I decided to settle on DFS for my neck.
The Neck Area Shaving Info Thread : post tips, suggestions that would help others.
- Thread starter alex2363
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Oh yes, my map is a work in progress. Unfortunately I think my follicles get together every night to try and re-draw the map...
+1....glad its not only me...LOL
That's DE shaving in a nutshell. Unlike multi-blade cartridges, DE is simply one blade cutting the hairs. Multiple passes are essentially a must as each pass removes hair and stubble until there is nothing left to remove.
Whereas carts just one pass is enough most times because that one pass has 2-4+ blades cutting at once.
The goal with DE shaving is beard reduction with multiple passes until you've achieved an acceptable shave by your standards.
As for the neck I'm find out that a slightly wetter lather (slicker) works better. And I don't ever go North to South right under my chin. On the sides of my neck that works fine, but the tender spot under my chin (my double chin let's say) can only handle a WTG pass. And that's perfectly fine by me.
I think we need to stop trying to find that BBS or DFS shave. Let's just shoot for a comfortable enjoyable shave because the only person that will ever notice that stubble on your face is yourself.
What a great thread! I don't really have much to offer on advice because most of the advice given has been adopted by me
The neck I treat gingerly and take my sweet time. I do W/X/A, but I take my time. I have been doing this for quite some time now, and thankfully I am to a point where I feel comfortable doing the three passes on the neck.
I guess the only thing I could offer is, use a good razor with a good blade and a good cream or soap, IMO, that's half of the battle.
The neck I treat gingerly and take my sweet time. I do W/X/A, but I take my time. I have been doing this for quite some time now, and thankfully I am to a point where I feel comfortable doing the three passes on the neck.
I guess the only thing I could offer is, use a good razor with a good blade and a good cream or soap, IMO, that's half of the battle.
- Thread starter
- #25
Are you staying with DFS or changing to BBS?
- Thread starter
- #26
Very good advice. .
Wonderful, helpful advice.
As a life long wet shaver and now in the golden years I must admit to groaning thru the neck pass as as constant suffrage to this day.
For me at least the problem lies with the neck hair it's selfe, best described as pin feathers on a turkey that grow flat to the skin, tough and hard hair.
What has helped for me, with respect and consideration to all that's been said, is to lather and shave one section of my neck at a time, relathering the same area taking another pass etc, this for me
Helps soften the pin feathers with fresh warm lather every few strokes.
Hopefully no one else has my unique turkey pin feather neck issues.
Smiles and Best regards to all
As a life long wet shaver and now in the golden years I must admit to groaning thru the neck pass as as constant suffrage to this day.
For me at least the problem lies with the neck hair it's selfe, best described as pin feathers on a turkey that grow flat to the skin, tough and hard hair.
What has helped for me, with respect and consideration to all that's been said, is to lather and shave one section of my neck at a time, relathering the same area taking another pass etc, this for me
Helps soften the pin feathers with fresh warm lather every few strokes.
Hopefully no one else has my unique turkey pin feather neck issues.
Smiles and Best regards to all
I mistakenly noted twice
Sorry
Sorry
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #29
We all have your issues
I can live with not getting 100% BBS every shave but I can't live with not trying. Might as well go electric otherwise IMO.
My tips as in what I do on the neck...
. Shallowest angle possible
. No pressure, not even the razors weight
. Multiple passes, beard reduction
. Feel the grain with the fingertips
. Short strokes, tiny strokes if need be
. If ATG feels too much try XTG but at less or more than 90 degrees
. XTG from both directions before attempting ATG
. Sharp smooth blade is a must
By sharp blade I mean a sharp blade. Not one with 5 or 20 shaves on it. Also it's important to know when to give up and accept what ya got. Also if you must shave every day accept a true BBS probably isn't doable every day. Lastly beware those who claim to get a BBS shave on the first or second pass. They're either lying, incredibly fortunate or 12 years old.
My tips as in what I do on the neck...
