Looking for Chin Strategies

Hi,

I'm finishing up on week 3 of 'learning to shave with a straight with minimal blood loss' and so far so good. I am now able to cover all of my face and neck EXCEPT for the chin. And by the chin, I'm referring to the very round part.

For the jawbone, I can simply pull up on the skin and cover the entire area without having to round the razor around anything.

Not so for the chin. I've watched lots of videos and the 'super-shaving-stars' appear to round the blade around their chin. Ya, not gonna happen. I like my chin. My technique is not there yet nor is my confidence level. So that technique is out.

So, do I wait until my technique gets better or is there a way to shave using short strokes but always at a straight angle ?

Looking at Dr Moss's PDF file he seems to cover his chin in two strokes. Is this really possible ?

All tips appreciated.

Thanks!

J

short, firm, quick strokes while stretching the skin both upward and downward at the same time with one hand helped me quite a bit. Also be willing to adjust your razor angle when passing over the tip of the chin.

I'm still working on my against the grain pass on the tip of the chin. Either I'm a slow learner, or I will be preaching practice and patience for the rest of my straight razor days

Somewhere on the forum a fellow put up a drawing that helped me. Unfortunately I can't find it. Here is Razor Central , another site with shaving instructions and other interesting info. Anyhow I take my forefinger on one side about an inch or two north of my chin with my thumb on the other side and stretch up towards my ears. This is about the best way I have come across. The sharper the razor the better. I use a scything motion coming from one side and then the other. Then I come up from underneath. :gl:

We all have to find our own way on this one, so practice and blade control is key. Eventually, you'll be able to shave around that curve. In the meantime, I found it useful to go straight down until the curve began. Then I "pivot" the blade down and around - with the heel not moving much and the toe moving a fair distance. Its hard to describe. This made it a lot easier to control the blade and its angle - least for me. :gl:

Jordan

I'm not a purest! Definition of a Purest: A fisherman who will only catch fish with a fly and a fly rod. I want the fish and if a worm works the best at the time, I'll use it! And if a fly works the best at that time, I'll use the fly!

The point I'm making here is that I am looking for the best shave regardless of what it takes. After I prepare my razor (stropping), and I do my beard prep, and I have made my wonderful lather, and after applying the lather, the 1st thing I grab is my DE, which I am presently using the Gillette Swedish blades. - I gently shave my entire chin are with the DE. I then proceed with my straight razor finishing the 1st pass, and whatever number of passes I do I will use the straight on my chin area from then on. By using the DE on my 1st pass, it just enables me to get my absolute best shave.

I am convinced that the use of a straight razor absolutly gives me not only my best shave, but the most comfortable shave. As long as I am gentle and don't press with the DE on the 1st pass, I will get the best shave possible. It just makes it easier, and I have no guilt over using the DE in this manner.

IMO!

Steve

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Originally Posted by zepplin

I'm not a purest! Definition of a Purest: A fisherman who will only catch fish with a fly and a fly rod. I want the fish and if a worm works the best at the time, I'll use it! And if a fly works the best at that time, I'll use the fly!

The point I'm making here is that I am looking for the best shave regardless of what it takes. After I prepare my razor (stropping), and I do my beard prep, and I have made my wonderful lather, and after applying the lather, the 1st thing I grab is my DE, which I am presently using the Gillette Swedish blades. - I gently shave my entire chin are with the DE. I then proceed with my straight razor finishing the 1st pass, and whatever number of passes I do I will use the straight on my chin area from then on. By using the DE on my 1st pass, it just enables me to get my absolute best shave.

I am convinced that the use of a straight razor absolutly gives me not only my best shave, but the most comfortable shave. As long as I am gentle and don't press with the DE on the 1st pass, I will get the best shave possible. It just makes it easier, and I have no guilt over using the DE in this manner.

IMO!

Steve

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Interesting.. May I ask how long you've been using a Straight ?

Thanks to all the posts so far.. Keep 'em coming!

I agree with you though that at a certain point in time, the idea is to get the best shave, not the best shave with a straight.. But on the other hand, lots and lots of people are capable of shaving their chins with a straight. I don't quite see why I cannot.

J

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Originally Posted by shampoo

Interesting.. May I ask how long you've been using a Straight ?

Thanks to all the posts so far.. Keep 'em coming!

I agree with you though that at a certain point in time, the idea is to get the best shave, not the best shave with a straight.. But on the other hand, lots and lots of people are capable of shaving their chins with a straight. I don't quite see why I cannot.

J

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I started in March of 2007. - and I have been an ardent student ever since. I am retired and I have devoted a lot of time to the craft.

Yes, you can do the chin with just the straight, and you can do it well if you practice. My only point is the 1st pass is a little tougher than the 2nd and the 3rd. I am just eliminating that 1st tougher pass is all. Call it lazy, taking the easier way, I don't know; like I said, "I'm not a purest"! but this works extremely well for me.

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Originally Posted by zepplin

I started in March of 2007. - and I have been an ardent student ever since. I am retired and I have devoted a lot of time to the craft.

Yes, you can do the chin with just the straight, and you can do it well if you practice. My only point is the 1st pass is a little tougher than the 2nd and the 3rd. I am just eliminating that 1st tougher pass is all. Call it lazy, taking the easier way, I don't know; like I said, "I'm not a purest"! but this works extremely well for me.

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Ok fair enough. I was asking because I was trying to figure out if you got to the DE solution because you, like me, didn't have the technique down, or because you tried, got it, but realized it was too much work for nothing and the DE made your life easier. It's clearly the latter for you.

