Reader Ryan pointed me to a very cool interactive facial mapping application, to aid you with diagramming your beard’s grain for shaving. It seems geared more toward the straight razor shaver but still useful for all. I will be putting this link in the “Helpful Links” section on the right hand column.
I cannot over emphasize the importance of this map. I have been wetshaving for three plus years and thought I was an expert, even though I always had some hairs left over. I always thought it was because of my technique of making the shaving cream, the Derby blades I used or the speed in which I cut.
But tonight that was all shoved aside when I finally did the interactive map of my face and realized that an against the grain cut (ATG) did not mean cutting directly upwards. Something simple, I know, but something I had not considered or taken the time to figure out.
I tried this tonight with one of the new Wilkinson Sword DE blades I picked up at Wal-Mart (a new item of unknown stocking duration). I wanted to test this technique, not the blade. So I used a blade I had used three times before, so I could see if it made a difference even if a person had an old blade. And it did.
Now I know exactly where my two with the grain (WTG) cuts should go, what it means to do my one across the grain (XTG)cut(I was waaaay off), and how my two against the grain cuts (XTG) should be aligned.
Thanks Mantic59, my brother. You have taught me and raised me to yet another level in my pursuit of the BBS.
Very helpful.
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