I don’t understand the go against teh grain directions with my Norelco razor. My hair isn’t long enough to grain. How do I shave my neck without becoming a err…Redneck?:rolleyes:
I’d always assumed I was normal in having a down grain to my beard. Have you ever let it grow for a couple of days just to find out?
Normally you would shave downward to avoid irritation. Although the hair on your neck may grow up (mine does) so you would use up-strokes there.
Quoted from http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/catB10.jhtml?itemId=cat000525
“Always shave with the grain first, i.e. in the direction that the hair grows. Shaving against the grain first can cause ingrown hairs. For a closer shave, re-lather and shave lightly across or against the grain.
The hairs at the base of the neck often grow upwards, so you must shave upwards in that area to go with the grain.”
Yeah, I have a down grain to mine, as well. You can tell by letting it grow out a day or two and then dragging your hand along the whiskers. If it’s smooth, you’re with the grain. If it’s rough, you’re against it. Shaving against the grain results in a closer shave, but can also irritate your skin pretty badly some days.
PS- if you really just don’t know which way your hair grows, either let grow for a little while to find out, or just experiment and see whether using up or downstrokes seems to cause less irritation.
Sounds about right, yeah. Shaving against the grain (never did this until about a year ago) gets your face smoother, MUCH smoother if you have a good amount of facial hair. The drawbacks? Well, shaving twice obviously takes longer, and I certainly cut myself more shaving against the grain. Sometimes I get through without nicking myself at all, other times it just doesn’t seem to work. I think that may have something to do with the razors I use.