Problems shaving below my chin

I am about a month into shaving with a straight razor and have found my major problem area. Right below my chin. About a 2 inch strip going down my neck seems almost impossible to get a good shave. After I finish my shave (2 Passes is all I am comfortable with right now) It seems like a cant get a decent shave there. You can always see the hair. I am barely cutting it, and I don't know why. I am doing my best to make sure I am holding the blade at a 30 degree angle. Does anybody have any suggestions on this? Also, my lower neck on the sides seems to always get a light razor burn that never goes away.

One month is still early. It took me 3 months of daily shaving to get my first BBS. Now I get it everyday. I used to practice with my finger after the shave to see the next time how I could cut that stubble that was left. Make sure the blade is shave ready. I shave at the lowest angle that still cuts. 30 degree is the maximum and will dull the razor faster than a more shallow angle.

Jack Black Shave Cooling Gel eliminates razor burn completely. It works every time.

If this happened to me I would do the following. If you already do these then I think there is no more you can do. Other than allowing another pass. Razor burn can happen to even to the most experienced as we all occasionally can let our guard down;

1) Make sure my razor is well honed and stropped. Does it 'pop' cut arm or leg hair mid length? If not, while it may shave just fine it won't get these more difficult areas well

2) Light touch. The same as if you were shaving a balloon. Short scything strokes (look up scything).

3) Consider using a preshave oil, at least in the neck area (as you build up experience then you can drop this step) and shaving soap instead of creams or gels and make that area the last part of your face you touch during the shaving round. This allows the lather to slightly dry a bit which will raise up your hairs. Neck hairs tend to grow almost sideways which makes the angle they present to the razor edge more difficult to cut.

I would guess at this point you don't have enough facility with the razor to get these advanced areas. If you do the correct moves with a straight these areas just seem to magically solve themselves down the road and often times you don't know why.

My razor does not pop arm hairs off mid length. I have a norton 4/8, but I haven't been able to hone it to that perfection yet. I do use a scything motion, but haven't thought to try it there. Thanks for the info. I will keep trying! Practice makes perfect!

One other thing you need to pay attention to if you haven't already, is the direction of your hair growth in that spot. It may take a different angle of attack to get that area...it'll all come with time and practice :) As for the razor burn, pay close attention to your pressure..you may be applying more than you think trying to get that area smooth.

It's taken me a long time to get this area down also.

Here's a few things that have helped me.

- Make sure the razor is sharp. I dulled my razor a lot with poor stropping skills. Sharp razor shaves these areas much easier on my face.
- Shave oil seems to help me. I know many people here don't use it, but it helps on my beard.
- Go in several different directions and stretch in different directions. I have found that putting a little alum on my finger tips helps to stretch better.
- Guillotine and scything motions have helped me quite a bit.

I've been at it for about 6 months and sometimes the straight razor can be super frustrating, but you start to get the hang of it over time.

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Originally Posted by ace

Jack Black Shave Cooling Gel eliminates razor burn completely. It works every time.

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I'm a big fan of the Jack Black Cooling Gel.. HazoGel is an awesome alternative.. feels very much the same as the JB Gel, but with a different scent. Both are at the top of my summer arsenal.