Thread: Rough area

Good evening gentleman,

Been working on the shaves but I've running into an area I can't seem to get right. I can get the cheeks shiny smooth but under the chin I just can't get smooth. WTG, XTG, ATG, stretched skin, all the above, it doesn't matter I still have stubble that can be felt and seen at a distance.

Any recommendations?

Thx,
Jim

Sorry I'm not going to be able to help you much as I am at the same stage of learning I can only pass on what I've heard. Mind the angle your using, it's rather easy to maintain a proper angle on the flat of your cheek or even under your nose but with the curve of your chin it gets much harder. I try to pay alot of attention to the angle I'm using on my chin, I still fail most of the time but with many passes in every concievable direction I can generally get my chin to a reasonably smooth shave, better then a fusion at least! GL let us know if you come up with any tricks.

Hi the under the chin and neck area seems to be a common problem and I still don't get it right every time I shave but a few other things that you can try that you didn't list are changing up your stroke, by that I mean using a short quick motion all the way down your chin/ neck or a long slow motion where you start under you chin and slowly work your way down your neck in a continues stroke. Another option is to try different ways of holding the blade which will open up new angles to try. Also trying a new pre shave prep may work to make that area easier to shave. Some guys like warm/hot lather hot water and others like cold shaving and others like to add oils into the mix.

Originally Posted by Drac

Good evening gentleman,

Been working on the shaves but I've running into an area I can't seem to get right. I can get the cheeks shiny smooth but under the chin I just can't get smooth. WTG, XTG, ATG, stretched skin, all the above, it doesn't matter I still have stubble that can be felt and seen at a distance.

Any recommendations?

Thx,
Jim

I had the same problem when I was a noob . The best advice I can give you , is to keep working at it . There is no substitute for experience . It may take 100 shaves or more , just to get to the point where you are beginning to develop real skill with the razor . Have you tried different blade angles in the problem areas ? You may need to either raise or lower it a touch .

1. Have you made a map of your face so that you can recognize which direction your whiskers are going? You may have whiskers that lay really flat to the skin and you may need to ensure you are getting atg right. Your eyes will tell you a lot, but your fingers will tell you much more on direction...so will a q-tip after a day or so of growth.

2. Could you describe your shave prep? Shave prep is very important and much overlooked. One of the best times to shave is right after a shower, there is something about all that hot water and steam that really prepares the face for a nice and smooth shave.

3. Does your razor glide thru whiskers or pull some? A dull razor can be passing over whiskers when it should be cutting thru them without pull or discomfort.

A shave should never be uncomfortable. If it is, there is something wrong.

Right under the chin is a pretty challenging area. My hair in that area doesn't go straight down to my adam's apple, it kinda heads off at an angle that ends to the right of the adam's apple. Not only that, but if one is not careful, I'll end up with a ton of irritation. As a result, I have to go about it as three pass adventure. Pass one is straight down, which is a bit of a mild XTG. The second pass is straight up, which is a bit of an aggressive XTG. The third pass is a true ATG pass starting with the heel to the right of my adam's apple and come up at an angle where the end is where the toe of the razor is at the left side of my chin. Unfortunately, there just isn't a convenient way to do a WTG pass in that area, so I make due.

If you're just starting out, don't worry about that area. After the sixth month, it'll all be a natural flow.

Thanks. The area is actual are is the jawline area of the chin. I mapped it out as growing from center out at about 45 degrees.

I am slowly working my way through Michael Ham's book it just got in.

Jim

IME the knob of the chin and the hollows on either side of the windpipe are the toughest customers. For the windpipe area I have found the scything stroke and stretching in different directions to flatten the area get the job done.

The chin is another matter. As Lynn often points out, flattening the blade angle is one thing to keep in mind. I go side to side from the left and right and up from underneath. Effectively XTG and ATG. I am pulling with the stretching hand on the side of the jaw in the opposite direction of the razor when I do the side to side and tilting my head back when I come up from underneath.

I also will take my thumb of my stretching hand on one side and my forefinger on the other side of the chin and push/stretch the skin up towards my ears as I do a side to side stroke on the knob of the chin. The one or two pass deal is not applicable to my chin. I go over it more than that. I don't know offhand how many strokes but whatever it takes.

hai

fellow newb here.

Don't feel bad. I don't get it right either. I guess none of us noobs do.
Then again, we're real men and we like challenges? I guess you and I shall get better at this eventually.

You will, just takes practice and whiskers...