Help with the neck

[IsaacRN]

Kinda frustrated right now. Ive been using a razor i honed for my last two shaves. I get a really smooth shave on my cheeks, but when i go down south from there, I am not shaving the whiskers. I dont know if its the blade or my technique. Im gonna try my shave tomorrow with a pro honed blade and see if it gets better, but I dont know what im doing wrong.

I know there are tons of variables such as stretching, blade angle, but im stumped. Its especially bad near my ear area, not so much midline, but to the right and left of the midline area.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Sejanus]

While not a straight user per say, I also find the neck area to be difficult. I used to miss whiskers a lot too and the way I found to deal with it was to really pay attention to the way the hairs grow and use an almost XTG pass to knock it down then very gentle direct ATG passes to get it smooth. Typically I needed to lather up and tackle those areas by themselves without any relationship to the rest of the face.

[IsaacRN]

One big problem I have with it is that I have a sensitive neck. Multiple passes usually dont agree with me. Im perplexed atm

[Sejanus]

One big problem I have with it is that I have a sensitive neck. Multiple passes usually dont agree with me. Im perplexed atm

Yeah same here. Might be a factor of the blade's roughness, or using a tad too much pressure. I also find short strokes allow for better control, but that is just me.

[rick]

While not a straight user per say, I also find the neck area to be difficult. I used to miss whiskers a lot too and the way I found to deal with it was to really pay attention to the way the hairs grow and use an almost XTG pass to knock it down then very gentle direct ATG passes to get it smooth. Typically I needed to lather up and tackle those areas by themselves without any relationship to the rest of the face.

Ill betcha this is the problem.
You need to map your face, especially the neck, to find the direction(s) the whiskers grow.
Once you know for sure, the problem is easily corrected.
Ill try to find a link for the "cotton Ball Test" for you but someone here will prolly know where to find it quicker that I.

[IsaacRN]

It seems when i feel my neck....most of the hair is more or less either swirl patteredn...or growing toward the midline

[rick]

FWIW...
my lower neck is THE problem area for me.
Hair grows from adams apple outward towards the ears. (read midline to E and W)
So I have the best luck with a

S - N XTG pass followed by a
N - S XTG pass.
If I need BBS there I end with a chevron N - S pseudo ATG pass.
NEVER go directly ATG on my lower neck. Nothing but Rash City and ingrowns. :mad:

[IsaacRN]

I dont really know how to do a chevron with a straight.

[Sejanus]

Should be similar to a DE, since it is a static technique / \ and so forth. Might be worth practising on a neutral surface or something just to get it down.

[TraderJoe]

Isaac - Time to BEEF up the prep ;)

[IsaacRN]

Well.....i usually put some shaving cream on my entire face while im showering. Then soak my face in hot water in the shower for about 3 or more minutes.

Today......i used Trumpers Lime Skin Food for the first time. I think it absorbed a bit to quickly

[Sejanus]

Today......i used Trumpers Lime Skin Food for the first time. I think it absorbed a bit to quickly

As a long time user of Skin Food (I love the stuff) you want it to absorb quickly. If not because of it's base it tends to get shiny on your skin which is obviously not what you want. Try playing with the amounts a little but kept it on the scant side or else you will reflect radioactive rays and sunshine and blind the townsfolk.. :rofl

[IsaacRN]

Do you use this as a preshave?

Thats basically how i was using it.....soaked my face in warm water.......applied the skin food.......then let it sit for 5 minutes or so...then washed my face and applied hot water for about 5 minutes

[Sejanus]

Do you use this as a preshave?

Thats basically how i was using it.....soaked my face in warm water.......applied the skin food.......then let it sit for 5 minutes or so...then washed my face and applied hot water for about 5 minutes

I only use it as an aftershave, for pre-shave I do a simple face wash with C&E's Men's Daily Facial Wash. Besides getting my whole face clean it is apparently supposed to soften your skin/beard to get a closer shave.

