Anyone else doing 4 pass shaves?

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After 8 months and trying pretty much anything i could think of, including gillette slide, j-hooks, buffing, i have arrived to the conclusion, that the easiest way to achieve BBS and without any irritation is... 4 pass shave... WTG, XTG, ATG, XTG the opposite direction. This, because my growth pattern is crazy under the jawline and it's different on the right half of my face than on the left!

Fortunately, i can shave XTG even under the jawline (moving the razor left to right or right to left). If not, it would be impossible to get a BBS.

Is anyone else doing the same?

Another thing that i have observed, is that my stubble has become tougher to cut, after some months into wetshaving. When i was a newb and with rudimentary technique, i could cut everything down, much easier. Now i have to soak my beard in hot water, apply a hydrating cream while i wait for the brush to soak, apply cream again and then lather. This is not my impression, it's a fact. I suspect because after months of all this goodness of Vitamine E, Aloe and i don't know what else that i apply to my skin with the lather, my hair has grown stronger!
 
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...my journey has been the opposite to yours. For the first couple of years I used to do four pass shaves every morning, using a Merkur Slant or a Muhle R41 with a feather blade. My face would be singing for an hour or two afterwards. Indeed I would often bin the Feather after one shave as I could feel the degradation in sharpness after the first shave. Several years on and at the moment I am mostly doing three pass shaves (WTG, XTG, ATG) mostly using Sharks in medium aggressive razors (Progress, Weber, Rasmussen). I am getting sublime, super close shaves and have just got seven shaves from a Shark this week. Not sure what has changed, probably my perception and or technique. I do think many things can effect a shave other than the usual including atmospherics, skin health, diet etc. As others have said whatever works for you. And what works today may not work tomorrow...
 
I myself do a 4 pass shave almost daily, though if my neck has prior irritation or a nick I may only do one or two passes on my neck for a day or two.

After several years of experimenting it works for me. My current passes are as follows (compass points)

First With The Grain on my face and Across the Grain on my neck (both North to South)
Second Across the Grain on my face (From ears to centre of my face) and With the Grain on my neck (From the centre of my neck outwards)
Third Semi Across/Against on my face (South West to North East, South East to North West depending on which side) and also Across the Grain on my neck (South to North)
Final Against the Grain on my face (South to North) and Agaisnt the Grain on my neck (From the edges inward to the centre of my neck.

When my neck is irritated I simply do pass one for my neck and continue the shave as normal for my face. This works for me and I don't feel any negative affects to my skin beyond user error.
 
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I Use SRs for 99 % of My Shaves..An SR is the Grand Ultimate Adjustable Razor by Changing the Subtlety of the Shaving Angle Constantly on the Face..I Get a Clean Shave with One Pass & BBS with Two Passes..:)

My C.V Heljestrand Hollow Ground Blade SE is the Same..2 Passes Job Done..All Factory Blade Razors are a Step Backwards in My Humble Opinion..A Huge Step Backwards..Convenience is their Selling Point..:D

Billy
 
Nope, but what works for you by trial and error is probably best for you. I gave up attempting a BBS finish years ago as for me it just led to ongoing skin irritations and razor burn after a few days. Nowadays two passes, 1 with 1 against the general grain give me a satisfactory finish.

JohnnyO. o/

Thing is, i use mild razors (Weishi F and EJ DE89 Kelvin) and 2 passes aren't remotely enough. The 1st pass does very little to be honest. It's not that i have a particularly dense beard, but the stubble is very tough. The other thing is that i shave every 1 1/2 days.

I have started to shave twice a day, morning and evening. One pass each time gives a smooth face. A different cream each time. With little stubble, the blade has less work to do and this is great for sensitive skin.

I guess this is a way to approach the problem too, but i simply don't find it's worth to shave daily in my case. Before wetshaving, i was actually shaving every 2 or 3 days, whenever i was "not bored to do it" and i was doing only WTG pass. Now i am down to 1 1/2 days. More often than that, i feel like i would be forcing myself.

