Thread: shaving tip

i am new to the straight razor, and have a question. I am having no problem with most of my face, however the area just below my jaw line and up around my ears, i can not seem to get that area smooth, any pointers from the more seasoned shavers?

I also am new to this but I will say that lately I have been getting the shave that I desire. My neck was the stumbling block for me especially the jaw line (I think it's everyones trouble spot when they first start out). I will say you will want to adjust your prep mostly. Today I tried something that I have been wanting to do but had either forgotten to do it before my shave or just didnt have enough time to do it and that was to boil some water and hold my head with a towel over it to trap the steam. Kinda like a sauna for the face only. Before I did that I took a shower and washed my face with my wife's face soap (I figured if its good for her face why not mine) and then I used conditioner (I do this everyday regardless). I rub the conditioner in for a couple of minutes quite vigorously. Once I was out of the shower I went to the pot which I set to boil while in the shower and held my towel over my head and let the steam keep going until it was precipitating off my face. I then went and got my pre-shave and then lathered and shaved. I will say that it was one of my best shaves and although I have only been using a straight razor for a few months, my face and jawline are incredibly smooth with no irritation. Another thing which I'm sure one of the senior members will tell you is to make sure your stropping and shaving techniques are proper and really that just takes practice. Alot of people suggest 20 or so laps on the felt or linen strop and 40 or so on the leather. I started that way and it was alright but just didnt feel right so I doubled those numbers for both strops and the results are much better and smoother. Theres a video of I think Lynn and GeoFatBoy on youtube where Lynn says that a good razor should be able to pass and you not know that it was a razor and I will tell you with the above techniques and lots of skin stretching you will come to realize that.

Well, it depends on your growth pattern. depending on what it is will dictate what you have to do. For me stretching that area is number one. Then I shave at an oblique angle and I use a stroke where I go down and around the jaw line. Likewise I go north on my neck and up around my jaw so I'm getting it from 3 angles actually.

When you say "below the jawline" I am assuming you're talking about the area directly beneath your jaw and not your actual neck. If this is the case, what I do is basically pull up on my skin so that the area below the jawline is moved further up onto the actual cheek/jaw.