[kleibjr]

Hi,

I have been shaving with a straight razor about a year now, only with the grain and across it. I have had no problem and get a very good, comfortable shave. A few days ago I tried going against the grain and it was not fun. I started bleeding at quite a few hair folicles and my whole neck and under my chin felt like it was on fire. I seemed to get my cheeks, sould patch area and moustache OK, but under my chin and my neck area was not. Does going against the grain just take some getting used to or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks,
Joe

[hi_bud_gl]

prepare your face pretty good +soap (depends on it too) + how sharp is blade.
+get used to it(your fase.)
if i won't shave against grain i will not like my shaving.try check your blade sharpness first then soap then try to shave small surface are first then slowly you can increase it.see it cuts blood etc.hope this helps.

[Lt.Arclight]

I honestly think, that even after years of experience, there are areas on my face that just will not tolerate-ATG. Depending on how the hair is growing,sometimes the angles are so extreme that ATG creates irritation.

That said, prep is crucial as is a VERY keen edge. I found that if repeated passes are necessary, it usually results in razor burn

[sensei_kyle]

Going against the grain is tough, but rewarding. Prep and a sharp (and I do mean SHARP) razor are keys. Always save against the grain for last. You might try stropping before the against the grain pass. It might (or might not) help. Also, really stretching the skin taught is very important. You might experiment with differing your attack angle also, probably shallower.

[RichZ]

It takes a while for your skin to get used to it.

[fpessanha]

I, for one, have tried it only once and gave up while I was at it... the blade was sharp, stropped before the ATG pass, the skin was taught, you name it... but the angles are awkward for me and my skin just cannot bare the stress the ATG pass puts on it. Therefore I decided, for the time being, not to do the ATG pass... I find that BBS all over is not rewarding if your face burns like hell. I do some tricks, however, when I go for the XTG pass: I go XTG but, in places, in a upward moving direction. I find that this is almost ATG but the slicing motion (carefuly done, of course...) is an improvement on my XTG pass and makes the ATG, for me, redundant...
Hope this helps. Not all of us were cut (pun intended...) for the ATG pass...

[Leon]

Originally Posted by fpessanha

I do some tricks, however, when I go for the XTG pass: I go XTG but, in places, in a upward moving direction. I find that this is almost ATG but the slicing motion (carefuly done, of course...) is an improvement on my XTG pass and makes the ATG, for me, redundant...

Being not able to do a ATG pass, I also do the XTG pass fpessanha describes.
It works well by not going completely against the grain, thus saving us from the discomfort of a full ATG pass.

[hoglahoo]

I have to adjust my shaving angle against the skin and the angle of my blade through the stroke in order to shave against the grain. Simply shaving the opposite direction just as I would with the grain results in pain and suffering.

For me, it's almost a completely different shave independent of the other passes I've already made. It requires different prep, different techniques, and sometimes stropping again to bring back that keen edge if my initial stropping that morning proved insufficient for shaving against the grain comfortably. It was a lot of practice for me, and I still have a long way to go shaving my neck against the grain.

So, I keep practicing, experimenting, refining, and discovering in my quest for the both close and comfortable shave that I will call complete

[Sharp&Shiny]

I have finally got good results going ATG by using a light touch & a very shallow angle ,in some places the blade is virtually flat on my face & dont forget to stretch the skin a little.After a while you will find what works for you in regard to your own beard growth.Also I use a very light touch & very little pressure. Hope this Helps .Paul

[sensei_kyle]

You can also stretch the skin in front of the cutting edge, instead of from behind it. I have found this helps pull the hairs up and makes cutting them a little easier. HOWEVER, stretching in front of the cutting edge is dangerous and may not be for everyone.

[kleibjr]

Thank you all for responses. I just started a new job so I haven't had a lot of time to invest in shaving. And my face is still scared, luckily not scarred. Since shaving with a straight razor, I have never stretched the skin more than just moving my head or jutting my jaw to stretch the skin without my hands. So I will try stretching the skin with my fingers. Also, about the lather: from other threads, it sounds like people use a thinnner later to be able to see what they're doing, but doesn't that mean less lubrication and more pain? Or is the light touch Sharp&Shiny mentioned light enough to not warrant a need for a lot of soap? I will try different combinations of this stuff and the kind of 3/4 pass fpessanha and Leon mentioned and let you know how it goes. But is sounds like shaving ATG is like everything else and just requires practice and experience. And maybe a high pain tolerance.

Thank you all for all your input,
Joe

[RichZ]

I don't believe in thinner lather. The more the better as far as I am concerned. Spoil yourself and get some Castle Forbes shaving cream and then try going ATG. You will find your face smoother than ever before.
In fact today I shaved WTG and ATG and my face is BBS.

[sensei_kyle]

I'm with Rich. I like a nice, thick lather for all passes. My final "touch-up" pass is water only, but I'm just picking off the odd straggler.

[zepplin]

A number of factors must be in place to be able to shave ATG without discomfort:

As stated above, good rich, slick, thick lather. Stretching the skin in front of the blade, if you can. In some areas this can be aukward. Most important, IMO, is the nature of the edge on your blade. This is a concept that I have lately been investigating. I noticed in my rather large herd of razors, all being quite sharp, some would shave ATG with much more comfort than others. Hummmm? I was finishing my honing sessions with Chromium Oxide, and I believe this made many edges a bit too sharp, and resulted in shaves that were uncomforitable & a bit irritating. I have since discontinued using CRO as part of honing and have limited its use to touch ups only. (sorry to be so lengthy) I now use slurry at the end of my honing sessions to smooth out the edge (thank you, Bart). My last two stones in the honing progression are a 16K Shapton on glass and my finisher is a Nakayama. When I am finished with the 16K, I will add 12 or so lapes, with slurry, at the end, and then finish with the Nakayama. I can't begin to explain how this has affected the edges on my razors. So far, every razor that I have used this new (to me) proceedure; my shaves have been smooth and incredably comforitable.

Steve

[fccexpert]

If you are getting a good comfortable shave now, why are you trying to go ATG. I'm a single pass guy myself (though I do alter the stroke direction as I go) and I get a great shave.

[RichZ]

Originally Posted by fccexpert

If you are getting a good comfortable shave now, why are you trying to go ATG. I'm a single pass guy myself (though I do alter the stroke direction as I go) and I get a great shave.

Proably the quest for the perfect shave..

[nickyspaghetti]

I have always had problems with ATG but thebest solution I found was to do first WTG then XTG and then a three-quarters pass - not quite ATG with a toe leading stroke which gave me the best results of closeness without burning.

[Chimensch]

Originally Posted by kleibjr

I have never stretched the skin more than just moving my head or jutting my jaw to stretch the skin without my hands.

That's the biggest problem, right there. Not stretching is fatal. The second problem you have is the angle of the blade, it needs to be shallower on the ATG pass. Here's why: imagine that the hairs are inclined, like the slash /. When coming from the left (WTG) the normal angle of the blade keeps it down towards the base of the hair instead of riding upwards along the hair. When coming from the right (ATG), if the blade is held at the same angle it will be pushed down the hair into the skin, so the angle needs to be flatter.