Help: neck and chin are killing me.

Hello fellas. I would like to to get some feedback on shaving neck and chin. I do allright on the other parts but find myself having to keep going over the neck and chin at least 2-3 times. The hair on my neck grows in different directions and I don't know how to hold the razor. Additionally, do I need to strop during shaves if the razor starts to pull? Can anyone recommend a balm that sooths as I am getting irritation in the neck area?

Any help would be appreciated.

PS: does anyone know the heirarchy of the Dubl Duck line of razors? They have several models.

Thanks
Al in Cal :shrug:

I was having the same problem for a while, and to be honest on some days I just have to make do with the stubble as to go over with the number of passes it needed got very painful. Being new to this as well i can feel your pain only too well.
I found the solutions to my problem, although I cannot guarantee they will be to yours.

1. Be very careful to know exactly which direction your hair grows in.
Even in the tiniest patch of hair I try to keep with the grain on the first pass. It seems to be my main cause of burn, and whilst it took some time for me to find ways to hold the razor for each stroke, it was well worth the effort.

2. Try to make sure your razor is sharp.
Now I cannot really comment on this too much because none of my razors are as sharp as i would like(they would be laughed out of the room in the presence of most of SRP members!) But i do have one that i managed to get sharp enough to consistently shave me with no pain, just a little puling against the grain on my chin.

3. Experiment with pressure, number of passes, angles etc.
I found the more you adjust your technique the more you understand what works and what doesn't(just don't try anything crazy like 5 lbs of pressure perpendicular to your skin!)Obviously this takes time to get right so don't expect to be able to learn it overnight, I am still nowhere near perfect. Oh and in regard to 2-3 passes on the neck. I think that at this is about standard for me too. To try and take everything off in one is impossible so i think patience is important here, just stop when it is no longer comfortable.(for me 3 is the maximum)

Hope these help a little, as a newbie i'm probably not the best person to advise you, but just thought that seeing as I have just been through the same situation and found a solution that maybe it could help you.
Not sure about balms or moisturisers as i only tried a few so can't comment in great detail other than the fact that i would always use one after shaving.

Double Duck? well grasshopper you've come to the right place. DD went through several changes of ownership over the years and they sold different series of razors including some that most don't even know about but surface from time to time. Pearlduck was the last owners and the wonderedge was at the top of the heap followed by the goldedge, satinedge, special #1, satinwedge ,stainless duck, and satin baby and dwarf. Before that there was the Lifetime series with the grim reaper at the top of the heap.

The Chin is always a difficult area. I go North South, East West, then against the grain to get everything BBS and you have to perfect getting the straight down and around the chin which is an advanced manuever that will come in time.

The neck is another story. Strtching the skin is the key. Even then I rarely get BBS on the neck. I've come close but never really there. It depends on how you beard grows if against the grain means going sideways like for me forget it it can't be done unless I'm using my Japanese razor which is very short and more maneuverable. You just have to experiment with different moves and stretching routines.

You should not have to restrop in the middle of a shave. Thats something you would have to do with a poor quality razor. The other possibility is your razor isn't sharp enough and its marginal enough to start but fails in the middle. If your sure its sharp-sharp to begin with well, tell us the brand and well think about this.

I agree with bigspendur...he is right on with his comments ...you have to experiment on how to hold the razor...learning to shave with both hands takes a little getting used to like reeling a fishing reel lefthanded so you dont have to switch hands to bring the fish in...an old barber in london showed me how to hold the razor like a knife in order to position the blade to cut some hairs on the face that the conventional or reverse grip couldnt get to...proper face preshave conditioning stretching of skin and a really sharp razor will help...the little stubble you sometimes feel will retract into your skin after you repeated splash ice cold water on your face after your shave and apply aftershave...a newbie shaver should use for example trumpers skin food and an aftershave that has a lotion base until his face becomes accustomed to the str8 and his technique improves so the razor cuts whiskers instead of scraping them off the face...

