BBS Throat Shave

I have been DE shaving now for about 3 months. After turning my throat into pizza sauce using a Feather blade a few weeks ago, I am healed up. I have found the Wilkinson Sword and Personna Medical DE blades to be the ones I like so far.

I have yet to master getting a BBS shave on my throat. I go (correctly) WTG then XTG and then ATG. I still have stubble. And by the time I am doing the third pass ATG, I am getting razor rash.

So what is the trick to get a BBS throat shave without getting razor bumps and razor rash?

Sitting down on the front row for this. Someone please tell.

After 5 weeks I haven't gotten it perfect, but I'm ohhhhh so close. I end up with just a tiny prickle under my finger right where my skin folds. The rest is smooth but requires alot of work and buffing.

I find the slower my strokes the better. I also rotate the head so its slanted but I still pull straight. Imagine the edge is on your skin as normal, I rotate the handle maybe 20 (or how ever many degrees is necessary) so that the edge is still all against my skin but one corner of the edge is further ahead then the other. I think pull through the stroke as if it was not angled. It's hard to describe what I'm trying to say.

I also noticed that on my neck is the area where I really have to figure out my grain pattern, there are 101 different hair growths.

If your technique is solid, then maybe its your prep? Try a shave oil or maybe another pre shave product (I like Proraso White). Kyles prep is another popular option.

For me it was really all about finding the grain direction, and not putting to much pressure on the head.

Practice. In my experience, that's really all there is to it. Eventually you will just hit the right combination of angle, pressure (more accurately, lack thereof) and direction that will get you smooth every time. I'm not sure there's a silver bullet to this question, I think it really is different for everybody, even more so than other things. To use a baseball analogy, you'll hit the home run (BBS throat) when you stop trying to do it.

Good luck! You'll get there, I'm sure of it.

Thanks for the posts guys. Maybe I should tell you what my prep is...

1) Put HOT water in my bowl with brush soaking in it.

2) Shower. If I am in a rush and need to shave, I will wash my wash for at least a few minutes with rinses included.

3) Dry off.

4) Make shaving lather with Williams Mug Soap. I know this is hated a lot here, but I have mastered making excellent shaving lather with it and I like the smell and feel of it.

5) Wet shaving area with warm water.

6) Apply lather liberally with brush.

7) Shave WTG.

8) Re-wet and re-lather.

9) Shave XTG.

10) Re-wet and re-lather.

11) Shave ATG.

12) Perform touch-ups. Usually under nose and the top of my cheek bone area.

13) Rinse with warm water and once all lather is removed rinse with cold water.

14) Apply shaving after balm.

As I type this, I am felling my cheeks which are still pretty smooth from last night's shave which would have been about 16 hours ago. My throat has stubble on it making me want to shave it.

I had to learn to not apply any pressure. I had to experiment with different blades in my razor and find what was best. I always re-lather between changing directions. Now getting better shaves than I ever.

BTJustice said:

I have been DE shaving now for about 3 months. After turning my throat into pizza sauce using a Feather blade a few weeks ago, I am healed up. I have found the Wilkinson Sword and Personna Medical DE blades to be the ones I like so far.

I have yet to master getting a BBS shave on my throat. I go (correctly) WTG then XTG and then ATG. I still have stubble. And by the time I am doing the third pass ATG, I am getting razor rash.

So what is the trick to get a BBS throat shave without getting razor bumps and razor rash?

Click to expand...

If you mean "adam's apple" area when you say throat, take the fingers of one hand and move the skin covering it to the side while shaving it.

The medical blades are my favorites as well. Haven't had a bad one yet, which speaks volumes of quality control.

Sounds to me you are putting too much pressure on the razor rather than letting the razor do the work.

I started out with a razor that was defective, so if things don't get better you might consider that possibility. My blade sat crooked while I was trying to shaving.

My favorite DE razor is the Merkur Slant (37C) because the unique way it's made allows more access to the problem areas while just shaving normally. If you think it is time for a change you might consider that.

