Shaving Against the Grain

When it comes to effective shaving, many hair professionals always advise that men shave with the grain. As a matter of fact, shaving against the grain (ATG as it is sometimes called) is considered a taboo in some circles. This is because ATG is known to cause ingrown hairs and other skin irritations. If you have never had any of those, you probably will not understand the frustration and pain they accompanies them.

As important and good as shaving with the grain, we often see that sometimes the razor is unable to get in good proximity with the hairs. This sometimes makes shaving some areas of the body difficult. Sometimes we are left with left over stubble. To even proceed with shaving with the grain, you would have to know for sure the direction of your hair growth.

You can achieve this by rubbing your hand gently on the skin. If you can't get a good feel of it, you can make use of your credit card. Shaving ATG allows us to shave those difficult areas we just wrote about. So how do you avoid ingrown hairs and irritation if you want to attempt shaving ATG? First thing to do is to get the hair wet. Keep the hairs hydrated for about 3 minutes before applying a shaving gel or cream.

Together with shaving with a good DE razor like the Vikings Blade, you should be able to avoid cuts, ingrown hairs and irritation when shaving ATG. Do not attempt shaving ATG just like that. Begin with shaving with the grain before trying to switch direction.