The Neck Area Shaving Info Thread : post tips, suggestions that would help others.

My neck grows in three directions...First, I prep and lather with hot water, but shave with a cold blade (rinse in cold water). Next, down stroke for me is always either WTG or XTG for my neck; after initial reduction, my XTG pass is Adams Apple to ear, which for me ends up XTG for most of the neck and WTG for the weird patch on either side of the Adams Apple. Then, final pass is ATG, shaving up toward the jaw. I feel for any remaining stubble and take off ATG. Swallow and hold for the Adams Apple. Rinse with very cold water, follow with alum block. Wait one minute, rinse again with cold water and slap on a/s. I'm somewhat sensitive, but have avoid razor burn thus far...

Only hove light touch around the neck and throat... One thing that may or may not help i found it helped me with a shavette for the sides of your throat/neck is put you face down until you have rolls on your neck then stretch them flat...idk why but that worked for me

hcoop111 said:

Only hove light touch around the neck and throat... One thing that may or may not help i found it helped me with a shavette for the sides of your throat/neck is put you face down until you have rolls on your neck then stretch them flat...idk why but that worked for me

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Rolls? Can you elaborate.

For me simple... Wtg xtg atg..i never have any problems with shaving any part on my body..unless its a faulty blade or terrible quality ...wich so far i havent found many..it just comes down to how you do it how hard you push the way you hold something etc etc

Sure ... When you tilt your head forwardlike wayyy forward under your chin can create rolls of skin....or neck as well...when i tested this i just stretched the skin back to being flat while keeping my head in the same position ...i found this because i thought how can you make that area shave if you have soft skin on the sides of your neck..somehow i stumbled on that...it may of been just a thing that worked for me ...so it may not work for everyone or anyone haha but its worth a shot i hope ive explained that its hard for me to explain kinda lol

I do only two passes, WTG and ATG with an aggresive razor (Muhle R103), steep angle and no pressure. Also apply just a little of proraso pre shave on wet skin before each pass. This helped me to get rid of irritation, so, in my case, improved technique and fewer passes was the key.

Ok. So I thought I had solved my neck irritation issue but it looks as though I've been mistaken. The picture below shows I need to do something different. I'm still a newbie so I'm still trying things out. That means I'm switching between Astra SPs, Voskhods and Gillette Silver Blues for the most part. I'm using a EJ DE89 and a Merkur 34C HD. I am doing three passes, WTG, XTG and ATG. Previously I had been doing only XTG and ATG on my neck. So I figured if I made the first pass WTG, things would work out better. So much for that. I'm using mostly TOBS creams since January and never had a problem until the last few weeks so it isn't a reaction to the creams. I do a cold water rinse between and after each pass. I've stopped using balms when the weather got warmer because that seemed to make things worse and now only use alum and a splash like Clubman or Ice Blue. I'm thinking that either I'm pressing too hard, or my technique still needs work (this is the case regardless of whether it is contributing to the situation) or my neck just can't take the multiple passes. It is mostly on the left side of my neck although there is one bump on the right side as well. I'm open to suggestion. While the irritation does not hurt, it sure is unsightly. Never had this kind of irritation until recently and I've been wet shaving since the late 70's with a cartridge and with a double edge since this past April. The irritation is only the past two weeks. Thanks to all.



Sorry for the upside down image. Not sure how that happened and I don't know how to fix it.

I take one thing back. The bumps do hurt a little bit. I gotta fix this.

