Shaving against the grain

I have a heavy beard so it is pretty much necessary for me to go ATG but I find one of the harder spots for me to get is my upper cheek. I have no idea why this is but what ends up happening is multiple passes resulting in razor burn in that area. I am inclined to think that my technique is somewhat at fault but most everywhere else I go ATG is generally a one and done with great results. I tried blade buffing the areas but over the course of the week, it produced razor burn too. I am wondering if the hair in that area grows at a slower rate and that is why I am only able to get a decent pass a day after I skip shaving.

Are you making sure you prep that area as well as you do the rest of your face? Also, I am a little confused. You mention that you go against the grain, and that it is "one and done". Do you do any beard reduction before going ATG or do you just do a one pass shave ATG?

Slack --

If you shave in 'passes' and reduce the beard, ATG as a final pass should only be a light clean-up to pick up stragglers. I'd think that would be tolerable, even with a heavy beard.

Good Luck.

-- John Gehman

I have a similar issue. My upper-cheek area requires several (!) ATG passes to get really smooth. I usually start with WTG first, followed by XTG and then blade buffing ATG (= several "passes"). I don't get much irritation, though. I think part of the problem is that this area is rather squishy. Straightening the skin by pulling in certain directions helps quite a bit, but I am usually too lazy and just keep buffing away.

Best - MM

ATG is my last stage as well after several WTG, XTG and diagonal passes. As to your upper cheek issue have you tried stretching the skin and making the funny faces to pull everything taut? This helps pull the whiskers out and straight and provides a fairly flat surface over which to glide the razor. Give that a try. Good luck.

I've also found that using short, quick little movements can also be effective to removing the last bit of stubble. Just make sure you are confident in your handling of the razor. I've cut myself more than a few times doing this method, but it more often than not results in BBS all over.

vcardona said:

Are you making sure you prep that area as well as you do the rest of your face? Also, I am a little confused. You mention that you go against the grain, and that it is "one and done". Do you do any beard reduction before going ATG or do you just do a one pass shave ATG?

Click to expand...

Thanks to everyone for all the responses. I should have clarified that I do WTG and XTG passes before a final ATG pass. The ATG is generally a single pass for almost everywhere (except the upper cheek) as the hair is reduced enough in the previous passes to only need a final ATG pass. It seems that the WTG and XTG passes on the upper cheek do not reduce the hair as much (or even at all) as other areas.

My general prep for shaving is just a hot shower and massaging my face in the shower to push the hair out. I use a Gillette Slim Adjustable set on 9 with Gillette Platinum Pluses and right now I am using Williams Mug Shaving Soap.

I will try pulling the skin taut. I previously tried this approach but had limited success, mostly because of the slick shaving soap.

Is there another prep I should be doing that would help?