upper lip stubble and cuts

[JudgeRusty]

I'm having lots of against the grain stubble and weepers and bleeders from my upper lip. Not much trouble elsewhere.

I had a mustache for 27 years straight, but I have been shaving there for 6 months now.

Please advise.

[jeffzeitlin]

I gave up on ATG on the upper lip. I do WTG and XTG. Too much blood otherwise.

[joshuastar]

for me it's always hard to get my blade angled properly. I've noticed that when I pull my nose out of the way (not as easy as it sounds), I can get the end of the razor head in there at the right angle.
Also, it turns out my mustache doesn't grow north to south. it points to the corners of my mouth. once I realized that, I actually was able to do WTG on my first pass. before it was XTG.

[Agravic]

I gave up on ATG on the upper lip. I do WTG and XTG. Too much blood otherwise.

+1. Too choppy and prone to misery if I attempt ATG above lip. I just do XTG twice in this area instead of ATG as I do for my third pass elsewhere.

[Quigg]

I have had the most success using a Schick injector razor there. But with any razor, use short strokes and no pressure, like blade buffing. You can also use diagonal XTG strokes instead of ATG.

[drawonme]

For me, the key to pulling the nose aside is wet the fingers and grab the alum block. Makes it very easy to grip the nose. Also, I don't do ATG on lip.

[JDTTO]

For me the key is relax and apply a shallow angle. I often do my ATG above the lip with my eyes close and just shave on feel.

This morning I tried "woodfluter's technique" for the entire ATG pass which means an extremely shallow angle and a little pressure on the top cap (not on the blade!). It worked great with a Tech. I did not use as much pressure as it looks on woodfluters illustrative pictures.

[Nick Danger]

One of my very first posts on B&B was about this very issue. That's a tough spot for me, too.

As others have pointed out, the keys for me were realizing that my whiskers above my lip didn't grow in the same direction as elsewhere on my face, and using a more diagonal stroke. I can do ATG but I have to be very careful and be sure the angle of the razor is just right — that took a while to figure out. I've also recently tried a bit of blade buffing and it did seem to help.

Be patient, go slowly and use no pressure. You'll get the hang of it soon enough.

Nick

[Adam R]

I used to get lots of ATG weepers mostly in the mustache area. A while back I started using either Nivea creme or coconut oil to moisturize the beard area. I put it on about a half hour before I take a shower. This way it has time to soak in. In the shower I wash my face to get rid of any excess oil/moisturizer that hasn't been absorbed. Then shave after the shower with the usual prep/lather.

I have thick wiry whiskers with a very flat grain. This additional step in my routine has made a world of difference. No more weepers. My shaves are closer with more comfort than ever. Blades even last longer now.

They sell sample 1 oz. tins of Nivea creme at stores like Kroger and Walgreens for a dollar. The coconut oil I use sometimes is regular grocery store stuff. I think it was around $6 for a big 14 oz. jar. I have heard grapeseed oil and jojoba oil are also also, but I haven't tried these.

My skin is already naturally a little oily, so I don't think this is a solution for just guys with dry skin.

[CB1]

As Nick mentioned above this can be a tough area. I sometimes do the diagonal thing too. Right below the jaw line which on me is sideways ATG and the upper lip are the toughest AGT areas for me. I only attempt this when my face, lather, technique, razor and blade are feeling in unison that day. :-) Mostly a couple XTG passes and I'm happy.

[Nick Danger]

I used to get lots of ATG weepers mostly in the mustache area. A while back I started using either Nivea creme or coconut oil to moisturize the beard area. I put it on about a half hour before I take a shower. This way it has time to soak in. In the shower I wash my face to get rid of any excess oil/moisturizer that hasn't been absorbed. Then shave after the shower with the usual prep/lather.

This is really great advice. I just started doing something similar with my Proraso pre-shave. I found that if I used the pre-shave and then just lathered up and started shaving, it actually made my face too dry as the pre-shave dried out. However, when I use the pre-shave during my shower, leave it on while I wash my body and hair and then rinse off the excess, my whiskers are nicely conditioned and my face is all ready to shave as soon as I step out of the shower.

Nick

[musicman1951]

I have also given up on the ATG pass on upper lip. I have been successful with the following in my 3 pass shave (for the lip): WTG, WTG, buffing XTG.

[bastimret]

Do a very aggressive XTG pass there instead. By aggressive I mean almost ATG but not quite, still coming in at a XTG angle. Seems to help, especially on the areas to either side.

[brooksfletcher]

WTG then XTG, slightly lower upper lip trying to keep that area flat.

My skin is already naturally a little oily, so I don't think this is a solution for just guys with dry skin.

That is my girlfriend's official hand cream. Unfortunetly, I made the mistake of using it after the shower on my body and lets just say I was late for work trying to rub it in LOL

[Graybeard57]

Interesting. I'm going to try the diagonal approach. I've been having success with WTG + XTG, but every time I try for shaving perfection with ATG, I regret it. Have blamed the blades, soap, lather, but maybe it's time to change my approach entirely.

[joshuastar]

And then of course, on my last shave, I did a two-pass WTG then ATG on my upper lip and got the closest shave ever with zero irritation. it was my first shave with a Feather in my DE89.
And my moustache is definitely a trouble spot for me.

[Bejaar]

The mustache was tough for me as well. It took me about 4 months before I was at a point where I could go ATG without the blade skipping and cutting my skin. It seems that the trick is doing a XTG with a diagonal approach. I do that in both XTG directions after a WTG and then ATG. Haven't had a weeper in over 5 months.

[dpmtherrien]

I'm a firm believer that using too much pressure is the probably cause of your problems in this area. Try just using the weight of the razor alone when shaving there.

[dcobranchi]

I'll only try ATG there with a brand new blade. Even then, it's still a problem area. Two XTG is my normal routine above the lip.

[Predict]

Wtg xtg xtg=BBS mustache area.