Newbie here, For some reason, I can't seem to get as close a shave under my chin as I can everywhere else. I am wondering if anyone has any tips or tricks for getting a closer chin shave? Thanks!
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Newbie here, For some reason, I can't seem to get as close a shave under my chin as I can everywhere else. I am wondering if anyone has any tips or tricks for getting a closer chin shave? Thanks!
It's probably just a matter of stretching your skin to where you can get to the whiskers, chins are hard for everybody, and it usually takes a lot of little strokes due to all the countours. All in all I'd say get a good stretch, watch your blade angle and use small precise strokes. Do not hurry and you'll be ok. God bless and good luck!:tu
+1 on the technique being important but it is even more imperative that the blade be keen to get a nice chin shave. Be sure that it's all the way there or (if you're like me) the chin will be the dead giveaway - sandpapery after 3-4 passes even if it does look OK, the touch test is bad.
I couldn't agree more with Dewey on the chin being the ultimate in shave ready tests. I find that even a fairly dull razor can give me smooth cheeks without much if any pulling; try that same razor on the chin regardless of a north/south or east/west approach and that same razor will almost stop dead.
Even keen razors straight from honemeisters although they shave my chin smoooooooth with no irritation, have never "wiped or melted" the whiskers off my chin. Others use those adjectives when describing their razors sometimes. Either their chins are shaped differently than mine, their whiskers are not as coarse as mine are, or they're fibbing a little when using such adjectives. Why my chin whiskers are a different breed than other areas of my face I have no idea; I know each chin is different, but again I have a really hard time believing that a razor can truly "wipe" or "melt" chin whiskers away. If someone wants to prove me wrong, send me such a razor, I'll shave with it once and I promise I'll send it back (I pay the shipping back to you).
Chris L
I find that the hairs on my chin just never grow like anything else on my face. I can go from top to bottom without much result. Side to side, however, will give me a really clean shave.
See how your hair is growing, pull your skin tight, and go gently.
/my newbie .02
Even though i'm still a newbie all I can say is make sure you know which way the hair is growing, I found that I need to shave from midline outwards on a diagonal for the left and right sides of my chin but in the middle it just seems to grow straight out so i just shave straight down.
No book can tell you how your hair grows, so feel for it, I find it easiest to feel the grain of my beard after 2-3 days of not shaving i.e. a weekend
Happy feeling and shaving
- Ed
Pushing the lower jaw out and pulling the lips in over the teeth helps increase tension, as will a little downward pull on the neck skin.
What I do is - and please excuse the extremely crude drawing on MS paint (as I'm in a rush out the door)
I shave the middle of the chin by stretching my bottom lip over my lower teeth.
I then use my thumb and forefingers (opposite hand that holds blade) to stretch the skin on the sides of the dimple (middle chin area) as I find them to be the most difficult part to shave. If you tuck your hand under your neck whilst doing this, it doesnt get in the way of the blade.
The stretching is shown by the arrows and the thumb is always placed on the middle part of chin.regardless of which side im shaving.
This way I can get a very clean bbs finish. I hope this makes sense...
dregan what ernestrome stated is what I do also. I find personally pulling the skin up on to my chin exposing the underneath hair provides the closest shave due to the hairs standing more on end rather than pointing backwards. Hopefully this is the part underneath you ara talking about.
One thing that works for me was mentioned somewhere else by Mike_Ratliff I believe. First stretch the skin by rolling you lower lip over your teeth while poking your chin out( the same thing for almost all chin techniques). Then instead of trying to tackle everything from lip to chin in one stroke take shorter strokes. Use a scything motion where the tip is leading by just a bit ......I start at my chin and move up to my lip tackling a cm to a 1/2" at a time..
Perhaps my drawning did not give a clear demo but I find this method by far the best. (and I have really really coarse chin hair)
^^ And this method is suggested in the '61 Barber's Manual. The past few times I have tried it, I've gotten much better results.
Love the drawing, Graham. :) Gotta love MS Paint.
Keeping things in mind may be more effective than hearing what works for any one of us, because it's usually personal trial and developed dexterity that get the job done best.
Stretch the skin, always.
The thing with the chin, is it's the spot whose angle changes most, so the perfect edge-to-skin angle is lost in a couple millimeters' motion. Use your fingers and jawbone to flatten small sections of your skin as much as possible, and until you're a master at following the curves of your face in a stroke, keep he strokes SMALL. "Buff" little areas if you have to, just be light.
Your cheek and even neck is easy, because it's not that drastic a curve. You can shave an inch and the edge is still angled pretty well. Chin's a whole different matter.
Hey,
Yea. Keep your fingertips dry on the non-razor hand... stretch the skin behind the razor... lower the angle until the razor is nearly flat against the skin... and shave in short strokes across the chin area.
Works for me!