# Shaving Your Neck. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 29, 2012, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324 "2012-02-29T08:02:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/1 "2012-02-29T08:02:01Z")
I have a problem that I am sure alot of men must have. It is very difficult for me to shave my neck. There always seems to be whiskers left behind, if I just do it the ordinary way I do the rest of my face. What I do now, is I shave the rest of my face (I have a moustache, BTW). Then when I do my neck last, I use the beard trimmer first. I shave vertically really well. I do it several times, in fact. Then I do it horizontally. Then I basically repeat the process I just described with the shaver. This seems to get it pretty well. But actually, even with this I have a four-o’clock-shadow type thing on my face. My questions are **two** : (1) What causes this? and (2) How do you deal with it? Thank you in advance to all who reply:) ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/2 "2012-02-29T08:30:04Z")
What causes this is probably heavy beard. You deal with it by using a wet razor, not an electric shaver. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/3 "2012-02-29T09:42:26Z")
"(1) What causes this? " Electric shavers suck. I’d love for them not to, it would make my life simpler, but they do. “(2) How do you deal with it?” Double edge adjustable razor with blades I like (YMMV on any particular brand), shaving brush and shaving soap. Shave once with the grain on the gentlest setting then once against the grain on the sharpest setting. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/4 "2012-02-29T12:17:01Z")
Metrosexuals wax. Real men use duct tape. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/5 "2012-02-29T13:25:57Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > What causes this is probably heavy beard. You deal with it by using a wet razor, not an electric shaver. I don’t have a heavy beard but I also had this problem. I suspect it was just that the whiskers on my neck were lying very flat against the skin—much more so than the whiskers on my face—and the electric razor just couldn’t prise them up to cut them. It was much easier and more effective to do the job with a single-bladed manual razor, and even easier with one of those newfangled disposable doohickeys with a jillion blades. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/6 "2012-02-29T13:42:14Z")
Just to throw out another option: depilatories. I don’t have a very hairy neck, but I do have an area that I like to remove the hair from and is difficult to shave, and it works well for me. It’s somewhat slower than shaving, but you can do other tasks while the cream is working (whatever I write will sound perverted after the previous sentence). ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/7 "2012-02-29T14:12:26Z")
At the end of a haircut, the barber will shave your neck with hot lather and a straight razor. That is the best part of a haircut! ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/8 "2012-02-29T16:09:40Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Double edge adjustable razor with blades I like (YMMV on any particular brand), shaving brush and shaving soap. Shave once with the grain on the gentlest setting then once against the grain on the sharpest setting. What kind of blade razor is adjustable? 😕 > [@ralph124c](#): > > At the end of a haircut, the barber will shave your neck with hot lather and a straight razor. > That is the best part of a haircut! The OP Is talking about the \*front \*of his neck. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/9 "2012-02-29T16:12:18Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > At the end of a haircut, the barber will shave your neck with hot lather and a straight razor. > That is the best part of a haircut! It sounds like you’re describing trimming at the back of the neck; the OP is describing dealing with the front of the neck as part of daily shaving. Over the years, the number of barbers who will use a straight razor has been declining, so even the back-of-the-neck trim with a straight razor may be hard to find in some places. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/10 "2012-02-29T16:19:01Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > What kind of blade razor is adjustable? 😕 [This](http://www.mr-razor.com/Rasierer/Adjustable/1976%20Super%20Adjustable%20W1.jpg) [kind](http://images02.olx.com/ui/11/53/56/1309900154_223654756_1-Pictures-of--1965-Gillette-Slim-Adjustable-Safety-Razor-K-1.jpg). Turning the knurled adjustment knob changes the angle of the (very thin and flexible) [blade](http://www.bruceonshaving.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Personna-medical-prep-razor-blade-1.jpg) at the cutting edge. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/11 "2012-02-29T16:52:16Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > [This](http://www.mr-razor.com/Rasierer/Adjustable/1976%20Super%20Adjustable%20W1.jpg) [kind](http://images02.olx.com/ui/11/53/56/1309900154_223654756_1-Pictures-of--1965-Gillette-Slim-Adjustable-Safety-Razor-K-1.jpg). Turning the knurled adjustment knob changes the angle of the (very thin and flexible) [blade](http://www.bruceonshaving.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Personna-medical-prep-razor-blade-1.jpg) at the cutting edge. Aha, that is what they called the the “safety razor” when I started shaving nearly 40 years ago. That was about the time that the Trac II came out, and I switched to that. I didn’t even know they still made those. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/12 "2012-02-29T16:58:25Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Aha, that is what they called the the “safety razor” when I started shaving nearly 40 years ago. That was about the time that the Trac II came out, and I switched to that. > > I didn’t even know they still made those. If you check out any of the shaving discussion boards, safety (and straight) razors are where it’s at. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/13 "2012-02-29T18:39:01Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > It sounds like you’re describing trimming at the back of the neck; the OP is describing dealing with the front of the neck as part of daily shaving. It sounds to me like he’s talking about the old fashioned “shave and a haircut.” Places that do hot lather shaves are still around, but a bit pricey. For all I know, there may still be some neighborhood barbers that do it for a reasonable price, but it tends to have disappeared in all but the fancy-pants places around here. I still remember those old-school barbers (you know, the kind that are staffed with 60-year old men, have a male-only clientele, and usually a stack of pornos hanging around somewhere) being around the neighborhood until the 90s, but haven’t taken notice of them lately. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/14 "2012-02-29T18:51:05Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It sounds to me like he’s talking about the old fashioned “shave and a haircut.” I suspect not, because A) he’s talking about “part of a haircut” rather than “shave and a haircut,” and B) he makes no mention of shaving the face, which is a rather essential component of the shave. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/15 "2012-02-29T18:54:18Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > I suspect not, because A) he’s talking about “part of a haircut” rather than “shave and a haircut,” and B) he makes no mention of shaving the face, which is a rather essential component of the shave. Ah. Straight-razor on the back on the neck is still not unusual in my neighborhood, and is usually part of the haircut. That doesn’t cover the OP’s desire for a front neck shave, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if the straight-razor places I know would do the front if I asked. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/16 "2012-02-29T19:00:21Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > If you check out any of the shaving discussion boards, safety (and straight) razors are where it’s at. Really? Shaving Discussion Boards? 😕 I had no idea! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/17 "2012-02-29T19:02:51Z")
Moved to IMHO from General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/18 "2012-02-29T19:03:28Z")
> [@campp](#): > > Really? Shaving Discussion Boards? 😕 I had no idea! Yep, I’ve been a participant in a couple. In fact, there is one that I frequented for a bit when I was first considering shaving my head that is 90% discussion on head shaving topics! ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/19 "2012-02-29T19:21:55Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Yep, I’ve been a participant in a couple. In fact, there is one that I frequented for a bit when I was first considering shaving my head that is 90% discussion on head shaving topics! Link please? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324/20 "2012-02-29T23:24:38Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > The OP Is talking about the \*front \*of his neck. :rolleyes: Then he should say _throat_.:rolleyes::rolleyes: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-your-neck/614324.md?page=2)