I can get a BBS in 2 passes with a DE, but I have never been able to pull anything better than an SAS in one pass, though not for lack of trying. With a straight it always takes me 3 passes.
One-pass shave?
- Thread starter vyse933
- Start date
The only time I've done a single pass ATG was pre-DE when most of my shaves were horrible. I've done a single pass shave since switching to DE in 2011, but each of those times were WTG in the morning when I wanted to shave before an event in the evening. About half the time now I do two passes WTG and XTG. The other half I do an additional ATG from the jaw up only. I cannot imagine a single ATG pass. More power to you if you can do it, but I rather enjoy the multiple passes--more time with the brush and lather
Two passes are enough for me to look well-groomed. Three passes irritate my skin to much and one pass doesn't feel good. So two passes are the golden mean.
I guess I'm one of the few that does fine with 1 WTG pass daily. Sometimes I do a 2 pass WTG/ XTG pass on my face only if I need it close. I never do more than 1 pass on my neck, as I'm prone to ingrowns.
2 pass WTG/XTG with touch up gives me a descent shave,
I've got my technique down so that will a DE I have no irritation in the first 3 passes. My straight razor technique is definitely at the point of less passes = less irritation!
from when i started de shaving i always done 3 passes, wtg-xtg-atg, in the last week i have went for wtg and atg, the skin does feel a bit better with this, growth does seem to grow faster though, will see how it goes with this method for a while, one pass with the grain i would think i would have to shave about 3 times a day.
Why would anybody want to do just one pass anyway?
I have to come at my beard from all directions, rinse, wet my face, and touch-up ATG on water to get BBS. In general, the more times you pass over an area of skin and the more razor skin pressure, the greater the risk of irritation. I am able to get away with many passes over most areas by:
-effectively hydrating my beard and keeping it wet to make hairs easy to cut.
-using only very light razor pressure.
-using only a sharp blade, replace used blades as needed.
-skin stretching to raise the hairs and slightly displace the location of hard to shave skin sections to a flatter area of my face.
-paying attention to the direction of hair growth, ATG and XTG from left and right strokes are usually needed to get the difficult spots to BBS or at least DFS.
If I start to feel irritation beginning, I stop further passes over that area of skin for the day. I do not try to force a BBS shave that is not progressing well. SAS or DFS is good enough in most cases, but I usually achieve close to BBS, if not a complete BBS.
There is a tendency to unconsciously try to compensate for a dull blade, too mild DE razor, drying hairs, or not using an effective ATG clean-up stroke on stretched skin by using more pressure and repeatedly going over the same spot. This leads to irritation.
Once most hair is gone from using WTG and XTG strokes, the razor can pass over my skin many times from any direction without causing irritation, as long as I do not apply pressure on my skin.
HTH
-effectively hydrating my beard and keeping it wet to make hairs easy to cut.
-using only very light razor pressure.
-using only a sharp blade, replace used blades as needed.
-skin stretching to raise the hairs and slightly displace the location of hard to shave skin sections to a flatter area of my face.
-paying attention to the direction of hair growth, ATG and XTG from left and right strokes are usually needed to get the difficult spots to BBS or at least DFS.
If I start to feel irritation beginning, I stop further passes over that area of skin for the day. I do not try to force a BBS shave that is not progressing well. SAS or DFS is good enough in most cases, but I usually achieve close to BBS, if not a complete BBS.
There is a tendency to unconsciously try to compensate for a dull blade, too mild DE razor, drying hairs, or not using an effective ATG clean-up stroke on stretched skin by using more pressure and repeatedly going over the same spot. This leads to irritation.
Once most hair is gone from using WTG and XTG strokes, the razor can pass over my skin many times from any direction without causing irritation, as long as I do not apply pressure on my skin.
HTH
One would imagine fewer passes would = less irritation. For some of course, irritation isn't an issue, so they won't really notice regardless of the number of passes.
I guess my answer to this would be because your having a bad skin day and you don't want to over irritate your face with two many passes.
I generally do two shaves with touch ups but on several occasions have shaved with only one pass WTG and have had a close acceptable shave....not BBS but good enough.
My last 5 shaves have been one pass + clean up, using a Schick Adjustable Injector, Schick blade, and Palmolive shave stick.
I go ATG with light stretching on each region of my face (w redrawn face map lines). So an ATG below my left cheek bone is SW-NE, below my right cheek bone is SE-NW, and my jawline is E-W.
I'm surprised how sad I feel. Guess I need to move on to The Mess Hall.
I go ATG with light stretching on each region of my face (w redrawn face map lines). So an ATG below my left cheek bone is SW-NE, below my right cheek bone is SE-NW, and my jawline is E-W.
I'm surprised how sad I feel. Guess I need to move on to The Mess Hall.
Last edited:
To me the first pass always has to be WTG. In my opinion you're going to increase the irritation if you do a first pass in an ATG direction.
I can get quite a bit of beard reduction in a WTG pass if I use a very aggressive razor with a very sharp blade and take my time. Mind you that I NEVER do a one-pass shave.
But if I were forced to do a one-pass shave and then go to work, I would use my FaTip with an Iridium Super or a Feather. I can definitely get SAS with this set-up.
I can get quite a bit of beard reduction in a WTG pass if I use a very aggressive razor with a very sharp blade and take my time. Mind you that I NEVER do a one-pass shave.
But if I were forced to do a one-pass shave and then go to work, I would use my FaTip with an Iridium Super or a Feather. I can definitely get SAS with this set-up.
Is this a MYTH?
Can it be done?
Can it be done?
Well, I can only speak for myself, and I could probably do it, but I won't. However, I have read a few people achieving a DFS in one pass.
A one pass shave can be done, but it won't be perfection. The ideal shave includes at least two passes that cover the entire shaving area WTG and XTG. Some like to go further and add a third pass ATG, or partially ATG.
P.S. I always do two passes plus some touch-ups.
P.S. I always do two passes plus some touch-ups.
Impossible for me. I need at least two passes. One WTG and one ATG. If I try just one ATG I beat myself up too much.
I can't do it. I can't even get the middle areas under my chin jawline BBS with three passes. 
I came pretty close to that once with a Feather folding RG, so I'll assume that someone out there with better skills than me can probably do it.