There are many good shaving videos on YouTube. The most popular ones are made by Mantic59. They are easy to find. He uses a Merkur Progress now (there are videos with him using other razors), which is adjustable.

I meant my whole throat including Adam's Apple. I am pretty sure my current razor is fine. Maybe I should try a pre-shave lotion.

This is a great thread! I've been at this for over 10 months now, and I'm still having trouble with my neck as well. Everywhere else is consistently BBS though.

Lately I've been getting some of the best neck shaves I've ever had, though still not BBS, but I've been using my R41 a lot lately. Maybe open combs really are better for the neck.

BTJustice said:

I meant my whole throat including Adam's Apple. I am pretty sure my current razor is fine. Maybe I should try a pre-shave lotion.

Click to expand...

I just acquired an open comb and it has helped me with my neck shave a good bit. My next step is also some pre-shave. I'm going to go with Proraso... there was a thread recently where someone was using pre-shave as their actual lather on their neck and had got good results.

*edit* Although, I should add that my problem is not neck irritation but that I want to just get a closer shave on my neck, like I do on my cheeks, etc...

*edit* Also... I noticed you are going W-X-A on your neck... you might want to try 2 WTG passes. A nice sharp blade like a feather, with an open comb, W-W-X on your neck.

blaser0217 said:

practice. In my experience, that's really all there is to it. Eventually you will just hit the right combination of angle, pressure (more accurately, lack thereof) and direction that will get you smooth every time. I'm not sure there's a silver bullet to this question, i think it really is different for everybody, even more so than other things. To use a baseball analogy, you'll hit the home run (bbs throat) when you stop trying to do it.

Good luck! You'll get there, i'm sure of it.

Click to expand...

+1

Every variable is more important on the neck than any other area. Light light touch, low low blade angle. Prep as in lather then hold a wash cloth wet with hot water against your neck for 30 secs or so. Re-lather and shave. Feel your face in various directions . . . where you feel stubble do a little blade buffing in that direction . . . staying light and low.

My neck was and still can be a problem area for me. In my experience I have found that when I stop trying too hard for BBS on my neck, that's when it happens.

I shaved with a DE for about the first fifteen years then went to cartridges for the next thirty before returning to the DE several months ago. Shaving with the DE was like riding a bicycle for me except for the throat which I had to re-learn. I just kept shaving with the DE and now my throat is no problem. I use a comb razor (Gilette New) which seems to be the most efficient razor I've tried although my pre-WWII Tech is a very close second.

In a prior post, Williams soap was mentioned which I believe has excellent slip and is worth the trouble of learning to lather for the glied it gives. I'm committed to Arko for a year now since I bought a dozen sticks and while the lather is more substantial, I'm looking forward to getting back to the Williams.

In any case, just keep shaving and your neck will cease being a problem and you likely won't even remember what you were doing that was different.

similar to Steve in the last post I started with probably a Gillette non-adjustable that I got from my father, moved on to a Techmatic, and stayed with cartridge to the Fusion - returned to DE shaving about 6 months ago - there are so many variables though - type of razor, blade, prep, etc. - it's was trial and error for me .

i've settled on doing 90% with my FatBoy & a 7 O'clock and then "polish" it up with the Fusion - it's a nice combo for me and at 10% the Fusion lasts awhile - i do use a little hair conditioner (suave) in the shower .

the neck area is tough & i have a stubborn spot on the chin under my right ear - but again what the FatBoy misses the Fusion picks up

For the longest time, I thought the guys who said they get the best results on their neck with a straight were nuts, but I have come to believe this to be true.

If you are not doing this already, point your chin at the sky. Stretch your neck skin as if you are using a straight razor. Also, learn the direction that your whiskers grow on different parts of the neck. This can be a surprise.

I shave all different directions on my neck, because I use a straight razor part of the time, and I use an ultra light touch with my DE Aristocrat. No more than three fingers in contact with the razor while shaving. It floats on the lather.

I also recommend Proraso Pre and try shaving with cold water.