How to shave against the grain with a straight?

SolingenFan · Post by **SolingenFan** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:01 am

Post by **drmoss_ca** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:12 am

1 Use a well honed razor
2 Shave with and across the grain first
3 Lead with point and go carefully upwards where necessary.
4 Feel proud of your prowess!

Chris

SolingenFan · Post by **SolingenFan** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 12:53 pm

Thanks.

I went to a shop, a week ago,
and the owner honed my razor on a Belgian Coticule (yellow stone). Most of his business is selling straight razors & giving demos.

In what angle do you hold the razor to do ATG?
I do almost at 0º.

I regularily splash hot water on my face,
and go over it with the brush, if more lubrication
is needed.

Yesterday I tried that for the first time.
The chin is hard to do though.

As I am shaving everyday, with the straight razor, I had almost no skin left after it...

But I must say, experience is growing,
one day i really had to take the bus, and shave (lather, clean the razor) in 10 minutes, and it worked!

the results are getting better than with the Gilettes Sensor or Mach3, that I used before.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 12:56 pm

I don't. I'll shave across the beards growth pattern but not directly against.

Squire

Churchill · Post by **Churchill** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 1:03 pm

I find it almost impossible to get a really smooth shave with a straight without going against the grain in the spots where my beard is the heaviest.
I just try to always keep the thought "light touch" when going ATG as I tend to bear down too hard trying to clean up the stubborn spots.

EverSharp · Post by **EverSharp** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 4:24 pm

I shave daily 3 ways with a straight and have plenty of skin left. I wonder if your're using too agressive an angle when your're going WTG. Do you have a rich lather? When I go against which is my last pass I am between 20&30 degrees.
I find straight shaving is the most comfortable of all blade methods.

Have fun.

SolingenFan · Post by **SolingenFan** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 5:55 pm

Lathering;

I use the Dr.Harris Arlington soap.
it builds up a lather, that is beyond belief! And it smells like in Heaven.

I will try the lighter touch, the cheeks are going fine ATG,
just the chin, is a bit more difficult.

I must agree, that I do not regret the day I switched to Straight razor/badger brush/hard soap.

The Straight razor ATG finish is definitely smoother than the Mach3 ATG.

After 12 hours, it is still pretty OK!

EverSharp · Post by **EverSharp** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 6:04 pm

My best chin results are outside in with a flat blade. I follow with a bottom up pass to the lip. The chin must be well saturated to insure no snagging.

Kyle76 · Post by **Kyle76** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 8:29 pm

It may go without saying, but I have found that when shaving ATG it is absolutely essential to stretch the skin as effectively as possible. I keep a fairly low angle and make short, careful swipes. I usually only do this after making two WTG passes. I rarely go XTG.