Shaving Across the Neck?

[Clays Guy]

I decided to take up straight razor shaving a few weeks ago when the pandemic forced me to start working from home. What better time to learn while you don't have to go into the office with the bad shaves and cuts!

While it definitely has a learning curve, I have been enjoying the new way to shave but I am having a hard time getting a smooth shave on my neck. My hair grows from left to right on my neck and the N-S and S-N shaving passes leave more stubble than I would like. I have watched numerous videos and every one I have watched just shows N-S and S-N passes on the neck. It's not hard to accomplish going sideways with my cartridge razor because it's narrow in comparison to a 3" blade. How do you seasoned straight razor shavers deal with areas like this? Do you go sideways across the neck? I only have 14 straight razor shaves under my belt and I haven't figured this one out yet.

Chris

 

[stone and strop]

I go from shoulder to chin so on a diagonal for shaving the neck to the closest shave.

 

[BradSears]

The neck can be challenging exactly for the reasons you mention. Experience is definitely the best teacher; but for what it's worth, I usually make two passes: the first N - S, then rinse, re-lather and, as stone suggests, go from shoulder to chin. Here I'll take short strokes (maybe 1" or so) with the blade held almost flat against the skin. When I miss a spot, I'll just re-lather and do a cleanup pass.

The other thing I've learned is that, for me at least, some roughness will remain, but that usually goes away after an hour or two.

The big thing though, is to keep trying and not get frustrated. You'll get there!

Stay healthy!

 

[stone and strop]

The neck can be challenging exactly for the reasons you mention. Experience is definitely the best teacher; but for what it's worth, I usually make two passes: the first N - S, then rinse, re-lather and, as stone suggests, go from shoulder to chin. Here I'll take short strokes (maybe 1" or so) with the blade held almost flat against the skin. When I miss a spot, I'll just re-lather and do a cleanup pass.

The other thing I've learned is that, for me at least, some roughness will remain, but that usually goes away after an hour or two.

The big thing though, is to keep trying and not get frustrated. You'll get there!

Stay healthy!

Yes, I did not mention I do a north to south pass first. Actually its basically from chin to shoulder or diagonal downward first then chin to shoulder.
As BradSears says it will still feel like there is something there but it will dissipate shortly after the shave.
For me its the closest shave this way.

 

[Tedolph]

I don't think that going across the grain on the neck is possible with a straight razor. the one piece of advice I could give is to use a much shallower angle on your neck then you do on your cheeks and chin.

 

[stone and strop]

I don't think that going across the grain on the neck is possible with a straight razor. the one piece of advice I could give is to use a much shallower angle on your neck then you do on your cheeks and chin.

Absolutely. Very flat on the upstroke of the neck.

 

[sanookd]

If you want to practice without danger you can try using a shavette without a blade but realize a blade in a shavette is only 2 inches. Most straight blades are 3 inches. This might give you some idea what is and isn’t physically possiblr for you to do without any blade against your face. In other words game plan of attack.

 

[Scarry Knight]

A shavette would be my suggestion if a full sized straight is too unweildy or lacking now for your difficult area of the neck while getting aquainted with this. The kai ladies eyebrow shavettes are very convenient for this. Their short stature and small profile may very well allow for a light grip and make tight areas and abrupt angle changes, like under nose, trimming up to or away from ears, and crossing the jawline easier for you. Using these enhanced my larger razor proprioception and handling, I thought. I should have a picture..



Trimming while nearing the adam’s apple area, and coming from the side, can be augmented (possibly better for some) by spreading the skin in two directions, as opposed to pulling it toward one. Use some alum and spread the neck skin you are targeting apart with the thumb and forefinger. I use this to better clean up a whorl in that area and it helps with the rest of the quartered to between across and against the grain passes, which on me are the shoulder to chin or apple moves.

 

[rbscebu]

While still new to SR shaving, I used my modified Gold Dollar W59 for neck shaving. Originally this SR came with a blade length of 61mm (2.4"), however it developed a crack in the edge about 10mm (0.4") from the heel so I ground it back. The edge was then about 51mm (2") long.

​

That Spanish point may look intimidating but, after a bit of use, it becomes an advantage for getting into those hard to reach places.

As my technique improved, I found that I did not need this modified GD so I swapped it (with some other SR stuff) for my Titan 1918 ACRM-2 seven-day set Mahogany case.

​

 

[Tanuki]

Two passes on the neck, then I cheat and touch up my neck whorls with an SE or DE almost every time.

