How Many Passes Do You Take?

After 36 years using a SR it's always been WTG, XTG, ATG. With the DE and SE I have to add some buffing/touch-ups.

To complete the BBC is usually 3 passes +

Depends a lot on the razor. 2 passes and touch-up for aggressive razors and 3 passes plus touch up for milder razors.

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When I first started wet/traditional shaving about six years ago I thought how silly it is to shave one's face 3 to 4 times when 1 was enough.

It took me less than a week to realize the old timers, those with experience, the wise men, were 100% right.

So when in doubt it wont hurt to try 1, 2, 3, plus touch up and and even more passes to decide what works best.
The worst that could happen is a slightly bruised ego.

I've been doing the 3 pass shave for the last year or so and its great WTG, XTG and ATG but lately I've adjusted my XTG pass. Rather than just going perpendicular to the WTG/ATG passes I've noticed that on my cheeks and under my chin my whiskers grow diagonally so I've been going XTG at a diagonal and its really improved my shave. No need for much touch up or buffing. Under the chin I'll go diagonal from low right to high left pass direction and on the cheeks I go from chin to ear in an upward diagonal direction to the extent that I can. I like it.

good info thanks

3 passes WTG, XTG and ATG. This is with my usual DE razors. With a SE AC, sometimes only WTG and ATG is needed.

I'm so prone to ingrowns that I can really only manage a WTG and some light XTG here and there. ATG is out of the question on my neck in particular.

I'm so prone to ingrowns that I can really only manage a WTG and some light XTG here and there. ATG is out of the question on my neck in particular.

I've never been able to go ATG on my neck either. The whiskers grow so flat against the skin on my neck that I suspect that if I shave ATG, it actually ends up cutting below the surface of the skin. Honestly, if the whiskers aren't left a little above the skin, they tend to grow right into the skin.

On the positive side, I still enjoy traditional wet shaving way better than carts and canned foam. And, I've been able to control any irritation and ingrowns much better now. I used to think that irritation and ingrown hairs were just a part of life.

I'm so prone to ingrowns that I can really only manage a WTG and some light XTG here and there. ATG is out of the question on my neck in particular.

Thats unfortunate, have you tried making regular use of an alum block in your post shave rinse? I find it helps with general irritation. I used to get ingrowns but now its a rare occurrence. I used the alum block for the first year or two of wet shaving but now I only use it if I have a rough shave.