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Straggler hairs left with Braun Series 9 help

I've recently purchased a Braun Series 9 razor and while overall I like it, I am having a problem with it leaving straggler hairs after several passes, especially on my neck. I'm not talking about the closeness of the shave - these are hairs that are visibly longer than surrounding ones and should be getting shaved off. This is mainly a problem when I haven't shaved for a few days (but to be clear the hair is not super thick).

I have tried changing the angle of shaving, leaving it in locked mode vs allowing it to swivel, shaving left, right, up or down, pulling the skin tighter, and varying the pressure, but none of these have eliminated the problem. It's like no matter how many times I go over some of these leftover hairs, they just don't get caught in the blade.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this experience and has tips. Also wondering if people have found that shaving with this razor takes longer or shorter than a safety razor or cartridge razor - for me it's taking significantly longer because of all the passes I have to do to try and get these leftover hairs.
 
I use the Braun 9 and don't have that problem. Now I do shave at least every 2 days. Here is something to try, which is what I do. Since this is a foil shaver, you obviously want to shave in straight lines against the grain (as opposed to circular motions when using a rotary) BUT I find if there is a tough patch of hair then I'll shave in small circular motions while simultaneously shaving in a straight line against the grain. This seems to work for me.

Also, if you are shaving dry, try putting a little shaving cream on the trouble area and that should help the shaver as well.
 
Okay I will try this. I am wondering if my razor is defective or it's my technique or it's because I have curly hair.
 
Nature of the beast for a foil shaver - any foil shaver. Small, circular motions do work, as well as shaving daily (most electrics were meant to be used daily) and of course the trimmer as mentioned. Failing that, rotary shavers pick up random straight hairs better, but require a technique of their own and may not suit everyone's style. Takes me about half the time to shave with an electric compared to a blade, and I always use the same software products I use for a DE shave and shave wet. You might also try shaving wet as suggested, with foam or soap and see if that improves your results - the S9 works fine as a wet shaver. And you probably already know, leftover hairs aside, that an electric won't provide as close a shave as a blade so chasing BBS is not a good idea either.
 
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Thanks for the feedback. I'm wondering if anyone might take a look at the results I'm getting on my neck and tell me if this is normal or it seems like I should be able to get these neck hairs. This is after about 30 minutes of shaving total. Also is the trimmer you guys are mentioning supposed to come with the S9? I didn't see one. Would it help here?

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The hair trimmer on the Braun 9 pops up on the back. Those neck hairs are quite long and you should be able to get them. When I'm finished shaving, you can still slightly see hair on my neck because I have dark hair and fair skin but my neck is smooth to the touch.

I would use the trimmer to cut them down first and then shave with the foil.

Are the hairs long because you haven't been able to get them for several days or do you go several days between shaving? If you go 4+ days between shaves then you will most likely need to trim the long hairs down first before using the foil - this cuts them to a manageable length for the foil to get.

Also, for that close, BBS like shave with an electric, you will have to stretch your skin tight by pulling it the opposite direction that the hair grows to make the hairs stick up to be cut close to the skin.

With practice and proper techique, most guys can get a good clean shave in 3-5 minutes with an electric.
 

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What he said - just a quick pass with the trimmer followed by the foil over those areas. And a couple of observations - if those hairs represent your beard length before shaving, that looks like about a week between shaves - probably well outside the envelope for the maximum benefit from a foil, or any electric. The purpose of frequent shaves with an electric is to keep the hair length short so a foil (or.rotary) can capture them, as opposed to just sliding over them. If they're just continually missed, give the trimmer a try. And as @beatlesfan317 said, 30 minutes is on the far end of what should give you a clean and more than acceptable shave with a foil razor - you really don't need to chase BBS with an electric. Looks pretty good from the pic, other than the missed sections, so keep trying!
 
I had another while between shaves and tried what was suggested - using the trimmer first and then the foil shaver. I also tried using some Speik preshave lotion. Together these made a big difference in getting a closer shave. It still took me a while, but I cut down a good amount on the time. I will keep trying and also try to do shorter shaves more frequently as suggested. Thanks again!
 
An electric shaver works differently than a blade. It works more like a scissor. The beard has to go into the small holes in the foil and then they are cut by the vibrating cutter inside the shaver head. If a hair is too long it can’t fit into the holes in the screen and won’t get cut. Therefore, the trimmer is used to cut the longer hairs down to fit into the screen holes. If you shave daily, then the neck hairs will not get long enough to be a problem fitting into the holes in the screen.
 
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I had my Series 7 Braun for years before I discovered what it was born to do- WET SHAVE! Try taking a tube of Cremo and that Braun into a hot shower with you, slick up your face with a dime sized blob of Cremo, ($7 for a few months worth) and going straight against the grain with your index finger lightly trailing in front of the foil as you go, very light pressure, so you can ”feel” where stubble is left. Pushing down too hard will just heat up the head as it prematurely wears out the blades because they are rubbing on the foil. I can get a DFS bordering on BBS this way. It takes a while, with many short, overlapping strokes, but considering soap, lather, DE razor prep, 3 passes and clean up vs the electric/shower ease I doubt it takes any more time. An added benefit- you have zero chance of nicks, cuts, irritating a sunburn, face left a little tender from a prior aggressive shave, etc. - and it’s real easy to throw the Braun and a tube of Cremo in the bag for up to a week of shaves without even needing to take a charging cable. Pop the head off and rinse it off before you get out of the shower and you don’t even need to buy those expensive cleaning station cartridges. Just lube with a little mineral oil. I’ve had mine about a decade and it still runs like new. If you use it daily, the blade assembly will last you about 18 months, so once you get past sticker shock they are cheap and easy to run. $40 for a new blade cartridge every 18 months isn’t as cheap as DE blades, but it’s still a fraction of the cost of cartridges and easily justifies an initial $300 investment for the razor. Like I said- mine is 10 years old and like new. I love wet shaving with DE, but I’ll always have my Braun and I end up using it at least 2-3 times a month to shower shave and whenever I need the trimmer for the back of my hairline, etc. Prior, I used it to “knock down” multiple days of growth so I could get smooth with a Mach 3. If you notice a long stragler, whack it with th trimmer attachment and then hit it with the foil again to remove it. Do whatever works for you. I’m not of the camp that anything but a DE, SE or straight razor is sacrilege. Fact is, if you are looking for a DFS these are very well designed pieces of equipment that just work.
 
I had a Panasonic shaver that I used once in the shower and the closeness was negligible compared to shaving dry. When I switched to my Braun 7 series I decided to stick with dry for a couple of reasons. First it’s a hassle to get my face lathered up in the shower and then shaving Wet. Also, by shaving dry there’s no need to use mineral oil to lubricate the screen. The only reason Braun recommends lubricating the cassette screen is if you use the shaver wet or clean it with water. The oil prevents the screen and cutter blades from corroding. I have been using Braun screen type shavers dry since the early 1970s and never had any problems while never using oil for lubrication on the screen.
 
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