If I pick up a detail SR or a 1/2 blade shavette I can do decent 45 degree angled passes, but it still doesn’t beat the SE/DE solution. And it takes lots of stretching and contorting.

My shortys are a Dovo Barbarossa (< 2”), a Portland Razor Company Sprite (~2”), and a Focus Al Slim 1/2 blade shavette.

 

[Clays Guy]

Guys,
I really appreciate the replies. I tried the shoulder to chin suggestion on tonight's shave and that works much better! It's nice to find some seasoned guys who are willing to help a new guy out.

Brad Sears mentioned that some roughness may still remain after the shave but it seems to go away in an hour or two. I'm so glad he said that because I thought I was losing my mind over this phenomenon.

Also, I'm trying not to cheat by going back over the rough spots with the cartridge razor because I want to master this. I have read it can take many months but I'm pretty determined.

Lastly, thanks to Scarry Knight for the vocabulary lesson. Proprioception...had to look that one up.

Maybe in a few years I can help out a new guy.

Chris

 

[rbscebu]

Chris, after about 50 to 100 SR shaves you will be loving it and helping out others new to the gentlemanly art of SR shaving.

 

[Tedolph]

Two passes on the neck, then I cheat and touch up my neck whorls with an SE or DE almost every time.

If I pick up a detail SR or a 1/2 blade shavette I can do decent 45 degree angled passes, but it still doesn’t beat the SE/DE solution. And it takes lots of stretching and contorting.

My shortys are a Dovo Barbarossa (< 2”), a Portland Razor Company Sprite (~2”), and a Focus Al Slim 1/2 blade shavette.

I will have to admit to this as well. I am extremely weak shaving against the grain on the right hand side of my neck using my left (non-dominant) hand. Thus, for my third half pass shave I use a single edge razor to clean that up.

Sometimes I feel ashamed!

 

[drmatt357]

You can’t really do it. It’s a shortcoming of straight razors. If you have a really fat neck that is convex there, you could go sideways.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Alum of Potash]

For the first pass, I go around from north to south for the upper two-thirds of my neck, followed by south to north for the bottom third. This I consider a WTG pass. For the second pass, I go north to south all the way to the bottom. This I consider a WTG / ATG pass. Sometimes I need a touch-up at the bottom again, ATG. If this would ideally be XTG, east-west as it were, I would still recommend the same procedure, north-south, south-north according to circumstance. Skin tension and blade angle from continued experience should get you there.

 

[StillShaving]

I have never shaved horizontally on my neck. I do not even try with a DE. When using a straight it seems the hand would always be in the way unless one had an oddly shaped tang or could tilt their head way back.

 

[MurderousCrow]

I'm not sure exactly why, but I tend to get more cuts on my neck than anywhere on my scalp, whether I'm using my Feather AC SS or a straight. I guess it's due to end-range of motion, making it hard to keep a flatter angle against the skin. I do get a bit more stubble on the neck, but find a slightly diagonal S-N stroke keeps it looking respectable. It doesn't feel BBS but looks OK.

 

[steveclarkus]

I decided to take up straight razor shaving a few weeks ago when the pandemic forced me to start working from home. What better time to learn while you don't have to go into the office with the bad shaves and cuts!

While it definitely has a learning curve, I have been enjoying the new way to shave but I am having a hard time getting a smooth shave on my neck. My hair grows from left to right on my neck and the N-S and S-N shaving passes leave more stubble than I would like. I have watched numerous videos and every one I have watched just shows N-S and S-N passes on the neck. It's not hard to accomplish going sideways with my cartridge razor because it's narrow in comparison to a 3" blade. How do you seasoned straight razor shavers deal with areas like this? Do you go sideways across the neck? I only have 14 straight razor shaves under my belt and I haven't figured this one out yet.

Chris

I use arcing motions to get the difficult areas on my neck.

 

[seattleshaver]

I think you have to just forget what you would do with a DE and learn best techniques for a straight. I don't really go absolutely left to right on the neck even with a DE though.

Just change the direction somewhat with each pass. Also remember that your neck is basically a cylinder and it's not realistic to do the same things that you do on your cheeks which are essentially flat surfaces.

Even though it can be done and some do it...I don't go from south to north just under the nose with a straight. I do it with a DE but not with a straight. Just do what works and worry more about not getting cut than about how close the shave is, when you are first learning with a straight.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Closest I get to ATG on throat is gripping razor with my knuckles ~at my adams apple and the razor a few degrees below horizontal and with the hand stationary rotating in a scything sweep until the razor is vertical. Then just beside my apple doing a swipe down and away to ATG this odd little circle I've got that grows that way right beside my throat.