i started a couple weeks ago, and i'm having problems with the mustache area

i have a merkur HD, feather blades, and i'm using a brush and proraso. i get a really good lather, to the point that it's 100% opaque and thick. the shave has been pretty good for my cheeks and chin.

the problem is that i have to go ATG above my lip probably 4 or 5 times to get a close shave there...everywhere else, it's fine, but the mustache area is darn near impossible.

when i was using a mach 3, i'd get probably 1 very tiny nick every time i shaved, but it was very close and pretty painless. with the merkur, i go one pass WTG, one XTG, and then one ATG, and i still have problems nabbing the hairs at their very roots. one pass, then re-wet with hot water, re-lather, then another pass, etc.

i end up having to zone in and i try to use the rounded skin guard to lift the hairs up, and i can eventually get a close shave, but i end up with 4 or 5 nicks and irritation. i go extremely lightly and it does nothing; it just makes that nice prickly sound but the blade must be just dragging on top of the hairs. if i use more pressure, eventually the hairs get cut, but at the sake of my skin getting ripped apart.

is it because of my prep? i don't have problems cutting hairs anywhere else on my face, and i am making a big O face and pulling my lips inward with my mouth open (sounds funny, i know) but it basically straightens out and slightly tightens the skin. this face works with a mach 3.

honestly, i love the lathering, the brush, and the proraso, but i am very disappointed with the razor, specifically the blade. i thought that feather blades were among the sharpest? i have tried varying my angle of attack slightly but to no avail.

comments/advice welcome. thanks!

Welcom to b&b prep wouldn't be it. I've had trouble with that area as well just starting out. You might want to try your "o" face (haha) and try lifting up on your nose to get more area to work with. Keep at it and you'll get it soon. Also watch mantics videos that should help you out.

Welcome to B&B! If you're just starting out, I'd suggest you try a different blade than the Feather for a while and see if that does the trick for you in that upper lip area, until you get your technique down a bit better. The Feather is incredibly sharp and will not allow any mistakes in technique. You might also do better with a vintage Gillette Tech or Super Speed razor, as these might have a smaller profile head that will fit better under your nose and make it easier to cut the whiskers there. You can easily find these razors here in the buy/sell/trade forum, very cheaply. For blades, try something like Derby, Bluebird, Astra or Gillette yellow 7 O'clock. They are all sharp and smooth and won't kill you if you make a slight mistake.

One simple word: practice.

Give it time, and you will eventually succeed.

SpyvSpy said:

Welcom to b&b prep wouldn't be it. I've had trouble with that area as well just starting out. You might want to try your "o" face (haha) and try lifting up on your nose to get more area to work with. Keep at it and you'll get it soon. Also watch mantics videos that should help you out.

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Also just starting out, and I'm running into similar problems. I do find, however, that the lifting the nose technique seems to take care of the problem for me.

Boba Fett said:

One simple word: practice.

Give it time, and you will eventually succeed.

Click to expand...

+1

It takes time. The key to getting a good shave is practice and prep. Use Kyle's prep and a good cream and/or soap and you'll eventually get it.

mretzloff said:

+1

It takes time. The key to getting a good shave is practice and prep. Use Kyle's prep and a good cream and/or soap and you'll eventually get it.

Click to expand...

+1 to that--a good prep can make a big difference, especially above the lip where the hair seems to be the toughest.

time&practice.

have you tried blade buffing?

I find that if I combine J-hooking with the XTG pass, the Final ATG pass is a lot easier and I'm left a lot smoother. Mantic has a video on youtube about j-hooking.

mdunn said:

time&practice.

have you tried blade buffing?

Click to expand...

i have no idea what that is, but i'll google it.

this morning, i had my first ever, nick-free, absolutely closest shave ever. it was awesome. 3 passes, then very minor cleanup at the corners of my chin and (again) that darn mustache area.

for the cleanup at the end of the shave, i actually just kept applying water and very slowly/gently swiping ATG and i got the ~20 rogue hairs that were only cut like 80% of the way. didn't use any shaving cream at that point, and i still didn't get cut. after a couple weeks of crappy shaves (2-6 nicks, still not very close), i contemplated trying a gillette fusion, but i guess i won't now.

i have come to the conclusion that i can shave with a fusion/mach 3 in a very quick manner (1 pass and minor cleanup), but i will inevitably get nicks/irritation when the multiple blades are pulling at my face. the alternative is to do what i did today, with 3-4 passes and paying close attention to what i'm doing instead of just swiping a fusion across my cheek. the payoff is obviously that my face won't get ripped up.

i choose the latter.

You could always just grow a mustache... ;-)

I get a great shave from a 3.69 Boot own DE razor, with gillette super Nacet blades, you got to find your own combination, however the boots razor is very light and controllable, very gentle and has a very thin head that allows to get under your hooter

ATB,
Tom

The moustache area is the toughest for me. Practice is the key, but be sure you are practicing the right things.

1. Stretch the skin. Here's where embarrassing goofy faces come in!
2. Maybe an additional XTG pass (in the opposite direction) before ATG.
3. Don't try to get it all in one ATG pass; maybe two ATG passes.
4. With all these extra passes be sure to use low blade angle and light pressure to reduce razor burn.
5. Use a slicing (aka guillotine) motion. (But don't overdo it. Low angle is again important.)
6. Learn which directions really are WTG, XTG, ATG (not simply N-S, E-W, etc.).

Be careful with number 5. Practice on an easy area to get the feel of it before using it in a tricky area.

One other thing I have learned. During the shave the moustache area can feel very rough but afterwards the stubble mysteriously reduces and even eliminates itself. Perhaps the whiskers shrink a bit as they dry.

Try going XTG in both directions. For me, moustache grows directly N-S, so I do E-W and W-E. The I do a kind of "almost" ATG (SE-NW, then SW-NE). That usually ambushes the little suckers, and I avoid the irritation that usually comes with ATG in this area.

Try another razor/blade combo. Some of this is science, some is art, some is luck. A Gillette SS or Tech is less aggressive than some others (including your HD), but -- for me -- does an almost magical job chopping down the stache. Doesn't make sense, but it works (again, for me).

I solved my 'weepers in the moustache area' problem by using a Gillette Adjustable dialed down to 1 for going ATG there.