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?
Printable View
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?
You are early in your journey, young one. Progress comes with practice and patience.
Glenn suggested to me...stetch the skin spot by spot there also..helps alot.
I'll try the spot by spot stretch tomorrow and let you know how it turns out.
I attack my chin one plain at a time, I shave everything on the same angle then move to the next and so on. That is what has gotten me the best results.
I had some trouble with my chin, The angles are tough, and I had a tendency to be too perpendicular to my skin with the blade. I focused on short strokes, no pressure, and maintaining a good angle to the blade. Divide it into whatever sections you can to get as close to a flat surface as you can.
Also I wouldnt get too caught up with XTG and ATG passes, I find that if I do it right I only need one WTG pass to get nice and smooth, and anything other than WTG is just asking for bloodshed.
These guys covered most of it, but there is something I would like to add. I use the heal exclusively on my chin & keep the blade angle low to almost touching the spine to the skin. I use short controlled strokes ATG once I have done the whisker reductions of WTG & XTG over my entire face. Keeping the blade angle low will help to keep you from cutting yourself as well. Relax though, that's the toughest part of the face to conquer...
I've had this problem since I started back in September. Everyone here is telling you about shaving technique, so I'm not going to go there; I did have to go into more advanced techniques, but those alone did not help me.
I had a major breakthrough and got the best straight shave in my short time on what others have called "the straight road" so far. I read a post from a senior member here (I'm sorry I don't recall your name; if I find it I'll edit the post) and he was commenting on another issue. His concern was about people having to touch up their razors more often because they were not prepping enough to soften up beards properly. There are a few threads about this, but this member's comments really got me to thinking.
His prep was basically thus (not an exactly perfect quote):
Hot towel on face, then lather, then hot towel over lather, then towel off and re-lather, then hot towel over new lather.
Basically doing this two or three times before he actually lathered to shave. The idea is to soften those hairs up to save the edge on the razor.
Well, that would also mean the edge would be more effective. So I tried that. I had also done a few other things slightly differently, but I think this extra prep really did wonders for me.
I have a dirty bird scuttle; I used conk's soap and a badger brush, and I use a tea kettle to pour very hot water on my wash rag for my face. I had the best results yet for a straight razor shave. I only had one shave that was better, and that was with my Edwin Jagger 89l. I can chalk that up to my SR technique. It still has a ways to go yet, but my wife thought I had cheated on my shave today and used the EJ to touch up because it was so much better than shaves previous.
The biggest difference, IMO, was that extra prep. If you have really tough beard hairs, you can't skimp on the prep. It really, truly can make a difference between a so-so shave result and a much better one.
The only thing I can tell you about the chin is it's a tough nut to crack for a rookie. Depending on your facial geography the technique can require very different approaches. The concept I found difficult is that as you hit different spots you need to be able to alter the angle of the razor very quickly and make overall very rapid adjustments. As I recall after months of struggling with it one day it just seemed to all came together. It was like trying to get a complicated math problem right. At first you just don't see the solution and then all of a sudden there it is and you wonder why you never saw it in the first place.
Razor straight. Chin curved.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hd172
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.