Movember, goatees, and newbs ...

Hello All,

I have been on the SR wagon now for little more than 1 month. Serendipity has smiled on me as one of the greatest thing that has happened to "hasten" my progression from shave-tard to no-nicks-shaver has been the need to grow a goatee for Movember (I cannot grow a stache right away it makes me scary to children.) This has freed my hands to progress gradually in their stroking motions by removing the difficult yet necessary chin/lip area.

Initially, I had refused to believe in "progress by areas" mantra and had begun by shaving everything every time ... right from the first shave. A mistake that I can now appreciate. Due to the goatee, I am left with concentrating on controlling the razor, it's angle, my strokes instead of trying to "aim" the razor in difficult spots. Within 4-5 shaves while sparing the goatee area, my hands have begun to truly appreciate and "feel" the razor, releasing the dangerous "death-grip" they had, and moving with the curves of my face.

So for all the newbs, like me, I strongly suggest growing a goatee for your first month ... especially if you are OCDish and will just shave everything every time with total disregard for the bit-by-bit mantra.

-F-

Rapier,

Welcome and hello from Hastings in the UK :)

I shaved off my goatee (which I have had for ca 14 years) for the Movember event - it was a bit of a shock to the chin to see day-light :)

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

I have to agree, although with mixed feelings.

I certainly grew a goatee for my first few months so I didn't have to worry about my chin. I attempted chin shaving in the beginning, but it got so torn up that I had to avoid shaving it for a week anyway. Finally SWMBO told me to just grow a goatee for awhile, so I did.

A few months pass by and my shaving techinque has improved a ton. I finally decide to shave it off not too long ago, and its been much easier. I still knick off a pimple head here and there, but nothing so bad as before.

I'm sure there are people out there who stick it out though, and probably grow their skill faster than avoiding the chin. If you want to be one of those, or are one of those, more power to ya.

Rapier, Fellow Mo Bro, you sir are in violation of the Mo rules. I shall report thee to the Authorities.


JK. Congrats on the improvement.

I didn't believe in starting in sections either, and I still have the scar to prove it. Starting in sections is the smart thing to do.

Great minds think alike, Rapier. When I first got serious about str8 shaving at the beginning of last summer, I too shaved off everything, after having sported a full beard for many years. After struggling with the chin/stache area (and my daily consternation at my naked face:confused:), I realized that part of my self-image involves at least some facial hair, so I finally compromised with the goatee. My learning curve on the rest of my face seemed to speed up, and I am now pretty confident that I could master this area with some practice. I may try it again next summer just for giggles.