Thread: blade still tugging -- tried everything!!

So it's been about a month since I started str8 shaving. Definitely developing my skills. I read every guide on the site, started slowly, working up to a full-face shave. My equipment has improved too. went from boar brush to a silver-tip badger, and from a no-brand soap to some nice SRD soap with a dollop of shave cream thrown in for some moisture.

At the beginning I naturally had difficulty with the chin and mustache. My blade (5/8" hollow ground dovo carbon-steel) would tug at the course hairs and it was only with difficulty and pain that I was able to cut through the hairs. And my shave has never been all that close anyways.

I've started stretching the skin more, which is helping, but the difficulty with the chin is still awful. I've tried everything to make it better: different blade angles and approach angles, different stroke lengths, different stropping techniques, different lathers and beard prep, even got my razor freshing honed by SRD. Even straight from the honing, my blade was relentlessly tugging at the chin hairs. I can't figure out what the deal is!

I only have two ideas left. The first one is, I need to somehow do more skin stretching around the chin. I try tightening the skin by pulling my lower lip over my teeth, but the skin still feels not very taught. Any recommendations on how to stretch skin better around the chin?

My second idea is that a hollow ground blade isn't a good fit for my whiskers. Would something closer to a wedge be better at chopping away these coarse whiskers? My beard all in all isn't very dense or thick, however the chin whiskers seem to be pretty coarse.

I've watched the shaving videos on the site, and people seem to be able to shave their face as if their hairs are melting away, but I seem to get more resistance to my blade all around my face. Perhaps my blade still isn't very sharp?

Jeez, this is getting frustrating... thanks for any suggestions anyone has.

and another thing, I have only once, with many repeated tries, been able to get the hanging hair sharpness test to work, which might put another point in the corner of not having my blade sharp enough.

If you are talking about the tip... end of your chin I take my forefinger on one side and my thumb on the other .... kind of like a U or a V and stretch toward my ears. I go from one side to the other with the razor. XTG not ATG. That is probably the toughest of the whiskers on my map. Sometimes the heel area of the razor is more effective on that because it is a bit stiffer even on a hollow ground.

I'm still struggling with this but getting a bit better. I don't have a full resolution for you but I have found a stretching technique that has helped some.

pull your lower lip over your teeth (you already said you are doing that).
using your off hand, put your fingers at the top center of your neck and stretch the skin down.

for me it seems stretching from both top and bottom like that seems to help a bit more. But I'm just a newb so what do I know.

Newbie to newbie, your blade is not sharp enough.

I didn't really appreciate this on my razors until I had one honed by Lynn and another from a classified seller here at SRP. All the tugging I first experienced and wrote off to my technique disappeared as soon as a truly well-honed razor touched my face. Now, mind you, the nicks, razor burn from too many enthusiastic passes and weird left over spots of hair from not paying enough attention to my shaving patterns didn't go away overnight. Those took practice with a sharp razor.

I am now learning to hone. I wish my razors good luck...

+1 to JimmyHAD

I believe it is the same with everyone, that the chin area has the TOUGHEST whiskers.

Do what Jimmy said, curl your lip over your lower teeth and use your other hand (pointer and thumb) and stretch the skin to either side. Sometimes I have to dry the sides I already shaved to get a good stretch going, so don't be afraid to try that too.

I never go ATG on the chin. I would just get razor burn. I find that 1, MAYBE 2 passes XTG gets my chin BBS. It's kinda weird, my chin is probably the easiest spot to get BBS Not sure why that is...hehe.

*EDIT* And my razors did that even when they are sharp enough. So that's not the reason

Dan,

Chances that the razor is not shave ready when Lynn honed it are minimal, to say the least. Sorry, but in 9 out of 10 cases (more like 99%, really) when a beginner says the blade is not shave ready, it is. Incidentally, I would call your razor a perfect beginner's razor, as it isn't overly complicated to use (compared to a 3/8 or an 8/8 wedge).

Seeing a barber's might not be such a bad idea. Bring your own razor, ask him to shave you with it. Who knows, it maybe something simple that keeps you from getting acceptable shaves.

Good luck,
Robin

Originally Posted by BeBerlin

Dan,

Chances that the razor is not shave ready when Lynn honed it are minimal, to say the least. Sorry, but in 9 out of 10 cases (more like 99%, really) when a beginner says the blade is not shave ready, it is. Incidentally, I would call your razor a perfect beginner's razor, as it isn't overly complicated to use (compared to a 3/8 or an 8/8 wedge).

Seeing a barber's might not be such a bad idea. Bring your own razor, ask him to shave you with it. Who knows, it maybe something simple that keeps you from getting acceptable shaves.

Good luck,
Robin

+1 on that from me, this will give you a very good idea of whats going on, the Barber will tell you within 1 or 2 strokes if your Razor is at fault, and if He is a friendly guy he may even give you some pro advice and tips

And hey on top of all that you will have the pleasure of a wonderful relaxed Barbers shave... Bargain!

my first question is, are you sure that the blade is completely shave ready, sounds like it has not been honed properly. i also had trouble with my chin and that area, but nothing like what you are describing. i stretch the skin with one hand while shaving and it does take getting used to. but again make sure that your razor is honed properly...good luck

Welcome to the great Hobby of Wet Shaving!! I've only been at it myself about 10 months or so, but this is something you might try to get a better shave. If your trying to learn str8 shaving AND str8 razor honing at the same time, slow that brain train down a bit and send your razor to one of the great Honemiesters available to you through the SRP site, Lynn Abrams is the 1st that comes to mind, the member called 'Utopia' did a great job for me also. When you get the razor back just wipe off the oil strop a bit if you like, do some really thourogh face prep and shave, you should notice a BIG difference and get a much closer shave than your 1st attemps at str8 honing did provide. I hope this helps. It shoud take at least one possible problem out of the bloody picture.

Have a good one and a Great Gd/day!!

tinkersd of SRP!!