I was in the Navy when they did away with beards, around 1985. There were some ugly Sailors hiding behind some of those beards.
Its all been said. For what it's worth I was also told by a master barber once that he was trained to never do ATG as it is bad for the skin but as you can see a lot of guys do it and seems like it works out for them so do what your gonna do I guess.
Just a guess, but I would bet he was trained that way because, as we know, not everyone can tolerate it. The last thing you want to do as a barber is shave a customer ATG, tear his neck up and never see him again.
That's my guess as well. Best to play it safe with a paying customer rather than send him home with a face full of in-growns.
Not for me. Some folks have reported that they've gotten BBS with a single WTG pass. As I was not there to feel their face (not that I would want to), I can only take their word for it. I will admit to being highly suspicious.
My routine everyday is with/accross/against and I never have an issue unless I rush. I have pretty thick and coarse facial hair, but I also dont have very sensitive skin so going 3 passes everyday is no big deal for me, but I can definitely see how it could affect some shavers.
That's a big negatory for me also. I'm sandpaper up until the ATG, then I'm nice and smooth. Doesn't bother me in the least to go ATG, never has.
3 passes every day, always. Third pass is ATG, except on the neck where I do the "Gillette Slide" as my neck simply does not tolerate ATG. When I first started ATG it took a week or more before my skin got used to it (or more likely my technique improved). I will also say that the right product makes a world of difference on the sensitive areas; almost any soap or cream provides me a great shave on most of my face, but only the top performers provide the slickness and cushion to get BBS or near BBS on my neck.
It can be difficult at the beginning to even try ATG. It was for me. In time, after significant improvements in prep, blade/razor, and technique, ATG became my routine 3rd pass. For me, it is the ATG pass that limits my blades to 3 shaves, as worn blades get "felt" more when doing ATG.
Not possible for me either. I have to go ATG on my face or there will be stubble left. I don't even try to go directly ATG on my neck anymore because it usually irritates more than it's worth. I go at an angle between XTG and ATG which leaves just a bit of stubble but it's a lot less noticeable than the red spots I get from weepers.
Just yesterday I tried a shave without ATG, but when I thought I was done I could both feel and see stubble. So I had to do the ATG. I don't think my skin minds at all, it's just rather difficult to maintain angle and pressure for me, when upside/down. So I easily get red spots and/or irritant spots from bad technique. It would have been a blast if I could avoid it.
I had the same problem for my first couple months. With more practice you'll get it. It just takes a while to get the feel for it.
Yeah you're right. One shave can be good, the next days shave is not so. But I get more and more of the good ones, so I guess I'm on the right path
Yup. Stick with it and soon enough there will never be such a thing as a bad shave, just some better than others!
Ditto. Likewise. Except for a couple of stints when I tried to be The Man of the Future with electrics, I've been doing it for over 40 years.
