I have tough "old man" whiskers, and the only way I can shave ATG on the upper lip is with my mildest razor, the Gillette Blue Tip. That's assuming good prep and a good blade.
I shave the upper lip daily with ATG
I have managed ATG on my upper lip without mishaps, just not consistently.
As a result I do three passes in this area: WTG, then 2 XTG passes in different directions (nose-to-ear and ear-to-nose). Works for me!!
As a result I do three passes in this area: WTG, then 2 XTG passes in different directions (nose-to-ear and ear-to-nose). Works for me!!
Going ATG on the upper-lip is a little trickier for me, especially under my nose, but it's not problematic.
Quit with the big werds!
I know. It's a personal struggle of monolithic propor... Dang it! There I go again!! I swear it's an autonomous... AHHH!!!
/throws in towel
Cant do it without cutting myself. Instead, What I've found is I go both XTG ear to nose close to the Philtrum but not over it, left to right then R to L. Then, I tighten my upper lip and go 45 degrees across the upper lip from upper left down to lower right moving after each stoke to the next across the upper lip them doing the same upper right to lower left.
Cant do it without cutting myself. Instead, What I've found is I go both XTG ear to nose close to the Philtrum but not over it, left to right then R to L. Then, I tighten my upper lip and go 45 degrees across the upper lip from upper left down to lower right moving after each stoke to the next across the upper lip them doing the same other side upper right to lower left.
It will be more difficult with a pre war Tech than a post war Tech. The post war Tech offers more rigidity and will do it easily, assuming a good blade.
Post war base left. Pre war base right.
However, Techs have gap and shaving with a neutral angle and blade gap can be tricky because the growth on my upper lip is dense and coarse. Because of that my skin needs to be very tight so that it cant move at all while I am shaving there. I find it a bit easier shaving with a slightly shallower angle so that I avoid using the blade gap.
Once you know the blade is stable and wont bite, you might try tiny j hooks. I usually start left side and stroke slightly L>R and then j hook upwards all in one motion as I work my way across and repeat right side with my lip pulled tightly over my teeth.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
I do a Fool's Pass (ATG upper lip) daily. Haven't drawn any blood there in months.
Mind you, I'm an exclusive SR shaver.
With good prep, skin-stretching, a wet and slick lather, I can shave ATG on the upper lip without cutting myself, but I usually find a way to mess up the prep or lather and forget skin stretching by the time the blade gets to the nose neighbor.
To 'chicken' to try this with the arthritis in my right had.
My upper lip will not tolerate ATG. I don't get weepers, but I do get irritation. Not gonna go there - wouldn't be prudent.
I do WTG, WTG and XTG with blade buffing. That gets the job done.
I do WTG, WTG and XTG with blade buffing. That gets the job done.
I feel your pain, literally. I have arthritis in my back, left foot and left hand. This weekend, it started for the first time in my right hand. It’s going to make shaving a challenge.
Usually not atg overthere and with a broman I need another razor to finish there anyhow
J-hook on the upper lip? Seriously? That's on a whole new level
Maybe one of these days when I feel partuculary daring I'll give that a try...
J-hook on the upper lip? Seriously? That's on a whole new level
Maybe one of these days when I feel partuculary daring I'll give that a try...
It takes practice and familiarity with your razor thats for sure. I usually just shave without thinking to much about it, but when I shaved with my MMOC yesterday I paid attention while I was doing that. The blade is worn, it has to have more than my usual max of 10 shaves on it so I needed to increase the pressure a bit and shave slower but yeah, mini j hooks lol. I started left side at the corner of my mouth and stroked maybe a 1/4" L>R at maybe a 45° angle upwards towards my nose then slowly rotated the head so I was shaving straight S>N. I noticed that at the start of my stroke I was only moving the razor enough to start it moving under pressure against my skin and then it was just a simple turn upwards. The mid point of the blade wasnt really moving at that point, only the edge of the razor as it rotated. Three strokes per side all ending when the comb touched the bottom of my nostrils. I keep the skin on my upper lip tight, as tight as I can make it.
It sounds far more complex than it seems when I'm doing it lol. There are so many things going on when I shave that I dont always know what each tiny thing is or what its doing until I slow down and pay attention. Balancing angle, pressure, skin tension, slickness of the lather, suppleness of my skin. Worse, that changes every shave because the blade wears and behaves slightly differently each shave. What I do at shave 10 with my MMOC and a PTFE blade is very far from the same things I do with a fresh blade in the same razor. Familiarity of the equipment used is 90% of it.
In the end does it make a lot of difference for the overall shave? I dont think so. I can shave my upper lip just as closely buffing each side upwards at a 45°-70°' angle, which is what I do with a fresher blade. As the blade wears it doesnt cut as well so I need to be more aggressive in my technique to get the same level of shave and my skin doesnt need to be as tight with a fresher blade.
The intricacies of it all are difficult to describe in words. Its all done by feel and feedback.
I don’t do any ATG passes. Thankfully I can achieve a smooth upper lip with a few WTG SR passes.
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