Can't shave ATG in some places, is this 'normal'?

P

poppa

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18
There are some parts of my face that I just don't seem to be able to shave ATG. I have fairly thick stubble, and the most difficult places seem to be where it lies flat to my face. These are primarily underneath the chin and some parts of the neck. After one bad experience, if I even 'test the water' I can feel the blade snagging and have to stop.

Is there hope for me? i.e. if my technique improves will I be able to shave ATG, or is it just not possible for some people?

At the moment I tend to do 2xWTG and one XTG for these problem areas. The funny thing is, I can go ATG on the front of my chin, even thought the stubble there is probably my thickest.
 
I would not worry about it mate.

I have tried shaving ATG twice and both times caused problems when the stubble grew back in, so I don't bother any more :)

I would not see it as a "failure" in anyway :)
 
I've been stretching my skin while shaving recently. I find that if I do this I don't really need to go ATG to get a really smooth shave. XTG is quite adequate. Hey, give it go!! :D
 
For me shaving ATG is all about the lightness of touch, if I apply any pressure it leads to weepers and irritation. I found it came with a combination of improved technique and finding what blades suited me.
 
There's a couple of places I can't shave ATG too, mainly around the neck / Adam's apple area, so I don't go there.
When I do shave ATG it's mainly vertical face areas, cheeks etc, and even that's only on a weekend.

For a daily shave, 2 passes WTG+XTG is plenty for appearance and comfort, and I've got horrible thick stubble.
 
I get 1 wtg & 1 atg daily with no probs, one of my pals gets nasty razor burn if he goes xtg never mind atg on his jawline. I'm not sure exactly what would be "normal" in terms of shaving as we all differ so very much ................ although I'm just betting that anyone who ran a sellotape blog could tell us all about "abnormal" ! Over to you Steve. ;)

JohnnyO. \ :D
 
moodymick said:
ATG is not the be all and end all of shaving. You need to find the right balance of acceptable smoothness versus post shave comfort.

There's no point scraping away to smoothness but ending up being so sore you can't shave the day after.

Remember no matter how smooth you are today - it'll be back tomorrow. :geek:
Click to expand...


Absolutely, it ain't worth the pain.
 
I'm in the same boat so don't even attempt atg because no matter where i try on my face or neck it always pulls and snags.

I just go wtg outside in, wtg inside out and then xtg to finish and its more than good enough for me
 
Hurrah! I'm normal in some context!

I was wondering if changing blade angle might help things though, and that if my first two passes were better it might help. Because the problem area has stubble that is very flat to the skin, I am tempted to try increasing the blade angle WTG and decreasing it ATG. Sensible?
 
If your blade angle is correct in the first place then altering it when going ATG won't make any difference. Try stretching the skin where those tricky hairs are, it might help lift them up a bit and make them easier to cut.
 
Ok that makes sense, I read somewhere that when shaving ATG you should be stretching the skin so that the hairs 'stand up', i.e. you should be shaving towards the hand stretching your skin. I will try this.

I guess I was more wondering whether increasing the blade angle would give me a better first pass, or would it just lead to more irritation? Think i'll experiment with both...
 
Sometimes, with a DE, if the shave feels like it's going particularly well, I'll go ATG, but my normal, workday shaves are just WTG and XTG.

When I first started DE shaving, I couldn't go ATG at all.

Ian
 
If I shave against the grain with a DE, I tend to regret it. Nonetheless, there is something in what Poppa suggests about a decreased cutting angle for ATG when using a straight, so perhaps it might be worth experimenting with a safety razor. It won't be me that does it though ;)
 
It's taken me almost 6 months for my technique to be good enough to shave ATG on my lower neck. As you say, I've never had any problems on my face, but my lower neck can be pretty sensitive - but with car I can shave that area daily if I want to.
 
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