Shaving Neck Help

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4
Location
Newcastle
Hey,

Just registered here because I have just started using a safety razor.

I bought this kit https://shavelounge.co.uk/product/de-safety-razor-shaving-starter-kit-sensitive-skin/

I have only shaved three times so far since getting it and I seem to be able to get quite a good shave on my face but when it comes to doing my neck I'm seeming to struggle a bit with getting the right angle of the blade or something because I don't get as good of a shave on my neck and have been getting a few cuts.

Anybody got an advice for a newbie?

Cheers, Ross
 
Welcome to the forum. Nice looking starter kit that. Was about to suggest a sample pack of blades then realised one comes with the kit! Which blade/s have you tried and which others are you yet to try? Some blades are smoother than others. This may have an impact on how your neck shaves are, though technique will play a part of course.

Are you going against the grain (ATG) on the neck? This may give a closer shave but is very likely to give you irritation in the form of nicks, soreness & ingrown hairs. Remember that when you do your across the grain (XTG) pass you can do it in two directions. Sometimes I do that instead of an ATG pass on the neck.

I would love to get a really close shave on the neck but have pretty much accepted that it's better to just get a decent shave there and leave it at that, rather than tear up my neck.

Also presuming you're very new to DE shaving, check out the newbie help topics & video links on this sub-forum and have a read of this article:

http://www.theshavingroom.co.uk/community/index.php?threads/seven-deadly-sins.47266/

Good luck !
 
Wise words from dave79! I too suffer from neck irritaion if I go against the grain, but have found with practice that if I go acroos the grain in 2 directions I get a near perfect shave with no irritation.
 
Welcome to the forum. Nice looking starter kit that. Was about to suggest a sample pack of blades then realised one comes with the kit! Which blade/s have you tried and which others are you yet to try? Some blades are smoother than others. This may have an impact on how your neck shaves are, though technique will play a part of course.

Are you going against the grain (ATG) on the neck? This may give a closer shave but is very likely to give you irritation in the form of nicks, soreness & ingrown hairs. Remember that when you do your across the grain (XTG) pass you can do it in two directions. Sometimes I do that instead of an ATG pass on the neck.

I would love to get a really close shave on the neck but have pretty much accepted that it's better to just get a decent shave there and leave it at that, rather than tear up my neck.

Also presuming you're very new to DE shaving, check out the newbie help topics & video links on this sub-forum and have a read of this article:

http://www.theshavingroom.co.uk/community/index.php?threads/seven-deadly-sins.47266/

Good luck !

The blades I have tried so far are Feather Hi Stainless and Gillette 7 o'clock SharpEdge, The ones I have yet to try from the sample pack are Gillette 7 o'clock Super Stainless, Shark Super Stainless, Perma-Sharp Super and Astra Superiour Platinum.

I think the hair on my neck grows upwards so I have been going from the bottom upwards but just find it hard to get the correct angle when holding the razor upside down.

Thanks for the links I'll give them a read before my next shave.
 
Looks like a great starter kit, I started with almost the same kit although purchased individually. In my DE89 I found that the Astra was my preferred. The Feather is usually considered the sharpest available.
 
I find that the hairs on my neck grow at all kinds of angles. May be worth doing some mapping of that area and get an idea of which ways you need to shave? I also find that two XTG passes in different directions helps to tidy up nicely although I do also do an ATG pass.


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Look on YouTube at different shaving videos. Also I'm quite new to de shaving and the thing that helped me the most was to map my hair growth. Weirdly on my neck the left hand side grows at an angle as the right hand side grows straight. I follow the grain when shaving both with and against. I don' repeat shave after the two passes as find more than twice on the neck brings out irritation. Stick with it you will get there with practice.
 
Hello there, welcome to TSR..Here's my two bobs worth of humble advice,

First and formost,everyone has their own direction of which the beard grows, what i advise is keep practising your technique, and don't expect too much to soon.Something of interest, a excellent video explaining face mapping & beard direction.



