Neck area problems

[Phellan]

I just started shaving with a straight razor, used it a couple of times now and i really like the experience, i prefer it much more then the mach3 i was using before. I don't know why i didn't switched sooner.

Untill now i managed to avoid cuts and get a decent shave on the cheeks and upper lip. The chin is a bit more tricky, but from what i read in threads here it's to be expected
But i do have some problem shaving my neck area, my beard grows mostly left to right and a part grows almost up, as advised i try to shave WTG but i cant really find a good way to hold the blade and pass when doing this.
Any advice how to do this?

Thanks in advance.

 

[red96ta]

I've got the same problem here, all my neck hair grows from east to west instead of north to south on the neck. One thing I do to compensate directly under the mandible is to tilt the head way back and use the heel of the blade for the pass. Using just the heel, you can actually get an ATG pass on a neck moving east to west. Hand positioning on the razor is going to feel awkward until you get the hang of it...so don't think that it won't work until you figure out your finger grasps.

 

[Ray-man]

I think your problem is not with the manipulation of the blade but with the stretching of the skin. Get yourself a butter knife and stand in front of a mirror and hold the butterknife like a razor. Pick your chin up and turn your head in the opposite direction of the side you want to shave. Stretch the neck from the bottom of the neck downward with the hand you aren't using to shave and see how tight you can get the skin. You can also put that hand towards the back of the neck and push the skin back. Try moving your mouth to the other side also, that will help tighten the skin. As you are doing this, practice shaving with the butter knife until you think you have it figured out. Then you can lather up and try using your razor. My neck hair grows sideways too and tight skin is the key to shaving it for me.

Enjoy!

Ray

 

[jadam318]

I have the same issue, and both of these other guys have good advice. It is a combination of blade manipulation and skin stretching. I have found that what works for me is similar to what works for red96ta up there. I fold the scales of the razor back until they nearly touch the spine of the blade and hold it by the tang. It feels completely awkward, but it works for me. I then tilt my head back as far as possible and make passes that are roughly 45 degrees to East/West (sort of SE to NW), the heel of the blade being the prominent cutting edge. The blades are simply too long to make true E/W passes. I can't even pull off true E/W with a DE. About two passes like that combined with a N/S or two produces a pretty good shave on the parts I can't stretch the skin to reach. Just be sure to be diligent with securing the blade in your hand. You don't want to drop it or even let it slip as either of those situations could produce, well...blood.

 

[Phellan]

Thanks!
Just finished shaving. I started with some test rounds with a butter knife and some practice in holding the straight by the tang, still feels a bit awkward. After that, i went for the real shave. With some good stretching(i think i didn't do it enough before) and with a different way to hold the blade it felt better then before, but it still needs more practice

 

[paulboeck]

Same issue here, though I just gave up trying to figure out how to do an E-W pass on my neck and just go N-S for an XTG pass. I make sure to start with my neck though so that the blade is freshly stropped and as sharp as possible so as to minimize irritation. Seems to be working for me.