Lip issues. :(

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Jun 18, 2017
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Qld
So I'm only a couple of weeks into my DE shaving adventure and so far no blood has been drawn. :p I am however having issues getting a nice smooth upper lip shave. Have tried ATG, WTG and across the grain. Even spending a lot of extra time there I'm still not happy with the result which seems about the same regardless of what blade/soap I am using. Should I be a bit more aggressive with the pressure or am I doing something else wrong?

Any simple tips or is it all going to come down to practice?

Cheers
 
I had a hunch it might be something like that. Is the 30 degree angle a gospel thing or do we have wiggle room?
 
Is the 30 degree angle a gospel thing or do we have wiggle room?

30 degrees is a difficult thing to measure with a safety razor. It actually relates to the blade angle, which can be completely unrelated to the angle of the handle. Different razors will also have different angles, and different ranges of angles in which they will work. Of course, different people's experiences with each razor will differ also.

The best thing for anyone to do is experiment. Generally speaking the WTG pass on the cheeks is probably the best place to try things out.
 
So I'm only a couple of weeks into my DE shaving adventure and so far no blood has been drawn. :p I am however having issues getting a nice smooth upper lip shave. Have tried ATG, WTG and across the grain. Even spending a lot of extra time there I'm still not happy with the result which seems about the same regardless of what blade/soap I am using. Should I be a bit more aggressive with the pressure or am I doing something else wrong?

Any simple tips or is it all going to come down to practice?

Cheers

It is one of the hardest areas - so go easy on yourself.

I go two passes effectively XTG starting from either side.

It will come in time!
 
Some great advice here. I also only do WTG/XTG in that area (you might add a very "gentle" ATG pass for that special occasion). Try to focus on maintaining the angle while you follow the contours of your upper-lip. Smaller strokes, lightest touch and at least for the short-term, I recommend not to aim for the closest possible shave in that area - You'll get closer as your technique develops over time ;)
 
Yeah it's really weird. Yesterday it was really nice and smooth but today, even though I 'thought' I was doing the exact same thing it's all over the place. :)
 
As ferret has said, it's likely the blade angle. What I do, which works for me, is to gauge by sound rather than by sight. When I have dialed in the correct angle, I can hear the sound. It's all about the sound.
 
To be fair the futur clone is very large under, especially under the nose. Good work on taming it
 
It is one of the hardest areas - so go easy on yourself.

I go two passes effectively XTG starting from either side.

It will come in time!
It does come with time and practice I never thought I'd be able to get a nice shave now im running around 80% bbs on my face but under my chin and neck have been a problem you have to realise that you might not get bbs everywhere im still learning and the chin and neck area are slowly getting better at getting the right shave
 
It does come with time and practice I never thought I'd be able to get a nice shave now im running around 80% bbs on my face but under my chin and neck have been a problem you have to realise that you might not get bbs everywhere im still learning and the chin and neck area are slowly getting better at getting the right shave


heh, yeah sounds similar, If i do an extra run over the chin and neck they're not too bad. The Mingshi razor has helped a lot though.
 
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