MntnMan62 said:

Ok. So I thought I had solved my neck irritation issue but it looks as though I've been mistaken. The picture below shows I need to do something different. I'm still a newbie so I'm still trying things out. That means I'm switching between Astra SPs, Voskhods and Gillette Silver Blues for the most part. I'm using a EJ DE89 and a Merkur 34C HD. I am doing three passes, WTG, XTG and ATG. Previously I had been doing only XTG and ATG on my neck. So I figured if I made the first pass WTG, things would work out better. So much for that. I'm using mostly TOBS creams since January and never had a problem until the last few weeks so it isn't a reaction to the creams. I do a cold water rinse between and after each pass. I've stopped using balms when the weather got warmer because that seemed to make things worse and now only use alum and a splash like Clubman or Ice Blue. I'm thinking that either I'm pressing too hard, or my technique still needs work (this is the case regardless of whether it is contributing to the situation) or my neck just can't take the multiple passes. It is mostly on the left side of my neck although there is one bump on the right side as well. I'm open to suggestion. While the irritation does not hurt, it sure is unsightly. Never had this kind of irritation until recently and I've been wet shaving since the late 70's with a cartridge and with a double edge since this past April. The irritation is only the past two weeks. Thanks to all.

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Skip the XTG and ATG pass and just do two WTG passes till you heal up. Whatever those bumps, they are gnarly. After you heal up, make the third pass XTG.

Ouch they look like they hurt a bit....yea as person said above go easy until its healed if i get a razor burn or anything i slow it back for about 2 days or so until its healed...may i also add i tried the astra sp this morning and didnt care much for them tbh they stand about 6/10 on my rating....average... Try some others.. I dont know about the voskhods as i havent used them not the gillettes so i cant say squat on those ....and nah wouldnt be the cream from what ive heard tobs is rlly good stuff...you say its heated up? if so maybe thats the answer heat rash+razor burn...im not really sure im just giving whatever advice i can or say whats going in my mind...maybe also try some ice water...get a ice cream tub put cold water in a d place a few cubes i side until icey cold splash around face for a bit..other than that im lost man lol gl with it i hope somebody here can help you

I took Derek's advice and only did two WTG passes this morning. I also bought some witch hazel and applied that after applying some alum. The bumps are smaller and don't hurt anymore. I do think it is irritation due to a combination of poor technique but also the likelihood that my neck just can't take as much abuse as my face. I may have to alter my approach. I'll start be eliminating completely any ATG passes on my neck. Once healed, I will only do two passes. One WTG and one XTG. I'll see how my neck responds to that. I don't think it is heat rash. I'll take Saturday off, shave on Sunday and take Monday off again. That should be a nice and rare rest for my face since I need to be freshly shaved everyday for work. As for the suggestion of changing blades, it might be the Astras but I don't think so. I've been changing blades fairly frequently as I try different ones and I've gotten the same result regardless of the blade used. One thing I'm also going to focus more on is pre-shave. I have always applied pre-shave oil but most of it makes it to my face and very little to my neck. I'm going to make sure my neck is properly oiled as well and see if that does not give me a smoother shave on my neck. If I can make the bumps go away completely, I'm going to then pull out the Muhle R41 (2013) and give it a go. I've seen comments suggesting that a more aggressive razor if properly used could actually help with irritation. Counterintuitive but I can see how it could work. Hey, I'm a newbie and I'm open to trying things until I find what works.

I am a fairly new wet shaver, I decided to try wet shaving because like many I have ultra sensitive skin, even some soaps with a clean ingredients list would still cause irritation. I am lucky to have a wet shaving store nearby they have been great at working with me giving me demos and tips, as well as products to try. (a side note check out nick shaves on YouTube) I have a Merkur 38c, which i use with less aggressive blades. I was ready to give up on wet shaving until they let me demo the Feather AS2 with a feather blade this razor is wonders for sensitive skin, like many have said a sharp blade does wonders for irritation, no tugging. but in my experience a sharp blade with a mild razor helps a lot as its not aggressive. likewise a more aggressive razor with a milder blade think shark, personna lab blue, etc.

I have a very unconventional or wild neck growth, it goes all over the place beside my ears WTG is down, under my chin down, the rest of it goes in all different directions the main pattern of the rest is up at an angle towards my chin, I got a lot of irritation on my neck and across the grain is not an option too sensitive and hard to get my chin close I am little on the chubby side so under the double chins etc is hard to reach. to handle this I have found light pressure making funny faces will take care of the chin going cross grain. For the neck I go up towards my chin at angle or will use some j hooks as well. I lather over each area I need so my razor never touches skin without lather.