...my journey has been the opposite to yours. For the first couple of years I used to do four pass shaves every morning, using a Merkur Slant or a Muhle R41 with a feather blade. My face would be singing for an hour or two afterwards. Indeed I would often bin the Feather after one shave as I could feel the degradation in sharpness after the first shave. Several years on and at the moment I am mostly doing three pass shaves (WTG, XTG, ATG) mostly using Sharks in medium aggressive razors (Progress, Weber, Rasmussen). I am getting sublime, super close shaves and have just got seven shaves from a Shark this week. Not sure what has changed, probably my perception and or technique. I do think many things can effect a shave other than the usual including atmospherics, skin health, diet etc. As others have said whatever works for you. And what works today may not work tomorrow...

I like Shark too, it's my basic blade. Very smooth, but not sharp. I can get BBS but again, with 4 passes and lots of buffing , because it's not a sharp blade. This goes for the Shark Super Stainless actually (i have about 420 of these). The Shark Super Chrome is much sharper and still very smooth, but i only got about 22 of them.

I never do 4 passes. If I were to shave that way my face would resemble a pizza.
I too find that my beard grows way faster and thicker. It's like the soap makers include fertilisers or something.

Fortunately, my skin is very easygoing and smooth and i don't get irritated easily. I wouldn't say that my stubble grows quicker, but it's definitely harder to cut than it was when i first started. It's like the stubble has got super nutrition for all the goodness in soaps and creams and now is superstrong.

I myself do a 4 pass shave almost daily, though if my neck has prior irritation or a nick I may only do one or two passes on my neck for a day or two.

After several years of experimenting it works for me. My current passes are as follows (compass points)

First With The Grain on my face and Across the Grain on my neck (both North to South)
Second Across the Grain on my face (From ears to centre of my face) and With the Grain on my neck (From the centre of my neck outwards)
Third Semi Across/Against on my face (South West to North East, South East to North West depending on which side) and also Across the Grain on my neck (South to North)
Final Against the Grain on my face (South to North) and Agaisnt the Grain on my neck (From the edges inward to the centre of my neck.

When my neck is irritated I simply do pass one for my neck and continue the shave as normal for my face. This works for me and I don't feel any negative affects to my skin beyond user error.

Now, that's my problem! On the right half below jawline, i have a patch of hair that grows NW to SE. I have others that go left to right and some more right to left. But i can't do a diagonal ATG. Any attempt to do diagonal moves in the throat area, is instant irritation. If i go simply North south, or left/right, i get no irritation.


I Use SRs for 99 % of My Shaves..An SR is the Grand Ultimate Adjustable Razor by Changing the Subtlety of the Shaving Angle Constantly on the Face..I Get a Clean Shave with One Pass & BBS with Two Passes..:)

My C.V Heljestrand Hollow Ground Blade SE is the Same..2 Passes Job Done..All Factory Blade Razors are a Step Backwards in My Humble Opinion..A Huge Step Backwards..Convenience is their Selling Point..:D

Billy

I believe you and i see why a straight would be better than any DE, but not for me... I prefer the safety guard of a DE! :D
 
After 8 months and trying pretty much anything i could think of, including gillette slide, j-hooks, buffing, i have arrived to the conclusion, that the easiest way to achieve BBS and without any irritation is... 4 pass shave... WTG, XTG, ATG, XTG the opposite direction. This, because my growth pattern is crazy under the jawline and it's different on the right half of my face than on the left!

Fortunately, i can shave XTG even under the jawline (moving the razor left to right or right to left). If not, it would be impossible to get a BBS.

Is anyone else doing the same?

Another thing that i have observed, is that my stubble has become tougher to cut, after some months into wetshaving. When i was a newb and with rudimentary technique, i could cut everything down, much easier. Now i have to soak my beard in hot water, apply a hydrating cream while i wait for the brush to soak, apply cream again and then lather. This is not my impression, it's a fact. I suspect because after months of all this goodness of Vitamine E, Aloe and i don't know what else that i apply to my skin with the lather, my hair has grown stronger!
Wow! 4 passes. That's extreme shaving. What are you using, a bus ticket?...:D
 
Wow! 4 passes. That's extreme shaving. What are you using, a bus ticket?...:D

Nah, today it was Astra and after 4 passes, it wasn't BBS everywhere, because i didn't do much buffing. I need 4 passes plus buffing below the jawline. It must be because i use very mild razors. Weishi is supposed to be milder than EJ DE89, but frankly, i find i am doing the same amount of work with both to get the same result. Only difference is that EJ seems to have smoother gliding with pretty much every blade.
 
