Editing Advanced shaving techniques for the straight razor

''[This article is still under development. I will add illustrative drawings and revise the text later.]''

Although requiring trained muscle coordination skills and feeling that can only be acquired with practice, the mere act of shaving with a straight razor does not take a vast amount of knowledge. It is not the scope of this text to present the basics, but to present a number of finer points to the use of the straight razor. Seasoned shavers have most likely adopted most of these special shaving tactics, many even without fully realizing it. But it possibly took them years to develop them. This text aims to providing those that have their first  couple successful shaves under their belt, with a few short-cuts to reinventing the wheel. It is not advisable to try this things if you can not perform a comfortable and complete multiple pass shave with consistent success. The tips are mostly meant to improve smoothness, and tackle stubborn spots of facial hair growth.

== The scything motion. ==

The easiest way to move a razor over the skin, is to guide it in a direction, perpendicular to the edge. As a result the razor “chops” the hairs, much like an axe chops a young tree with one blow. Out of a physical viewpoint this way of severing somethng requires the most force and is the hardest on the cutting edge. By adding a slight slicing motion to the blade, the cutting action becomes more effective. For ages, farmers have been harvesting wheat with this very effective style of cutting with a tool called scythe. Adding a little scything style to the razor will allow a smoother cut, help the longevity of the edge, prevents pull, helps to prevents the blade form being stopped by stubborn whiskers, and might do more for your shaves’ closeness than boosting the keenness of the blade. A word of caution. Scything in combination with a too steep cutting angle, is a perfect recipe for slicing into the skin. It takes only the least bit of sideways motion to lend scything its effectiveness. 

== Guillotine style cutting. ==

The same principles apply with guillotine style cutting, as to the scything motion. It is basically the same. The edge is held a bit angled in relation to the cutting motion. For some shaving strokes it is easier to perform than the scythe itself. 

== The finer points of cutting angles. ==

Whiskers rarely grow straight up. They grow ordered in streams of the direction in which they lean towards the skin. We call this: the grain. Most shavers shave in passes. First with the grain (WTG), usually followed by subsequent passes across (XTG) and/or against (ATG) the grain. This is considered basic shaving knowledge. Together with the direction at which the hairs are tackled, is the cutting angle one of the most contributing factors to a successful shave. The cutting angle is the enclosed angle between the skin surface and the razor. (A drawing should clarify this). Different cutting angles are required to maximize the results of the different passes. The WTG pass requires a bigger angle, because otherwise the razor will not immediately grab the hairs. The XTG and more importantly the ATG pass ask for a notably smaller angle.  Certainly during the ATG-pass, if you’re blessed with whiskers that lay almost flat to the skin, the spine of the razor maybe as good as touching the skin. The way the skin is stretched, also affects how the hairs stand up in relation to the skin’s surface. We will address this in a separate paragraph.

[[Image:cutting_angles.jpg]]

== The finer points of skin stretching. ==

Stretching the skin with the direction of the hair growth, causes the whiskers to lay down more. Stretching the skin against the direction of the hair growth, causes the whiskers to stand up more. This can be put to our advantage during the shave. Certainly during the ATG pass, stretching the skin closely in front of the edge, although a bit intimidating at first can really improve closeness for those with hairs that grow very close to the skin.

Another important tactic for closely shaving hard to get spots, is to pull that part of the skin to an area where it can be shaved more successfully. Especially with patches above and below the cheekbones and chin, this is a valuable option.

== Buffing. ==

The is a technique, mainly to be used during the ATG pass. The blade is moved back and forth in short strokes over the skin, without lifting it. Pressure needs to be extremely low. The first part of the stroke cuts the hairs and the second, withdrawing, part of the stroke smears part of the lather back on the skin, preparing for the next stroke that will cut the hair even closer. This is only useful on dense parts of the beard where thick whiskers require more than one stroke to be gradually cut till the "zero"-level. The sound produced by the razor (if it’s a hollow ground one) will guide you through the process, steadily moving ahead while making short overlapping strokes. It is best reserved as a last resort, to achieve ultimate smoothness on renitent spots.

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Shaving_techniques]]