If you are having problems shaving your neck area,then don't shave ATG, just shave WTG, until your skin gets adjusted to your wonderful new found shaving routine, I never try to get a BBS shave every time i shave, i go for irritation-free acceptable shaves.."I've train my mind to Shave the lather from my face, rather than the stubble."this has helped me to just use the weight of the razor & blade,without adding any pressure to the razor itself..don't worry too much about anyone else's opinion. Nobody is standing on the other side of the mirror making biased judgements. The face you're shaving is your own, and you don't have to satisfy anyone but yourself...Keep practising your technique, good preparation and last but not least, enjoy your new shaving experience, you'll get there in the end and find what blade suites your skin type,the Gillette 7 o'clock SharpEdge are my favourite blade, for my 'mature rhino skin type', with any blade, it does take time for your skin to adjust & find the right blade that works for you. Regards. :)
 
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Welcome to TSR Ross.

I'd say do the same as others have suggested and see which way the hairs grow on the neck. Until I did this I struggled with it myself, having a few nicks/cuts here and there. If I go 'against-the-grain', i.e. in the opposite direction to hair direction, I will almost certainly have a few light nicks and some slight irritation.

The blades you've used are good but top-end of the sharpness scale really. Feather Hi-Stainless are particularly sharp and resultantly not overly comfortable. Try the Astra SP next and see what you think.

Finally, give stretching the skin on the neck a go. Just pull it slightly so it's a bit more taut and try shaving that way. It definitely helps as the skin on neck is typically looser than on the face as well as being more fragile.

Keep letting us know how you get on buddy!
 
I'm still quite new to DE shaving and have a similar problem. I've found Youtube videos helpful.
Through trial and error I've found a route around my neck that causes minimal irritation. There are areas where a can't go 100% against the grain but I've figured out a comfortable angle between across and against the grain.
It's about practice and learning your face.
 
The blades you've used are good but top-end of the sharpness scale really. Feather Hi-Stainless are particularly sharp and resultantly not overly comfortable. Try the Astra SP next and see what you think.

This. Also I personally found the 7 o'clock yellow SharpEdge similarly sharp to Feathers and almost as uncomfortable. You may find the 7 o'clock greens more comfortable along with the Astras. Also a good tip starting out which helped me, was to not change too much as you learn the DE shaving technique. Consider using the same blade for say a month before rotating through different ones. I think if I'd gone straight in with Feathers & Gillette yellows it would have put me off DE shaving. Astra SP or Gillette greens would be good starters for now out of what you have.

I found it helpful to write a few notes about how I found each blade. They tend to fall into 3 categories for me: those I wouldn't buy again & probably disposed of a few after deciding as such, those that were reasonable enough to finish a pack but wouldn't hurry to buy again, and those I fully intend to purchase again
 
I took me quite some time to get it right on my neck. Not quite perfect, but irritation is minimal.

It has already been covered, but angle, pressure, and beard mapping are what works.

Try save a blade from each different brand. I loved Gillette Silver Blue from day 1, but hated the rough shave and irritation caused by Feather. Recently tried Feather, and got an excellent shave - clearly me not the blade was what caused the rough shave. So don't fully judge a blade in the early days, it's probably your technique on a lot of blades.

The only thing I don't rate in your kit is Proraso white. It's my opinion, but I think the protection it provides is very poor, and leaves a chalk residue on your sink. Plenty of good soaps out there. Shavedash will sell you samples.


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I took me quite some time to get it right on my neck. Not quite perfect, but irritation is minimal.

It has already been covered, but angle, pressure, and beard mapping are what works.

Try save a blade from each different brand. I loved Gillette Silver Blue from day 1, but hated the rough shave and irritation caused by Feather. Recently tried Feather, and got an excellent shave - clearly me not the blade was what caused the rough shave. So don't fully judge a blade in the early days, it's probably your technique on a lot of blades.

The only thing I don't rate in your kit is Proraso white. It's my opinion, but I think the protection it provides is very poor, and leaves a chalk residue on your sink. Plenty of good soaps out there. Shavedash will sell you samples.


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+1 ...Quote.."don't fully judge a blade in the early days, it's probably your technique on a lot of blades".,This is so true, technique & preparation..I to love the Gillette Silver Blue blades, they match up wonderfully in my Gillette tech...Regards.
 
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