Still not perfect!

Hey All,
I've been wetshaving for about two years and I'm getting a little frustrated. For a long while I was making great progress, but have recently hit some roadblocks. For some reason, I've been nicking myself each day. These usually go away afterward with my alum block, though. My biggest problem is that I still get irritation on my neck. I feel like my prep, gear and technique are sound, but yet I still get red all over my neck!! Don't get me wrong, it's way better than with a cartridge. I'll never go back to that, but I getting tired of disappointing results. Any advice on how to get BBS on the neck without all the irritation? Thanks a ton!
Matty

just a few questions and I am pretty sure that everyone else here will want to know...

what blades are you using?
are you using shaving cream or Soap?

and what is your shaving routine?

Hi matty,
Post your technique, include everything from prep to aftershave, any details such as: do you shave XTG, type of blade, soaps or creams, etc...the more info we have the easier to try to pin down the problem.

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Yup, more details are needed. And welcome to the B&B.

+1 on Welcome to B&B!

Post up some more details and I'm sure someone will supply you with the answer you need

You've got questions...We've got answers. Just post some details

With my neck I do 3 passes lather and do bottom up or sn and lather again top down or ns and then lather one last time and go atg.........
three passes sometimes more cuz my neck has some very odd growth patterns but it is getting easier to get a very smooth shave.....
I was using Merkur blades but once I switched to Derby they really made it easier to get a nice smooth shave!
Just experiment with what works best for you!

The neck is one of those tricky areas at least for me. The whiskers grow every which way. Knowing the direction your whiskers grow will be a benefit and since you have been wet shaving for a while I will assume you may already know this.

The biggest breakthrough for me came when I changed my blade a day or two sooner than I had been. A sharp blade is just so much smoother. Beard prep is something I really did not pay much attention to up until recently. Lately I have begun lathering up (on face) and then doing something else for a few minutes while the soap lather softens my whiskers. The ensuing shave has improved for me. After my 4 pass shave I spend additional time touching up the neck. Short deliberate strokes works good for me.

Good luck.

Thanks for all the quick responses!
Okay, my usual routine:

1) Put hair conditioner on my face in the shower.
2) Wash face with Musgo Real Glyce.
3) Lather up with either Taylor's Avocado, Tryphon Permafrost or Kiss My Face Unscented on my face.
4) 3 or 4 passes paying attention to grain. WG, XG, AG
5) Sometimes I'll try an oil pass with DR Harris Lemon Oil
6) Cold rinse followed by alum block.
7) Cold rinse and apply Thayer's Super Hazel.

My first razor was a Futur. I usually set it to 1.5 or so.
Sometimes I try a Slant.
I've found that the blades that seem to work best for me are Treet Blues and Polsilver. I am, however, working through a pretty large sampler.

Anyone out there??