I had the same exact problems when I started, and I only recently got some of my first really good shaves.

My revolution came in the order in which I shave parts of my face. I used to have a lot of trouble on my neck, seeing as I would do it last. Arm / wrists get tired, lather dries up, whatever was the reason.

SO, I started shaving those trouble spots first, and it started working great.

To get my neck, the hairs on my neck grow upward, so I shave from south to north on me neck. I open the razor so it's mostly straight. I hold the pivot of the razor between my thumb and knuckle of my pointer finger, the scales are in my palm, and the edge faces to the north. I start at the bottom of my neck, toe leading, and go upward until the hair starts growing the opposite direction.

-Jorge

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

You should not have to restrop in the middle of a shave. Thats something you would have to do with a poor quality razor. The other possibility is your razor isn't sharp enough and its marginal enough to start but fails in the middle. If your sure its sharp-sharp to begin with well, tell us the brand and well think about this.

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I disagree with this blanket statement, bigspendur. It's just not that cut-and-dried. Although I don't *have* to strop mid-shave, it really helps keep the razor humming along, even with my Lynn-honed Wonderedge. On tougher beards the fin can take the kind of beating by mid-shave that an average beard only delivers over the entire shave.

The obvious benefit of mid-shave stropping is to keep the razor delivering an optimal shave throughout the entire shave, but the secondary benefit is that because the fin never gets very far out of alignment the strop doesn't works the steel very much so the edge lasts longer. I used to get only a few days out of an edge (even a honemeister-honed edge) before it dulled, and under a microscope the resulting edges looked ragged and chipped. After I started stropping once or twice during the shave my edges began lasting a *lot* longer - corrosion seems to be my big edge-killer now (my body chemistry is pretty acidic).

mparker762 , you have the same routine as me. I got into the habit of mid shave stropping when I was new to straights and the habit stuck. Razors imo do stay sharp for longer and if the beard seems a little tough one day, then a mid strop can reep big rewards in comfort later.
Al in Cal, Keep your lather wet and your razor sharp and mind the growth direction while taking short strokes and you will get the hang of it.

PuFF

Neck & chin can be tricky. The main thing is to stretch the skin. You might try turning your head to the left as you shave the right side of your face, and look upward (tilt chin up, not look up with your eyes) to help get a good stretch on the neck. For the chin, I usually pull up and back toward my ear. Experiment with mouth opened/closed & see how it changes the tension on the skin. You might also look at applying the stretch toward the back of your neck. You might also use thumb & index finger spreading apart to stretch a smaller patch of skin.

If the razor starts to pull, strop it. Hopefully you've started with a professionally sharpened razor. Truly sharp makes a HUGE difference in the shave.

I agree with everyone . . . :rolleyes:

Just keep in mind if you get better shaves stropping mid-shave . . . go for it. Things may get better, things may change, you may continue to be the anomoly. Then again your already shaving with a straight so who gives a s**t, right?

I have the same problem. The hair on my neck isn't collicky, it's just that it grows 100% horizontally, left to right. I don't mean a little, I mean completely. I have not been able to shave sideways at all, as it scares me too much and my dexterity doesn't seem good enough for it. So, I go down, then up, then down again sometimes. Works for me, but I still get irritation sometimes.

John

I have to agree with spendur...My razors last 30-50 shaves with a touchup with a stone or paste...I have an average beard...mparker if your blades only last a couple of shaves between hones maybe you are taking the edge off with your stroping or you are over honing your razors...

While I have only had a few shaves at this point, I would agree with much of what is being said on here. So long as your razor has been sharpened by an honemeister, you will know what sharp feels like. The biggest things I have learned over the past two weeks has been knowing the direction of growth on the neck, then shaving appropriately to compensate. Preparation, patience and focus are key, as is not putting too much pressure on the blade, and stretching the skin properly. The chin, I am still learning how to shave my own chin, so I can't give you any advice there.