1) WTG - n-s over my whole face
2a)XTG - cheeks, chin, moustache
2b) neck - WTG near ears where growth is n-s, rest of the neck up at angle towards my chin, neck right under the chin if it can handle it that day against the grain
3) XTG opposite direction - cheeks, chin, moustache
4) cleanup pass if needed.

I hope this helps just my two cents on what I have discovered works for me, I hope this helps anyone. I had to be my own Guinea pig I suffered many bad shaves before I found a basic recipie. this is a very helpful thread thanks to all who have contributed. as a side note like the gentleman etiquette on the forums, very refreshing to see!

I just do a n-s one pass on my whole neck and then leave at that from about the Adams apple down. I can do multiple passes under my chin and two n-s s-n on the area from below my ears, below jaw line, and I'm good to go. My lower neck can't handle much more than one pass and no one notices it isn't bbs. I've never been one to sit and map my beard. I just shaved n-s, e-w, s-n, then noticed what ever hairs remained to incorporate a shift in direction in that area accordingly in a three pass shave.

doc47 said:

I must have the best neck in the world because I've never been bothered by razor burns or irritation. It does not sound like it is fun or easy to deal with. But there sure is great information being shared here.

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I'm with doc47 on this. And...

Here's the picture above in a better position.

So for me, obviously prep is important but my technique is to go quite gently WTG, then lather up again and being EXTRA careful, I go not quite XTG, but more diagonally (this is because I'm letting my neck tell me in real time what direction it wants my razor to go), then I do two more very gentle WTG passes (lathering before each one). Basically, I baby it. But then, I can afford the time because I shave at night and I'm pretty quick with the rest of my face, except the very top of my dome, where I excercise just as much caution as I do with my neck. Hope that helps someone!

Lots of good tips here!

Billski said:

I'm with doc47 on this. And...

Here's the picture above in a better position.

View attachment 672229

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Thanks. I've always been technologically challenged. And now I'm razor challenged. But, I am extremely happy to say that taking Derek's advice has worked. The bumps are mostly gone with only the largest one still slightly visible. I've only been doing two WTG passes on the neck. I've also been applying witch hazel after each shave before applying AS. I will never go back to ATG on my neck. I've learned my aging neck with the sagging skin is just not up to ATG shaving. I'll probably continue doing one WTG and may add XTG which is what I have been doing for 30+ years with a cartridge before changing to DE. That will be it. I won't be going for a BBS shave on my neck. I accept that will never happen. The bumps really started to bum me out but now that they are almost gone, I'm back to enjoying shaving again. I think I'll just try and settle down and start to get to know each of the razors in my growing collection. The message here is that the neck is far more sensitive than the rest of the face for some people. Clearly not for all. But for those of us with sensitive neck areas, we need to be careful about how we approach shaving there. Some of us have to learn the hard way.

hcoop111 said:

For me simple... Wtg xtg atg..i never have any problems with shaving any part on my body..unless its a faulty blade or terrible quality ...wich so far i havent found many..it just comes down to how you do it how hard you push the way you hold something etc etc

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So technique and pressure is key for you.

alex2363 said:

So technique and pressure is key for you.

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Yes. Now that the irritation has cleared up I have decided to go back to what has worked for me and my neck for the past 30 years, albeit with a Mach 3, which is to simply do a North-South pass followed by a South North pass and then touch up if necessary. I did that this morning and was treated to a decent shave. And my face, particularly my neck, was smiling afterwards. And only one weeper that went away on its own after a cold water rinse. I'm done with experimentation, at least of the drastic kind. And now I can get back to really enjoying my morning shaves.

My thoughts: Don't expect perfection. My neck is my most troublesome area, and if I try and achieve BBS I end up with irritation. Nowadays, I make two WTG passes most days, and only occasionally go ATG. Less irritation, for sure. I also tossed any of the soaps that seemed to add to the irritation.