident, in the same spots all the time. The slants helped me greatly with this, because they were more efficient, and I didnt have to make as many passes.
Well I progressed now to the Shavecraft Tech, '13 R41, Rapira, etc. Sometimes with the SC Tech, I find that I dont need a third pass on my neck, and nearly BBS. The main two blades I use are Feathers and Gillette 7 blacks. But, thats a whole different story. I hope this helped you out, again everyones different, and dont be afraid of trying an aggresive razor. Just go slow and no pressure.