So I've been trying new razors and advancing my technique (interesting how trying a variety of "new" razors challenges your "old" technique!)... I was getting BBS shaves but noticed a couple of problem areas were producing new stubble faster than the rest. This morning, quite by accident, I was advancing against the grain but angled the blade so it was oriented skewed slightly across the grain and direction of travel. It felt different! AND... the problem area took fewer "clean up" touches. When I noticed this odd effect, I flashed on a technique from woodworking. When using a handplane on difficult wood grain, it is very common to skew the plane. You can read about it here. I am sure that this is not new. However, I do not recall reading it as a shaving tip**. Does anyone else do this? I'll be putting this one to the test. It seems to be very effective! **I could have read about this technique several times. If so, it just goes on the list of things I can't recall. <sigh>
I added "Gillette Slide" to the thread title. I knew it couldn't be new! Where has it been for the past two years!?! <sigh>
You know, I just re-watched Mantic's video on it, and the Gillette Slide is a little different: the blade stays oriented with the grain, and the whole razor slides forward as you pull it down. That's not quite the same as what you're describing, is it?
I haven't yet tried a hand plane yet (I own several) in the mornings to achieve that ultra-smooth face—perhaps because I'm finicky about the brand of blade I use. The 'Gillette slide' as I understand it, is effective in achieving a very close shave in those dense trouble patches on some shavers' faces. The process (angled movement of the razor) appears similar to what occurs when one uses a slant bar razor with a normal shave stroke, due to the angled head of that particular razor.
No, not really. If travel is this —> then blade is like this / relative to it. Uh... should I take 'Gillette slide' back out of the title?
I shave ATG doing something similar.. I angle my razor so as I pull it up it travels ATG/WTG at the same time....it has really been good...saves me on touch ups.
J-Hooking: Start a stroke in one direction, finish it "around the corner". Just like a J I do this in the third pass along my jaw line: starting upwards XTG, ending ATG in the direction of my chin. A little bit tricky at first, but very effective. Better not performed in the first pass.
I tried this technique on my neck this weekend and got a few weepers. Not sure if it was the technique, the angle, the lather, or something else. The challenge is the wildly varying growth patterns on my neck. Swirls, diagonals, ups, downs, all overs make it difficult to keep it WTG, XTG or ATG. Makes me say WTH!
Yeah, buddy! That was when I broke out the J-stroke - especially on the swirl patterns. I may have unknowingly used the G-Slide before today, but I noticed it this morning on one section of my lip. I then tried applying at the "BBS holdout" areas inside the hollows just under the jawbone. Seems to have kept the first appearance of "sandpaper" regrowth to later in the day. I hope I can master this new dance move and make it a regular part of my repertoire!