Touchdown Nicks

[Slurryer]

I was sitting down yesterday with my son when he noticed a few nicks below my left ear. I remember feeling a slight bite of my razor once or twice, but I didn't see any red so I thought I hadn't actually nicked myself, but it seems that I had. They were spaced evenly along the back corner of my jawline, and when I looked at them in the mirror I remembered when I must have done it. This morning I was particularly attentive when it was time to shave that area and I discovered why I had repeatedly nicked myself. Although I'm confident holding my razor in my left hand, my left hand is my non dominant hand. I noticed that when I reach back to that section below my left ear, I tend to try and rest the razor on my skin before I the downward stroke to remove the hair. While the blade is resting on my face, the slightest horizontal movement was causing a nick. What I learned from all this is to resist the urge to rest the blade anywhere on your face. Whenever the blade touches your face it should already be in a very slight shaving motion. By trying to steady the blade on my face before starting the shaving stroke, and while using my non dominant hand, and in an awkward spot below my ear, I was setting up the perfect storm for a nick. Of all the factors involved, the one that I believe was the most controllable factor was not allowing the blade to rest on my face prior to starting the shave stroke. Lesson to the newbie:
Resist the urge to compensate for awkward razor positions or lack of dexterity by attempting to rest the blade on your skin first. The blade you hold in your hand is likely the sharpest thing you have ever held in your hand. The slightest movement along the blade while it is resting on your face will likely leave a mark. Just about every pass of your razor should be in slight motion before the blade touches your face. That intentional safe motion is usually enough to prevent an unintentional unsafe motion.
A Touchdown Nick is the nick you get when you attempt to land the razor on your face before you are ready to start a shaving stroke.