Nah, today it was Astra and after 4 passes, it wasn't BBS everywhere, because i didn't do much buffing. I need 4 passes plus buffing below the jawline. It must be because i use very mild razors. Weishi is supposed to be milder than EJ DE89, but frankly, i find i am doing the same amount of work with both to get the same result. Only difference is that EJ seems to have smoother gliding with pretty much every blade.
You should think of moving up a gear, maybe an OC or take a chance on an R41/ Fatip? Less shaving but better results.
 
2qD7a3L.jpg

vzs9Tw9.jpg

I Use SRs for 99 % of My Shaves..An SR is the Grand Ultimate Adjustable Razor by Changing the Subtlety of the Shaving Angle Constantly on the Face..I Get a Clean Shave with One Pass & BBS with Two Passes..:)

My C.V Heljestrand Hollow Ground Blade SE is the Same..2 Passes Job Done..All Factory Blade Razors are a Step Backwards in My Humble Opinion..A Huge Step Backwards..Convenience is their Selling Point..:D

Billy

I completely agree. A straight gives the best and most comfortable shave once they are mastered. Once upon a time they were in every single gentleman's bathroom.
Only now in today's world of family, work, social, and sporting commitments its difficult to find the energy in the morning to pick up the straight instead of the super handy safety or cartridge razor which is a pity cause everyone is missing out.
 
You should think of moving up a gear, maybe an OC or take a chance on an R41/ Fatip? Less shaving but better results.

I thought about it, but, after reading the pros and cons, i think i will stay with the mild ones. It takes more work, but the risk of nick/weepers is negligible. I can shave very quickly if i want to and still not nick myself. With a very aggressive razor, i would be able to mow down the stubble quicker, but at the expense of higher chance of nicking. And it's not worth it.

I see it a bit like the tale of the rabbit racing against the turtle. Ok, the mild ones are slow, but they get you there and without nicks or irritation. What i *might* buy is a Baili Tech clone, just because many say that the Tech is a very good mild razor. But, i am trying to force myself into not thinking much about it, because i really don't need another razor. There is one aggressive razor that i like just based on looks and that's the Parker 94R, but again, i keep telling myself "you don't need it, keep with mild razors, better be master of 2 razors than rotating too many". We 'll see how this attempt of convincing myself goes.
 
I thought about it, but, after reading the pros and cons, i think i will stay with the mild ones. It takes more work, but the risk of nick/weepers is negligible. I can shave very quickly if i want to and still not nick myself. With a very aggressive razor, i would be able to mow down the stubble quicker, but at the expense of higher chance of nicking. And it's not worth it.

I see it a bit like the tale of the rabbit racing against the turtle. Ok, the mild ones are slow, but they get you there and without nicks or irritation. What i *might* buy is a Baili Tech clone, just because many say that the Tech is a very good mild razor. But, i am trying to force myself into not thinking much about it, because i really don't need another razor. There is one aggressive razor that i like just based on looks and that's the Parker 94R, but again, i keep telling myself "you don't need it, keep with mild razors, better be master of 2 razors than rotating too many". We 'll see how this attempt of convincing myself goes.

I agree. Stick with what you know. I have a 2 safety razors and 3 straights and I always prefer a straight shave.
I would be remiss if I did not recommended trying a straight razor if you haven't already.
 
I thought about it, but, after reading the pros and cons, i think i will stay with the mild ones. It takes more work, but the risk of nick/weepers is negligible. I can shave very quickly if i want to and still not nick myself. With a very aggressive razor, i would be able to mow down the stubble quicker, but at the expense of higher chance of nicking. And it's not worth it.

I see it a bit like the tale of the rabbit racing against the turtle. Ok, the mild ones are slow, but they get you there and without nicks or irritation. What i *might* buy is a Baili Tech clone, just because many say that the Tech is a very good mild razor. But, i am trying to force myself into not thinking much about it, because i really don't need another razor. There is one aggressive razor that i like just based on looks and that's the Parker 94R, but again, i keep telling myself "you don't need it, keep with mild razors, better be master of 2 razors than rotating too many". We 'll see how this attempt of convincing myself goes.
Ha Ha, I think you'll find that will last only so long.
Honestly, if you're confident with your technique, you'll have no problem with a more aggressive razor.
 
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