Rookie mistakes?

[histpres]

I'm about 6 shaves in since first starting with a DE. Aside from missing spots here and there, the face portion of the shave typically ends well.

My neck, on the other hand, is a different story. I feel a lot of tugging, often end up with a lot of nicks, and sometimes bumps on either side of my adam's apple. Once it starts to bleed I try to just get through the rest and wash everything off and there's still a good amount of stubble.

I'm wondering if there a mistakes that most people make when they first start that might explain why this happens every time?

I also feel a good bit of tugging when I get the 'goatee' area, where it's a little thicker on my face.

Thanks for any help, fellas!

 

[Rjacklin]

Normal, a couple of things to do.... Map the growth of your hair. Let it grow out and make sure you see what wtg is. The hair on my neck grows completely different then on my face. Whats wtg on my face is atg on my neck. My first week i was bleeding all over, this was a main reason.

another thing is lather and beard prep.make sure you prep the hair and really get a slick lather. No matter how sharp a blade is, if your lather isnt good you will nick yourself. Keep at it! It is worth every cut until you figure it out!

 

[viper16]

The whisker grain is what I have found to be the biggest thing for me so far for comfortable shave on the neck. When I didn't go WTG on the first pass I get nicks and irritation. My growth goes from left to right across the throat.

 

[celestino]

Most of what you are describing is probably a combination of prep, lather, and technique. Keep practicing as those are the most difficult areas and you just need to work on your angle and technique. Good luck.

 

[konijntjesbroek]

Most of what you are describing is probably a combination of prep, lather, and technique. Keep practicing as those are the most difficult areas and you just need to work on your angle and technique. Good luck.

+a gabillion

 

[cpcohen1945]

You don't say what razor and blade you're using, or what pre-shave prep you do. That would be useful to know.

"Technique" includes several things:

1. Using _no pressure_ on the razor. Excess pressure (if the razor is aggressive and the blade is sharp, _any_ pressure) is a common cause of razor burn and cuts.

2. Stretching the skin in front of the blade. Especially for against-the-grain shaving, it is important to keep the skin from 'bunching up' in front of the blade. If it does, you'll get cut.

3. Proper razor angle. Put the razor handle at right angles to your face, lower it until the blade edge just starts to cut -- that's a good angle.

. Charles

 

[histpres]

Thanks for the tips guys.

As for the growth map, I've looked into it, and thought mine was too complicated for it. Like directly below my chin is maybe a 1cm by 2cm section that's the exact opposite of anything around it haha. How do you work with that? Just start shaving and stop when you feel a tug?

I'm using a Super Speed from '51. (I love old stuff, and was told Super Speeds are great for beginners). My pre/post shave set up is a beginners kit from The Art of Shaving, BUT the blades are cheap. My room mate picked them up from a grocery store, it's only a 5 pack so I figured I'd get through it and pick some legitimate ones up after, but now I'm thinking I should do that before the next shave.

I also think I may have been slacking on the prep though, so I'll pay a lot more attention to that.

 

[BossMaverick]

I'm still a newbie too but try a better blade. I get less nicks and cuts with sharper blades because I'm not fighting with getting through the hairs. Also, make sure you start prepping well.

I'd suggest ordering a sample pack of blades.

 

[indytechnerd]

Thanks for the tips guys.

As for the growth map, I've looked into it, and thought mine was too complicated for it. Like directly below my chin is maybe a 1cm by 2cm section that's the exact opposite of anything around it haha. How do you work with that? Just start shaving and stop when you feel a tug?

That's pretty much it. My chin area doesn't seem to have a grain, just straight out, so I tend to just hit it a bit at a time from all directions until it's gone. Do little bits in 3-4mm passes in a circle around that area that doesn't conform to the rest. Also, remember that blade angle is relative to the area on your face you're shaving, so you may have to get that elbow waggling as you catch those chin and neck areas WTG and XTG.

 

[dpmtherrien]

The neck is a tough area to shave, and you have to go really easy there. Don't worry about getting really close for awhile until your technique improves. Probably the biggest thing that contributes to the nicks and irritation is using too much pressure. Even if you think your not using much, you most likely are. Just let that razor feel as if its floating over your skin. Things will improve as time and experience go on. Stay at it.

 

[chonax]

If you don't have one already, grab yourself a styptic pencil, which you can find at almost any pharmacy. You'll get a feel for the neck soon, just remember to stretch the skin, maybe even move your chin forward as you shave. The adams apple can be tough, and I've scraped the skin off of it many times in my first month shaving. I've learned to take it super slow and super easy on that area, even pulling the skin over/under/left/right of the apple so that I don't run the razor over the cartilage. Keep at it, its common to have trouble in that area, but it's also common to get easier with practice.

 

[sopipari]

I used to have issues in that area as well. As you see by all the responses it's common. I've found i need to go straight down from the chin on pass one. From the middle and downward toward my shoulder on the second pass...and then I can go ATG (straight up) on the third pass.

The part of my neck I still have problems with is the base of the neck under the jaw line on each side because the hair grows in such a strange direction...and I've been doing this for over a year now.

 

[mistervee123]

If someone hasn't said it already, look up the website that has a "face map" interactive page: http://sharpologist.com/2010/07/interactive-face-map.html. Map out the grain of your beard to see which directions it grows, then the WTG, XTG, and ATG will make more sense. My neck hair grows every which direction, but the map helped me, and once I was familiar with the grain, no more pulling. Let us know what happens.

 

[i.am.zed]

Ahhh, the dreaded neck. A common issue with most new (and some experienced) wet shavers. All of the common cures have been given. I can tell what's worked best for me. In order:
1. getting the proper blade angle
2. getting better with the pressure variable
3. whisker mapping and attempting to shave in the appropriate direction (which I find nearly impossible)
4. never re-shaving an area I've just shaved until I can re-apply lather
5. and simply learning to accept a DFS on my neck...not an easy thing for me since I can almost always achieve a BBS shave on the rest of my face

 

[Graybeard57]

The neck is a tough area to shave, and you have to go really easy there. Don't worry about getting really close for awhile until your technique improves. Probably the biggest thing that contributes to the nicks and irritation is using too much pressure. Even if you think your not using much, you most likely are. Just let that razor feel as if its floating over your skin. Things will improve as time and experience go on. Stay at it.

+1

I'm still learning to do this consistently. Technique improves over time, and some people here with years' experience say they continue to learn. Take your time.