Misreading Growth Pattern

[mwengerd]

I started shaving with a DE only two months ago and a straight a week or so after. Aside from one pretty major gash with the straight (due to distraction) and dropping another straight on my wife's foot, I've had few problems beyond small weepers and minor nicks.

BBS came easily with the DE and on most of my face with the straight, but I've really struggled with the area just below my jawline. I have a goatee and the area immediately below it is an area I've resigned to never being BBS - I cant' get an ATG pass without lopping the goat off.

I've been confounded by the sides of my neck, just south of the jawline, though. To touch, they're very smooth ear to chin and moderately smooth NS/SN. From chin to ear, they're a wreck. This pretty clearly let me to believe that the growth there was ear to chin, down the jawline. For me, this is already a difficult area to get to without holding the blade in reverse (something I couldn't do well at all).

Well, due to schedule issues, I skipped a couple days' shaves and, to my surprise, can see that the hair in that area grows NS, not ear to chin! A 2-pass shave (NS, then SN) gave me a DFS this morning! I'm still confounded - rubbing my thumb ATG is incredibly smooth compared to XTG (chin to ear), but it's the best shave so far.

Now to figure out behind the goatee.

 

[zirrow]

Try using a comb to hold the hair out of the way.

EDIT: and how's the wife's foot??? I'd imagine that was the biggest stumbling block for getting into "another hobby"

 

[mwengerd]

My issue under the beard is I still believe (though I'm thinking I might be wrong) that it's primarily an E-W growth pattern and there's not enough flat space under the beard to make an E-W stroke under there.

And the wife, though dramatic re: the injury, has been very gracious concerning the whole "new hobby."

 

[Go West Young Man]

If you can go without shaving 3 or 4 days, some amazing patterns emerge on your beard!

 

[fccexpert]

This illustrates the futility of the "face mapping" and associated WTG, XTG, ATG, hoopla that has grown up around shaving. You will be better off just doing what feels natural to you and not trying to force some type of unatural motion based on how you have been told you must shave.

 

[Manning]

With DEs I notice that I really have to pay attention to my beard patterns or I will get a bit of irritation. With my straight I can pretty much just go NS, completely ignoring my crazy growth patterns on my neck. This is nice.

Although, what I have noticed is that I have to focus more on skin stretching and blade angle. If my skin stretching is off, then my shave will not be nearly as smooth. You may try focussing on growth patterns, but also really making sure your stretching the skin and have the proper blade angle.

 

[AverageJoe]

The last 2 posts sum up pretty nicely a couple points I was about to write about and you guys saved me the trouble!! I usually just go N-S as well, but for some reason today, I got a little irritation on my neck. This is tough to figure out since it's what I usually do when I use my straight. Strange. Maybe I need to stretch more----usually just tilting my head back and jutting out my chin tightens everything up good enough......

 

[azhawk0516]

I have been straight razor shaving for about six months. I have found that I cannot get bbs on my neck. I cannot get the right angle to go against the grain there. If I want bbs I have to touch up with a de.

 

[O.G.]

With str8's I dont even go with my growth pattern, its all over the place. The multiple passes takes care all the growth directions when I shave. Skin stretching important. The most important thing thus far is ensuring that my str8 in sharp and smooth.