As for being a purest or not, it's not really part of the equation for me. It's whatever gets you there in a way that makes you the happiest.

Thanks for the reply BTW.

J

My technique (rightly or wrongly) involves roughly 3 strokes - i start centre under my lip with my lip curled over my lower teeth, as i take the blade down over the ridge between the area under my lip and the 'round' of my chin I relax my lip and then as the blade continues under my chin pivoting the blade to follow the line i purse my lips to stretch the skin under the blade. i repeat this on the right side of the foamless area left by the first stroke, wash the blade then continue to do the left side the same. i'm left handed so this may be the other way around for you - what i find though is that if you do your chin last as i do by the time you get there you may need to apply more lather as the existing application can get a wee bit dry.

as for the ATG strokes after this, i'm affraid i haven't quite mastered that yet!! :rolleyes:

Well, first of all welcome to SRP!!!
We are always excited to have a convert to the art of straight shaving.
The chin for me was tough too. I use short strokes and a WTG and two XTG strokes in different directions. Don't worry about doing a ATG pass. If you need to clean up with a DE, what the heck... doesn't hurt anything while you are learning. It is a well known secret but lots of us transitioned using the DE.

Enjoy the journey,

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Originally Posted by zepplin

I'm not a purest! ... the 1st thing I grab is my DE,

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HERETIC!

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Originally Posted by JimmyH-AD

Somewhere on the forum a fellow put up a drawing that helped me.

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Something like this?

With lots of time this weekend (it rained and rained and rained) I managed to get through the chin.. It's not as tough as I thought. I just have to take short strokes and work pulling the skin one way or another..

I also, on an offtopic note, noticed what is giving me razor burn on my neck. Turns out the hairs on my lower neck grow sideways.. Shaving that way is gonna be tough.

Thanks for all the replies.

J

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Originally Posted by xman

Something like this?

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I haven't seen that before! :hmmm:

That is EXACTLY how I do it. The only difference: I learned doing that pattern by trial and error, over the course of a year.

Huh, that would have saved me some time. :gaah:

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Originally Posted by shampoo

...I also, on an offtopic note, noticed what is giving me razor burn on my neck. Turns out the hairs on my lower neck grow sideways.. Shaving that way is gonna be tough...

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Mine do too, that's actually why I gave up on disposables and electric razors: they used to chew my neck up somethin' fierce, and I can get better and less irritating shaves with a straight in those spots.

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Originally Posted by joke1176

Mine do too, that's actually why I gave up on disposables and electric razors: they used to chew my neck up somethin' fierce, and I can get better and less irritating shaves with a straight in those spots.

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I nailed one today and I can finally shave my entire face. I didn't have to pull out the M3 once.. That's a first.

I figured out the neck. I have to shave diagonally on the first pass and then very lightly going straight down on the second. That gets me fairly close with no irritation.

The chin isn't You Tube video worthy, but I can get through it without a cut.

So 3 weeks into this, and I'm about ready to say I can do this. Not bad.. :tu

J

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Originally Posted by shampoo

So 3 weeks into this, and I'm about ready to say I can do this. Not bad.. :tu

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Good job! i am pretty new also so i know what that feeling is like. it really is an accomplishment. congrats.

as for my chin technique i can't remember where i found it but i think it was in the four pass shaving technique instructions (i found them somewhere a while ago, sorry i can't remember) i go down (WTG) with short strokes and i pull the skin with my fingers on each side of my adams apple and point my chin up. i then do XTG by starting at the middle of my chin and going out with short strokes, this while pointing my chin up and frowning which kinda brings my bottom lip up and tightens the skin. i don't do the ATG as my chin is pretty smooth if i do those 2 passes correctly. i do ATG on the rest of my face except my upper lip.

if i can find the 4 pass technique thing i will post a link, i can't master it yet as i can only use my right hand and i think to get the across under the chin at certain angles it is essential. maybe not but i am getting good shaves as is right now.:gl:

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Originally Posted by xman

HERETIC!


Something like this?

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Hmm, I just had another look at this.. Interesting diagram. I am now having issues with sections 15 and 16. I can reduce the beard somewhat, but it's far from smooth. No matter how I angle the blade, it doesn't seem to want to shave any closer..

The hair in theses sections goes straight down and also appears to be very close to the skin.

My thinking is a XTG would reduce it more. Is it actually possible to do this ? Anyone know of a video that shows this ?

ATG is completely out of the question for these two sections as there is still way too much hair.

Thanks!

J

Thanks to Xman for posting the diagram and congrats to shampoo for breaking the ice by shaving the complete face. My problem areas looking at the numbers on the left image are numbers 4 and 17. I have to come after my north south pass I have to come at them sort of northwest to southeast. Awkward but I am getting better at it.

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Originally Posted by JimmyH-AD

Thanks to Xman for posting the diagram and congrats to shampoo for breaking the ice by shaving the complete face. My problem areas looking at the numbers on the left image are numbers 4 and 17. I have to come after my north south pass I have to come at them sort of northwest to southeast. Awkward but I am getting better at it.

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Northwest to southeast I think looks possible.. Because West to East requires that you work for a circus sideshow. I'd have to have my elbows sticking straight out in front of me.

ATG is just completely out of the question. Yet, I can grab my M3 and do exactly that and it gives me something very smooth.. :shrug:

Anyhow, I'm at the point where I can shave my entire face, now I'm just trying to get a little closer.

Good Luck Jimmy!

J