So I began wet shaving Thursday and have really enjoyed it. I still find myself putting unnecessary pressure but that will get better in time. Thus bringing me to ask, is it the pressure which is cutting my neck or poor angle or going against the grain too soon? I'm sure it could be a combination but any pointers if possible would be appreciated.
I would say pressure. Poor angle actually can take the blade off the face, ergo, no cutting. There is no such thing as too soon ATG - either you can or you can't, and even that can depend on your technique.
It's been a little tough to unlearn decades of poor technique. The newfound enjoyment will allow me to refine my method.
Rome was not conquered in a day and going from carts to DE takes practice. I've been DE shaving for about a month and a half now and I'm still making beginner mistakes of too much pressure, messing up lather, and finding the right blade, etc.
I would also think it's too much preasure and possibly angle/technique are the culprits...Concentrate on an irritation free shave rather than a close one....Closeness will come with time....Generally going ATG won't cut you, just irritate your skin..Technique,Time,Practice and Patience are key...
Here are a couple problems I've had with the neck... First, if I use a blade that's not real sharp or if I try to take strokes that are too long, sometimes the blade will catch on a whisker and pull the skin up which will give me a nick. Keeping the skin taut along with a sharp blade and short strokes takes care of that for me. Second, if I shave too close I'll get ingrowns on my neck especially around my adam's apple. So I shave XTG (North to South) and XTG (South to North) on my neck and just leave it at that. I have a swirl right around my adam's apple that I have to be careful with but if I keep an extra light touch on that area it usually doesn't cause me too many problems even though it's hard not to go ATG on some part of that swirl.
Thanks for the video and responses guys. Practice makes perfect as they say. I shall continue to improve my method making extra careful that pressure is not an issue. Then I will concentrate on blade angle. Hopefully a good month or more will allow me to unlearn my previous technique and improve on the proper method of shaving.
Adding to the above, for many of us, "ATG" is a tricky concept when it comes to the neck, because the hair there grows less uniformly than it does on the face. This can result in frustration when the pressure used to get smooth cheeks still leaves some stubble on the neck, because we haven't been able to fully lift and cut down the hairs there as easily. Careful mapping of the direction of the growth on your neck can give you a better idea of what direction(s) you need to shave to get as close as you desire without feeling the need to add pressure.
I used to have lots of trouble with the neck myself. In addition all of the above, I found face lathering to make a big difference due to the superior prep it gives.
A much lighter touch and two passes helped a lot! Concentration was the name of the game. Thanks guys.
Thanks Justin. The one you posted prior helped, but hey make some more a be a shave star Much appreciated!