. Shallowest angle possible
. No pressure, not even the razors weight
. Multiple passes, beard reduction
. Feel the grain with the fingertips
. Short strokes, tiny strokes if need be
. If ATG feels too much try XTG but at less or more than 90 degrees
. XTG from both directions before attempting ATG
. Sharp smooth blade is a must
By sharp blade I mean a sharp blade. Not one with 5 or 20 shaves on it. Also it's important to know when to give up and accept what ya got. Also if you must shave every day accept a true BBS probably isn't doable every day. Lastly beware those who claim to get a BBS shave on the first or second pass. They're either lying, incredibly fortunate or 12 years old.
YMMV as always. Six months into my wet shaving adventure, the way my hair growth patterns are on my neck, I go ATG then XTG, then WTG. Call me crazy, that is what I found works best for me. I started of with the grain. Soon after I honed my technique and the amount of pressure I apply. Haven't got one cut since.
It's about time someone mentioned bullfrogging.
Skin-stretching is effective, but some of us can't do it without an unacceptable increase in irritation. Bullfrogging is the opposite: keeping your skin loose instead of taut. For the neck area, simply tilt your head toward the side of the neck being shaved rather than away. Here's a great thread on the subject here at B&B.
This helps a lot with irritation. So does all the other advice here regarding beard mapping, low pressure, shallow angle, number of passes, etc. But not as much as this:
Skin-stretching is effective, but some of us can't do it without an unacceptable increase in irritation. Bullfrogging is the opposite: keeping your skin loose instead of taut. For the neck area, simply tilt your head toward the side of the neck being shaved rather than away. Here's a great thread on the subject here at B&B.
This helps a lot with irritation. So does all the other advice here regarding beard mapping, low pressure, shallow angle, number of passes, etc. But not as much as this:
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- #33
LPGAThis will help soo many shaver, keep it coming , great tips and advise.
bullfrogging is something I started doing while trying to find a way to get at those difficult and stubborn neck areas, esp. below my chin. I hadn’t heard it called bullfrogging before, but it is the perfect description for the technique. It does seem to be less irritating and more effective than skin stretching. I can get a CCS or DFS on my neck if I’m careful and don’t try for BBS. The same goes for my chin, (although not the bullfrogging part). The growth there seems particularly dense and is definitely BBS resistant.
Map your beard on your neck. Practice, practice, practice. Remember, no pressure is no pressure. Try multiple angles. Take your time, it will come.
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- #36
Mapping is vital, very good information Rod.
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- #37
Oh yes, my map is a work in progress. Unfortunately I think my follicles get together every night to try and re-draw the map...
It has taken me 6 months of wetshaving to get an irritation-free shave on the neck. I'll echo everything that has been said, especially this: know your skin's limitations. I can now get bbs on my jaw and about 2 inches below the jawline (upper neck) by going WTG and a combo of XTG/ATG. Below about 2 inches, the grain shifts from growing down to growing up and to the outside. And the skin becomes much more tender, especially on the sides. It is almost impossible for me to get bbs on my lower neck without some razor burn and more significantly, razor bumps. No matter how light the pressure, or sharp the blade. So I settle for BBS face/BBS upper neck and DFS lower neck. That's my target shave, and if I can get that with no irritation, then I'm satisfied. I agree with the the post that said BBS every day is also not realistic, at least for me.
"A man's got to know his limitations"
-- "Dirty" Harry Callahan, in Magnum Force
"A man's got to know his limitations"
-- "Dirty" Harry Callahan, in Magnum Force
Lol, I don't know why someone would lie about shaving, but I guess you have encountered that sort. I guess I'm fortunate because I can get a BBS in two passes. My third, so called pass, is nothing more than touch ups. When I read about three passes, I usually think of that third pass as a touch up pass.
I'm still in the earliest of learning stages but by paying more attention to the actual grain of the hair on my neck I found that what I thought was a WTG pass was actually an XTG pass so I have adjusted that accordingly and already got better results. The biggest things I'm currently struggling with is being able to put the razor down and accept that shave I have (resist the urge to do 5+ passes to try to get BBS) and to put no pressure on the razor. I have to constantly tell myself "no pressure, no pressure, no pressure".
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