I stopped using a blade some time ago (I have black hair, and my stubble is visible regardless of how close a shave I get) but when I was using one I generally went sideways across the grain. On my cheeks I’d shave from the ear towards the mouth, for example. I think I only went vertical above my upper lip and just below my sideburns.
I shave with the grain to get the big stuff, then against and cross grain to get smooth. No irritation.
Looks like you should experiment and see what works best for you.
This is true for me as well.
I quit shaving back in '97, but before that I shaved for twenty years plus. I always had to go with the grain first, the against it to get a smooth shave. Going against the grain did cause more irritation, so I always finished by splashing my face with isopropyl alcohol. Stung like a bitch, but it kept my face from breaking out.
One thing I did sometimes that made for a very comfortable shave was to use Noxema (the stuff in the blue jar) as shaving cream with no need for the alcohol after the shave. It kept the shave painless and made the skin nice and smooth. The only problem with it was how it clogged the razor (Trac II type razors back then).
I always shave against the grain. 
I shave in the shower. I have a fog proof mirror stuck to the wall in there that works really well. I actually shave in any direction where I feel a rough spot. I use a razor in my right hand and shave cream in my left. I alternate rubbing shave cream on the ‘rough’ spots and shaving those ‘rough’ spots until my skin is super smooth.
Have you ever experienced razor burn when you switch from electric to manual or vice versa? After a while you don’t get razor burn anymore. Similarly the more you shave in different directions I think you’re face becomes conditioned to having the blade scraped across it in different directions.
Everyone knows you need a good sharp razor; but you also need a good shave cream that provides a really slick surface on your skin. The commercials show men with bountiful amounts of shave cream; when the only part that matters is the part touching the skin. I LOVE Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter. It takes some getting used to because it’s clear; but man do you get a close shave with only a small amount. My second choice is the “impossibly slick” Cremo Shave Cream.
Always against. I don’t seem to get irritated.
I don’t use anything special – cartridges from Dorco and Barbasol shaving cream. Works fine for me.
Both and some “east-west” as well. Especially around the bottom of the ears and around the lips. But in the interest of full disclosure, I do more trim areas around my beard than shave fully.
This.
Shaving against the grain is usually not recommended for those with coarse or curly beards because that can cause irritation, bumps, etc. My beard seems to be on the fine side of average, so against the grain doesn’t cause me any problems.
Upstrokes will irritate my skin after a few days, so I’ll do upstrokes for a while, then just downstrokes for some days after that.
I use an electric shaver mostly now though.
This works best for me as well.
You had me worried there, for a second.
For those who shave with the grain - do you ever get “baby-smooth”, or just accept that there will be stubble, not visible to the eye but palpable to touch? I can shave with the grain until I get the same amount of skin irritation, and it never gets totally smooth.
Regards,
Shodan
I shave every direction I can. I don’t get irritation, in fact I don’t get irritation if I shave with a dry razor. I’m just wired that way. My skin also doesn’t callus or get dry. I don’t even use lotion.
I grow lots of blond (and now mostly gray) hair very fast. I go first with the grain then against. Going only with the grain leaves lots of rough but almost invisible stubble. Going against the grain leaves it smooth. Never have any irritation.
Upssrokes irritate the skin. I generally use down strokes only, unless blade is getting old and I have to take desperate measures.
I use a safety razor. The only part of my face I’ve truly gotten baby-smooth is the inch of the edge of my jaw nearest the ear. And that only happens once in a while, so I don’t know what the precise conditions are.
Always downstrokes. Dunno why, force of habit? I always find it really odd when someone in a movie uses upstrokes. Unnatural or something…
When I shaved (and I stopped 8 months ago) I first went with the grain and then finished against. One pass in one direction always left stubble.
Glad those days are over!
Back in the 90s I only shaved downwards because I was afraid of cutting myself. But now that I have a razor with 18 blades that’s impossible to nick myself with, I shave every which-a-way.
On my face and chin I go down multiple times and then go up once or twice to get closer. On my neck I do the opposite.
I shave twice each time. The first shave is down. The 2nd shave is down starting at the jaw line to avoid ingrown hairs on my neck and up starting at the jaw line to get a close shave. I use a powered Gillette Mach-3. I don’t know how it works but it doesn’t cut me and is never irritating like conventional blades. Every time I try to switch to a cheaper blade to save money I grudgingly come back to them. Why they’re so expensive I don’t know. I did buy a pack of them at a flea market that looked like the real thing and it was the most painful shave ever. It would be nice if they sold a pack of 50 for $50.