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The chin area is definitely one of the most challenging areas. Skin stretching has been the key for me along with blade angle. Keep trying different techniques and you will eventually get there. My suggestion would be to use a safety razor for the clean up. Pay attention to the blade angle when using the safety razor and try to duplicate that with the straight on the next shave.
Peter,
Welcome to the forum!! :)
Here's another video that might help. He touches on prep, lather and shows blade angles and following the contour on the chin.
Also on the area just under the lower lip, something I do is place my tongue between my lower lip and teeth & gums. You can press outward to kind of even up the surface and also gives a little stretch.
:gl:
Best Regards,
Howard :)
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=
It takes about 100 shaves to get good with a straight and then improvements are made ever so often to your technique and you keep getting better at shaving.
For me around shave 300 I got really good at my chin. Don't get hung up on it. I am sure your pace is moving faster than mine and if not, you will still become the master of your chin. Mine requires strokes across and down from both directions (2 passes) then individual spots need there own angles thanks to wild hair patterns. Try shaving normally. Finish the shave and figure out which direction, when you rub you hand on your chin, feels the roughest. That is the direction the razor needs to go to get it smooth.
I stick my tongue between my teeth and lower lip and use my tongue to push that area flat. For the round part of my chin, I choke up on the blade and hold it by the middle of the blade. Then I do scything strokes. It's pretty much the same motion used to carve a wooden ball.
This will come with time and practice, most of my cuts were in this area. I've found short strokes really help, as already mentioned pull your bottom lip over your teeth to stretch the bit from lips to chin. Try thinking off your chin in two parts lips to bottom of chin as part of your face and if you then lift your head the next bit as part of your neck. I always do an XTG both ways on the point of my chin. Finally feel where there's still some stubble put the fingers of your free hand right next to it and stretch that bit whilst using buffing strokes. Hope that helps but don't be too fussy to start with otherwise you'll end up with cuts and razor burn.
Thanks for all the tips, I will definitely try them out the next time. :)
This guy is fast. LOL. He is faster with a straight razor than I am with a disposable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nightblade
Hi,
I'm in a similar boat, I've come from using a safety razor to straight. Finally on shave 8 & 9, I made it through without nicks. Here are some things that are helping me...
- I've tried the "buffing" stroke under the lip and that seems to work well.
- as others have said short strokes work better.
- For now, I'm not looking for baby butt smooth on the chin.
- I will often do two passes, both downward, from the lip to mid-chin, and down and sideways on the other parts.
- If I try to manipulate my chin, it wrinkles and is harder, instead, I use my other hand to stretch skin, especially upward, so I don't have as shave on the pointy edge of jawbone.
I use TOBS cream too, and it was drying. I think mostly because I take so long. I've found three things that help immensely. First, I will add drops of water to the lather to keep it wet, and re-stir. Second, I apply Poraso preshave cream to my entire face, and only lather a section at a time. After a complete pass, I rinse my face, reapply Poraso everywhere, and then apply lather in sections a time. Third, I shower before I shave, and in the shower, I apply hair conditioner on my beard, and leave it on, until I'm ready to shave. These last two steps I think are softening my beard better and really helping.
I've heard others use Noxema and glycerine. I got some, but haven't tried it yet, as i have some Poraso left.
Good luck and let us know how you do. I'm still learning too, so all these pointers are great. Maybe if I get better, I'll be brave enough to post a video for critique.
He has self confidence. That will come with practice. If your soap becomes dry you are taking to long.Quote:
Originally Posted by dngrspapercut
I have a pointed chin with a lot of scar tissue from my youth. What I've found works is to divide your chin into segments: Mine are the lower lip to my chin ball, either side and the underside. Working short strokes I work down from the lip to the ball, moving my chin and lip over my lower teeth to stretch the skin and provide a flat angles. I work each area the same way, always WTG or XTG. I can get it close enough this way. Not comfortable going a ATG, too many cuts that way. For some time I used my safety razor for my chin.
Go slow and if it doesn't feel right, stop.
I have also had TOBS dry out on me. Lather one side at a time until your can speed up your routine or re-rather frequently, which I do.
I started 7 months ago; it gets better.
Good luck.