Follow up!

Hello all,

I have been in the DE/Wet-shaving game for about 3 months now, and just want a little more direction if you gents don't mind!

First, I felt as if I got the hang of shaving with the DE rather quickly, and although I am pleased enough with the quality of my shaves...I find that I haven't been getting anywhere near that BBS shave I was hoping for. Don't get me wrong, I find my shaving experience remarkably pleasant, but I still find myself waiting for that perfect shave outcome! The problem area appears to be my neck/under jaw which I have a devilish time trying to shave closely. I am not quite certain if it is due to me not yet having developed my technique, a lapse in a choice of product, or a combination of the two.

If anyone has any suggestions/corrections to help me achieve that special shave, it would be greatly appreciated, below is a brief outline of tools/routine.

Razor: I initially started with a Feather Popular, and then graduated to a Gillette Super Slim (which I have found roughly 6 to be the best setting for my face).

Blade: I initially started with feathers due to having the Popular, and have continued to use them. One of my next shaving purchases will be a sampler pack.

Soap: Proraso Green/Red

Lather: Kyle's face lather technique.

Brush: cheap Omega Boar. However, I have been contemplating one of the badger's from Badass Shaving Co.

ASroraso once again.

Passes: 1 WTG, 1 ATG, 1 XTG touch up on jaw line/chin.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated,
-Colt

Some guys like to pair a mild razor like a Gillette Tech with a sharp blade like the Feather. Maybe try this?

Under the chin, jaw and neck areas are the tuffest to get try slightly stretching the skin.

First of all, welcome.
Your problem areas are problematic for most of us, because it's over the jawbone.
You'll need some time to develop to develop your technique further. I'd suggest to not chase the BBS so hard because it's often the road to irritation.
Let it come naturally.
You could try lifting the skin with your free hand, so it flattens and moves to the cheek area, and shave it there.

Edit: I am quite fond of your brush, I wouldn't change it (for the time being at least).

The neck, jawline, and mustache area are for me the trickiest parts to shave. It can be quite a challenge. Some suggestions.

First, limit the number of passes you do on your neck. The more you go over the same spot the more you increase your irritation.

Hydration is important to get a lubricating lather. So be sure to have sufficient water in your lather. Also, don't cheat on the product.

I have found it helpful to wet my face before each pass. The extra water on my face seems to make my shave smoother.

Irritation usually is caused by poor blade angle and too much pressure on the razor. The neck is a tricky area to shave because keeping the right blade angle and little pressure is a challenge. The usual advice is to let the weight of the razor do the job - not put pressure on the blade. To put that in action I have found that using the two fingers and my thumb to hold the razor with another finger resting on the tip of the handle. This results in holding the razor very lightly with no pressure on the razor. You want to hold the razor as lightly as you can without it falling from your hand. I have found that using the right grip on your razor goes a long way in keeping pressure off of the blade. This post may help you. Also, take a look at this wiki.

I happen to use a four pass shave because the grain of my beard grows in various directions. I map out my beard and determine for that area in which my beard primarily grows. That is my first pass: WTG. My next two passes are XTG in opposite directions. My final pass is ATG. Usually with the correct angle and no pressure I get a great shave.

As for blade angle here is a good post that may help you.

neck and jaw are the toughest areas for me. I don't shave the chin as I currently sport a vandyke (ditto for under the nose). But with my favorite razors (a Parker 26C and a Gillette Super at 7) I find my head and face are super smooth. Today was a particularly satisfying shave.

Echerw said:

Under the chin, jaw and neck areas are the tuffest to get try slightly stretching the skin.

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This!

Watch the Mantic59 video on YouTube titled Advanced Shaving Techniques. He covers Blade Buffing and J-hooking, which work well for me. Pulling the skin up or down also helps to flatten the skin along the jaw line.

Hello and welcome again. For me for the neck jaw line, it's about keeping the angle right, as there is a curve. Just go slowly and be more conscience about that and maybe it helps?

Thank you all for the responses, I definitely think my technique is more so the issue! I need to work on stretching the skin better/ watching my angle on the neck as suggested by many. I very much do have a tendency to chase that perfect shave, and I am going to attempt to taking things slower from this point on.

Once again, thanks all. This forum has been absolutely great, and very much helps stoke my continued interest in viewing shaving more as a "hobby" and less as a chore!

Colt_KA said:

Thank you all for the responses, I definitely think my technique is more so the issue! I need to work on stretching the skin better/ watching my angle on the neck as suggested by many. I very much do have a tendency to chase that perfect shave, and I am going to attempt to taking things slower from this point on.

Once again, thanks all. This forum has been absolutely great, and very much helps stoke my continued interest in viewing shaving more as a "hobby" and less as a chore!

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Welcome aboard B&B