The Wanderers Guide - Episode 2

[jmpstl]

1. For the life of me I can't seem to get the head of the razor high enough up to get a close shave on a thin set of the hairs just under each nostril. I am able to shave the hairs there but a thin line of hairs just under each nostril are never getting shaved as close as the rest of my face. I try and push my nose up or to the side with my hand, I also stretch my top lip down over my top teeth as well as a XTG pass. I just can't seem to get a really close shave on that small sliver of hairs just under the nostrils.
Daren

I found something that works for me here. Right under the nose, I turn the razor sideways and use the end of it to go XTG from center out, holding the bottom end of the razor clear of my lip. So I’m really shaving at that point with only a fraction of an inch of the blade. Once I get clear of the nose, I go WTG down as usual.

 

[Esox]

1. For the life of me I can't seem to get the head of the razor high enough up to get a close shave on a thin set of the hairs just under each nostril. I am able to shave the hairs there but a thin line of hairs just under each nostril are never getting shaved as close as the rest of my face. I try and push my nose up or to the side with my hand, I also stretch my top lip down over my top teeth as well as a XTG pass. I just can't seem to get a really close shave on that small sliver of hairs just under the nostrils.

It depends on the razor. Some with thinner heads are easier to maneuver than others near the nostrils. Basically, I do the same as this using one corner of the blade;

Right under the nose, I turn the razor sideways and use the end of it to go XTG from center out, holding the bottom end of the razor clear of my lip. So I’m really shaving at that point with only a fraction of an inch of the blade.

Razors with thinner heads, like Gillette Old Types and even my Fatip Grande, I could almost shave inside my nostril.

2. I am able to get a fantastically close shave that I am very happy with on the rest of my face but I have never achieved the same closeness on my neck. What recommendations are there for a closer neck shave?

Study your directions of growth and shave accordingly. You most likely will never have a BBS finish unless you shave ATG, and the more directly ATG the better.

My beard map.


I'm lucky. My growth pattern is easy to follow directly ATG.

One last thing to note. I came to this post to read episode 2 in hopes of getting some ATG tips and tricks as I feel that I am possibly at the point of making the move to an ATG pass. So any advice and thoughts on ATG would be very helpful.

Again, it depends on the razors being used. In general, the more rigid the design and the more rigidly held the blade the less that blade can flex and cause problems. A rigid design will shave more smoothly ATG than a less rigid design. For example I can use my Fatip Grande and shave first pass buffing directly ATG between 48 and, so far, 76 or so hours growth. Fatips offer enough rigidity for me to do that easily, smoothly and comfortably. By contrast, I can barely shave ATG with my R41 after a WTG pass and a XTG pass. The Muhle R41 is a much less rigid design.

A clear step up in blade rigidity, smoothness and comfort, both during and after a shave are SE's. SE blades are more than twice as thick as DE blades and do not flex. Using my GEM MMOC first pass directly ATG, even at around 100 hours growth, was smooth and comfortable.

I didnt record my last shave here, but it was Monday evening or night. I dont remember.

MMOC/PTFE for its 4th shave.

WK.

Maggard Synthetic.

~100 hours since last shave. I dont think it would matter if it was around 200 hours.

Single buffing pass ATG. One clean up. The MMOC is all business and this was business as usual.

Nice comfy BBS. What more could be asked for.

There is much to read around the forum of rigid designs and the benefits they offer. A few of us have been saying for quite some time that if one has issues shaving ATG, a more rigid design may solve all the problems.

 

[jmpstl]

Razors with thinner heads, like Gillette Old Types and even my Fatip Grande, I could almost shave inside my nostril.

As @Esox mentions, with my Karve I reach just inside the nostrils, where some of those pesky little whiskers hang out. It’s a little trickier with my Rockwell because of the thicker head and Feather AS-D2 because the head has end caps, but it still works. I’m a noob, so I do not consider this an advanced technique.