Corners of the mouth

Hi everyone - new forum member here! I've been wet shaving for about 6 months - 3 with a DE and 3 with a SR and DE finish. I continue to have a rough time with the corners of my mouth with both the SR and DE. The corners seem to be made out of paper and the hair there grows at odd angles and lays very close to the skin. I can't cut those hairs without using more pressure, and then I get razor burn and nicks.

Do others find this area difficult? In the shave videos I've seen people seem to glide over that area like it's nothing. I know I need practice, but unlike the other areas of my face, practicing around the mouth corners is becoming a bit painful. I sometimes will grow a goatee for a week or two just to give that area a rest.

Any tips for shaving around the mouth, either in prep or blade technique? I think stretching might help, but I haven't found a way to effectively use my other hand to stretch and still get to it with a blade.

Here's how I typically prep:

- shower
- hot towel
- Poraso pre-shave
- Mix up Baum.be or Poraso lather while pre-shave soaks in
- One more hot towel
- lather and go

Thanks!

--Steve

What works for me is to open my mouth enough to stretch the corners of my mouth, and increase the razor's angle a little (to about 35-40 degrees). It's a lot like shaving the upper lip; use very little pressure and as soon as you're past the area that needs the higher angle, smoothly transition to a lower angle during the stroke.

I never thought to increase the angle. I've been doing the opposite and flattening the blade. I'll give that a try.

Thanks!

--Steve

Steve,

Close your mouth, stretch from the side of your face, push the sides of mouth up a wee bit with your tongue, flatten the blade to reduce the angle, the same thing with the DE, and then do short, buffing strokes. That should do it. No, do not apply any pressure.

You easily can change all of the contours of the area around your mouth by pressing your tongue against the area from the inside. This can change both the angle and the tension of the skin.

i push the corner of my mouth out with my tongue then use the toe of the blade and do an xtg from mouth to ear.

It can certainly be a tricky area. Play around with different angles and also different ways of stretching the skin in the area.

Yes, it is a tricky area, I use the open mouth, tongue behind the corners, trick as well, but you have to have a sharp toe and heel, or you will resort to more pressure, which is never a solution.

I shave with one hand, my right hand, (dominant) so I use the heel for the left side and toe for the right.

Often if you hone with a straight stroke the heel and toe do not get enough time on the stone, if at all. A heel forward rolling X stroke works well for reaching them both.

Get some magnification and take a good look at your heel and toe. I shave with the whole razor, just one inch at a time, and especially use the heel and toe. It is one of the first things I look at with magnification.

Lots of good ideas. I take my thumb and and pull it outward. This has been working for me, but I want to try some of the other ways.

Definitely one of the most nick prone areas for me as well. I make a large O shape and go downward and upward, and it works pretty good. I haven't figured out how to go laterally, but get OK results the way I do it. I just have to be wary of too many strokes over the same area.

You could always grow some facial hair like a Goatee then you don't have to shave that area.:gl:

I have a mustache that grows a little lower than the corner of my mouth. the hair in the corner does cause some irritation so I use my straight to trim or just cut a line in the corner . I open my mouth as wide as possible and use as light of pressure as possible and still cut the hair. so far this has worked for me. good luck.. Remember no matter how long you do something there's always something to learn. or at least it is for me.