Thread: Why does my chin hate my razor?

Originally Posted by Hd172

So I'm happy with the results I've been getting with my straight razors but my chin just does not get a good shave. I'll pass it in every direction but still have a bunch of uncut hairs. It's only my chin. Can anyone give some helpful tips?

I get the chin hairs most of the time now. But that's after a year and a half of trying and experimenting with several razors and watching YouTube videos. When you watch a video a hundred times, you begin to notice things you didn't see before. What I discovered that got me over the hump was that the lather was more watery than mine. My lather was more fluffy but drier. When I got my lather wetter the razor glided over my face. There was less irritation and more whiskers were removed. Beforehand the razor would drag, hop off and crash land on my face, causing it to be cut. My face felt like it got the worst of a prize fight. I really think the single most helpful thing I have learned is to achieve that glide effect.

Patience, patience, patience and stretching the skin in small increments.
Good luck.

The whiskers on my chin are "harder" than the rest of my face. I choke up on the razor, or work more with the heel. Choke up on = two fingers and thumb holding the hollow for me.

I also have better results when I shave after just washing my face. Much preferable to after showering.

Jeff

Thanks for the great input everyone. I changed up my angle and stretched the individual spots on my chin to get a better shave.

I would highly recommend you try to shave after a hot shower. I lather my face and rinse it off several times in the shower before shaving. I also have a very tough beard and this seems to work really well. Make sure your razor is freshly honed, take a hot shower and prep your face. If after this you continue to have a tough time, change your angles and technique.

I use Stephan's Stay Smooth shave cream in the shower. It works well for me and it is cheap. I buy it here and usually a tub lasts about 6 months.

Stephan's Stay Smooth Shave Cream 16 oz Jar

I have very tough chin hair, yet I get very good shaves on my chin now, and I don't do any extended prep other than washing my face well in the shower before the shave.
What made the difference was every time that I shaved I tried a different angle or motion on my chin, but only did one pass. I did the best I could with one pass, made note of how it worked, then cleaned up my chin with my DE. I also payed attention to why the DE seemed to cut so well on the chin. Eventually after a few weeks it all came together.
It turns out that for me it's best to keep the blade (for WTG / XTG) at an angle to the hair growth, not perpendicular. Also very light pressure and blade pretty flat. I go downward in the middle, then sidewards from the middle towards the jaw line for the sides of the chin. No ATG on the chin.
Don't know if that makes sense, but it should indicate that there are lots of ways to get at the chin. Experiment with it a little each day, then clean up with your DE. Don't drive yourself crazy with it. Just have fun, and you'll get there.

I have only been doing this for 10 months. I am still figuring out the chin. I have a very square facial structure, so it has been a pain. Luckily my beard is not ultra thick, or even heavy. Still, it's a pain. The big break through for me was definitely as someone above posted, using a wetter shaving cream mix. I read in another string that the thing to remember when mixing the shaving cream is that this is a "wet shave" key word: wet. Now, rather than working up a big lather, I go with the wetter mix and it is awesome. Result is a much closer and more comfortable shave.