Thread: Shaving the chin line

I am reasonably proficient at shaving most of my face after a couple of months with a straight razor, rarely cutting myself and getting a very nice shave most of the time. However, I really have trouble with the line coming out from the chin toward either ear - usually I have to finish this area with a my safety razor. Any tips on how to shave this area better? By the way, I have two razors both 5/8, a Dovo and GGG (from Shefield, England), both of which currently seem to be shave ready. Thanks. Rich Greenberg

Originally Posted by rgsccr

I am reasonably proficient at shaving most of my face after a couple of months with a straight razor, rarely cutting myself and getting a very nice shave most of the time. However, I really have trouble with the line coming out from the chin toward either ear - usually I have to finish this area with a my safety razor. Any tips on how to shave this area better? By the way, I have two razors both 5/8, a Dovo and GGG (from Shefield, England), both of which currently seem to be shave ready. Thanks. Rich Greenberg

If I understand your question, try this: go crosswise against the grain, and streeetch the skin. It's more of an E-W/W-E motion than N-S/S-N. Occasionally, you can even stretch the skin up above the jawline to where you're shaving flat what is normally a curved section of epidermis. It works for me, and I hope it'll work for you. If I didn't understand your question, and answered it wrongly, disregard everything I just said.

If you are having trouble with either the cross or against grain motion try going diagonal motion so you are covering the same area. I used to do this in the beginning, it helped me when my technique was not steady enough to keep from cutting myself. It also helps a lot for people who havent yet gotten good at stretching the skin properly. I still do this at times and it works wonders.

For me, this gets the hit in the finishing stages of the shave.

1. Open my jaw and perform facial yoga.
2. Stretch the sking from above on the cheek.
3. Perform an upward pass toward my stretching hand, all the while moving the stretching hand away from the razor's edge.

Been doing it that way for years so when I picked up the straight for the first time I just did it instinctively.

X

It's all in the hips ....




No seriously, it's all about stretching the skin and finding what works for you. Practice pulling the skin while dry to find a comfortable way for you get that patch past the jawline.

Thanks guys - all good suggestions. I'll try stretching the skin more.

I've also been at the straight for just a couple of months, but am lately getting very good results along the jawline.

I stretch it up from the cheek, pulling the target line into a flat area above the jawbone line (as Joe describes). I shave it as two chevrons: one pass goes outside-to-inside at an angle, the next inside-to-outside of an angle. For both passes, the blade is about parallel to the jawline: it's the stroke angle that changes. The motion is sort of 2 o'clock to 8 o'clock, and 10 o'clock to 4 o'clock. Been getting very smooth lately.

one of the things that I always need to remember on that area:

VERY LIGHT PRESSURE. It's the part of my face that get's a cut the easiest. Lately I've been putting almost NO pressure on the blade while letting it run over that area. That in combination with the above tips gets perfect results for me.

Originally Posted by xman

...3. Perform an upward pass toward my stretching hand, all the while moving the stretching hand away from the razor's edge.

Been doing it that way for years so when I picked up the straight for the first time I just did it instinctively.

X

Wow, that is scary! Typically, you get better results when the skin is stretched behind the edge of the razor as opposed to in front of it but everyone has their preference. As far as the jaw line, I wrap my arm around my head from above and stretch the skin upwards 'til that skin is now on my cheek and I do a downward pass. Then, when I do the sides of my neck, I pull down the skin at the base of my neck and jut my chin out. The jaw line skin is now at my neck and I do a downward pass again. Finally, for my second pass, I wrap my arm around my head from behind and stretch my ear back. Then I do an angled pass following the jawline from my ear to my chin. Works great for me!

Originally Posted by hardline_42

Typically, you get better results when the skin is stretched behind the edge of the razor as opposed to in front of it ...

The CLOSEST results are achieved by stretching from behind the growth of the grain because it stands the hairst up to their highest, regardless of which direction the edge is pointing. Since the grain on my cheek and jaw grows downward, for my final finishing pass, I get best results by stetching from above even though I am shaving in that direction. One achieves SAFEST results by stretching from behind the blade.

X