[Scorpio]

Well, several things come to mind. One is blade angle which is directly related to hair growth pattern. But even then if you do a N-S pass you should feel a difference. If the angle is right but the shave is not then I have to look at the edge. Do you have what is known as an oxidized edge? Maybe. This means that you hone it just sharp enough to last a pass but then goes butter knife on you. The bevel needs to be re established by clearing all of the old edge(the oxidized edge). This is not unsual with used blades. You hone until you get to new metal to establish the new bevel(usually with a 1k) and then finish honing as usual. If you shave with the pro hone blade and notice a difference then this is probably the issue. Another thing to consider is that you just came out of a resting period shaving wise and you are a little tentative with your strokes.

In addition, I would not use Skin food as a preshave as it dries to fast and does nothing to prep the face and stubble, it is a after shave conditioner not a pre shave even though it is used in that way by many. It may not be for you.

Hope this helps

Raf

[IsaacRN]

Well, several things come to mind. One is blade angle which is directly related to hair growth pattern. But even then if you do a N-S pass you should feel a difference. If the angle is right but the shave is not then I have to look at the edge. Do you have what is known as an oxidized edge? Maybe. This means that you hone it just sharp enough to last a pass but then goes butter knife on you. The bevel needs to be re established by clearing all of the old edge(the oxidized edge). This is not unsual with used blades. You hone until you get to new metal to establish the new bevel(usually with a 1k) and then finish honing as usual. If you shave with the pro hone blade and notice a difference then this is probably the issue. Another thing to consider is that you just came out of a resting period shaving wise and you are a little tentative with your strokes.

In addition, I would not use Skin food as a preshave as it dries to fast and does nothing to prep the face and stubble, it is a after shave conditioner not a pre shave even though it is used in that way by many. It may not be for you.

Hope this helps

Raf

Yes it does help and I thank you. The razor im using is a new razor, so I dont think the oxidation thing is a problem. Im gonna give it a go tomorrow with a different razor and see what happens. And perhaps I am a bit gunshy coming off that healing period....Ill keep you posted.

[TraderJoe]

In addition, I would not use Skin food as a preshave as it dries to fast and does nothing to prep the face and stubble, it is a after shave conditioner not a pre shave even though it is used in that way by many. It may not be for you.

Hope this helps

Raf

Skin food never worked for me as a pre-shave, it made it harder for me to shave :eek:

[Hawkeye5]

The neck can be more of a problem with a straight razor because the blade is too long for the pass angles used with a DE. My growth pattern is all E to W. One direction. Piece of cake with a DE, pain in the neck with a straight.
Streching, lowering your chin and using the bullfrog technique Mark shows in one of his vidios, plus inverting the razor has helped me, but I continue to have more problems on the left side of my neck than the right. Time and experimentation will eventually produce the right combination for me, but for you a using the bullfrog and razor inversion (so you can shave further down your neck against the grain) may work.

[CatMan]

I found that holding the razor like a butter knife (handle and blade straight aligned), and cutting left side from 7 o'clock to 1 o'clock, and right side from 5 o'clock to 11 o'clock, while tilting my head to the opposite side, hereby stretching the skin, helped a lot. The area right underneath the jaw line I cut ear to mouth while pulling the skin above the jaw line. Hope this helps!

[Baloosh]

It's all about stretching the skin with a straight -- at least for me. Not OVER-stretching, mind you... but just enough to present as "flat" a surface as possible to the blade. With my Feather ACD-N straight, I find I have to stretch the skin slightly more than I do with the 2 traditional straights I've been using (4/8 and 6/8).

But the closest, most irritation-free straight shaves I get are ones where I am extra careful to stretch the skin properly.

[IsaacRN]

Heres what i did yesterday.....and it worked great.

Keep that offhand dry.....and possibly after going over an area with the blade..that is the next area you will be stretching. After watching ALOT of barber shaving videos, i was figuring that i wasnt stretching enough. The majority of my problem areas....came out smooth.