an update, for anyone who cares. today i showered, soaped my head, got out, baby-oiled my head, then headslicked it. i went at it with the mach 3 (in front of the mirror) except this time i took to the sides of my head from back to front (the problem areas i have is the sides behind and above the ears), instead of bottom to top like i'd done forever. MUCH BETTER. it's not 100%, but it's 50% better, and still as close. thank all of you for the advice, it really put me on the right track.
one thing, i tried putting rubbing alcohol on my blades after the first shave--do it, it works. that blade was smoother the second time than any once-used blade i've ever applied to my dome.
