Mantic59 advanced shaving techniques.

[evandood]

I finally gave the Mantic advanced shaving techniques a go. I should say I gave 2 of the 3 a go. The Gillette Slide scares me still, if you go more forward then down, there could be trouble. I am happy to report that the jay-hooking and the blade buffing both work for me. I have a tough area right on the corner of my jaw line that defies my WTG and XTG passes. I can reduce it somewhat with ATG, but with a bit of irritation. I tried the bladebuffing, buffing in a circular pattern around the area, and found that it reduced it BBS. Thanks again Mantic59 you are the guru.

 

[thrown.clear]

I'm glad you brought this up...

I, too, avoid the "slide." It doesn't seem practical for anything buy my cheeks, anyway, and I have no problem getting those BBS.

I DO have trouble with my neck and jaw-line. I guess I do a lot of blade-buffing, or, as I call it, "shaving one small spot 30 times in five seconds, mostly after the shaving cream has already been scraped off." But your technique of buffing in a circular pattern is something I might try.

The J-Hook, I've heard, can do a really good job on neck-hair that changes direction every half-centimeter, but I haven't mastered it - every time I try J-hooking it feels clumsy and ineffectual.

I'm still pretty hit-or-miss getting BBS on my neck and chin.

 

[ateace]

The J-hook works great on one stubborn patch I have just under my jawline.

 

[Fletch]

My biggest problem J hooking is I can only do my right side effectively. I haven't mastered crossing my face and hooking my left side. It's more like a spastic hook than a J hook when I try my left side. Mostly because the way my hair grows there requires me to come at it in a strange angle to hook it ATG

 

[don.putnick]

Interesting. I've been using the Gillette Slide routinely since I was a kid. I was surprised to learn it actually had a name!

 

[rolisrgti06]

I use the Gillette slide on my cheeks as my second pass. Works pretty well. Once I get my technique down I may try the J hook on the subborn spots. But for now I am getting a pretty good shave (CCS). I started using super lather with VDH soap and Old Spice imported cream this week and it made a huge difference.

 

[Svedge]

The slide can be done safer by just shaving normally with a slant angle on the razor head.

 

[Mr. Imperial]

The J-Hook, I've heard, can do a really good job on neck-hair that changes direction every half-centimeter, but I haven't mastered it - every time I try J-hooking it feels clumsy and ineffectual.

I will give a witness to this. Learning to j-hook at the base of my neck has led to much more consistent shaves, and much less

 

[dpmtherrien]

I've had excellent results using both the J-hook and the Gillette slide. The J-hook works really well on my jaw line, and the slide is super on my neck. I've had no problems using either.

 

[KiltedShaver]

I use j-hooking quite frequently on my neck. The hair grows from my adam's apple out to the ear, and very parallel to the skin surface. The J-hook helps gather them hairs up and provide a very nice bbs.

Gillette slide just scares me.

 

[SiBurning]

For people that have trouble with j-hook or the slide, I have to wonder what their grip is like. I hear some tips for newbies to keep the wrists locked, and a lot of discussion treats the body as if any of its parts moved in straight lines. I wouldn't recommend anyone go back and relearn, but anyone that's seriously studied sports or many musical instruments where you have to move your hands and arms knows that every part of the body moves in arcs, and the grips and movements all reflect that. In particular, to move in a straight line requires at least a second motion to compensate, e.g. using the elbow to compensate for the wrist rotation.

Just a thought, but if you're having trouble, it might be worth experimenting with changing the grip on your razor. With the right grip, you can easily see the slide as just rotating the razor slightly, rather than some kind of oblique movement. You can also do a lot with the wrist that's more cumbersome with the elbow.

I guess the best analogy is how a piano teacher insists on proper posture and hand position and a bunch of other things that make it harder to play at first, but it you learn to do it incorrectly you limit your potential down the line.

 

[Alacrity59]

The slide is very much the core of my shaving success. I use this technique with a straight razor with no problem. I keep it more down than across. . . probably 75 to 80 degrees. The most dangerous to me . . . of the three ...is the j-hooking . . . just because you could catch an edge.

Mike

 

[mblakele]

Steve's points are excellent. When I recommend locking the wrist, it's because I am recommending a technique to a beginner. I feel that it's easy to lose attention at the end of a blade-stroke, or on one side of the face. At these points a change in arm geometry can change the blade angle for the worse, resulting in irritation. Locking the wrist helps to avoid this. As the blade angle becomes part of your muscle-memory, this concern disappears.

And this change from beginning techniques to muscle-memory is what makes advanced techniques possible, isn't it?

 

[spindlecone]

As some above, Guess I have always used the slide without realizing it.
Brings up a question tho,Is the slide VS using a slant without the slide the same?

 

[SiBurning]

As some above, Guess I have always used the slide without realizing it.
Brings up a question tho,Is the slide VS using a slant without the slide the same?

No. The slant just twists the blade a bit. You mostly get a difference in blade exposure at opposite ends of the blade. The angle change from the twist is so slight that it's hardly worth comparing to a slide. Besides, unless you move the razor with the precision of a straight rule, you're way further off from straight with a normal razor than anything you get from the slant's angle.