Thread: Is there a difference in shave technique with a smiled blade?

I love the look of a blade with a gentle smile and I have hollows in my cheeks that the blade shape might be useful in clearing.

Is there anything special to be aware of when using a blade with a smile?

No, nothing special to do really, but I can say I really prefer the way my smiling 6/8's perform compared to my non-smiling blades.

yea, there are no big differences. You just do slight modifications the same as you would from one razor to another if one was bigger or smaller. You might find you can be a little more aggressive in certain areas. You just need to experiment.

I find smiling blades easier to use and prefer them.

Love my smiling blades-if I do anything different it's just to concentrate on the neck hollows more, which of course is where they shine

Look at some of the classic shaving vids on utube,most of the guys are very rotund, they have lots of flat surface area.Non Smilers serve them well.
Am no light wgt, but I have angular features,smilers serve me well but non-smilers for me also work,Is all about using your facial muscles to accomodate any blade.

thanks all!!

Originally Posted by MikekiM

I love the look of a blade with a gentle smile and I have hollows in my cheeks that the blade shape might be useful in clearing.

Is there anything special to be aware of when using a blade with a smile?

I think you have a good point. I've lost about 50 pounds in the last 6 months (medical issues), and now I have a very hard time shaving parts of my face that have become very 'sunken.' No amount of pulling or stretching the skin does much good. Maybe a blade with a pronounced smile might help? I'll have to get one and see. It makes sense that it would help, at least a little. I'll report back when I get one. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Originally Posted by bruseth

I think you have a good point. I've lost about 50 pounds in the last 6 months (medical issues), and now I have a very hard time shaving parts of my face that have become very 'sunken.' No amount of pulling or stretching the skin does much good. Maybe a blade with a pronounced smile might help? I'll have to get one and see. It makes sense that it would help, at least a little. I'll report back when I get one. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Before going out a buying another razor (though, that's always fun) try a gentle puff of your cheeks. It will reverse the hollow and make a pass much, much easier.


(Yes, I am assuming it's your cheeks.)

Originally Posted by MikekiM

Before going out a buying another razor (though, that's always fun) try a gentle puff of your cheeks. It will reverse the hollow and make a pass much, much easier.


(Yes, I am assuming it's your cheeks.)

Thanks for the advice, Mike. Yeah, on my cheeks I 'blow them out' to get them shaved. My problem areas on my cheeks are beneath the bone, under the sideburn area. A big hollow spot there. Another problem area is the neck, to the left and right of my Adams Apple. Lots of indented areas that no matter how I stretch the skin, I can't remove all the lather in a few spots. I've been using the heel and the toe of the razor to clean up these areas. I envy the guys on Youtube that have nice rounded faces - no hollows or indented areas. They have great rounded areas on their jaw lines. They are able to go from their cheeks to their necks with very little effort. Not so with me. I'm too 'bony.' ;-( So, maybe a smiling razor would help out a bit? I'll have to see. Thanks again for the suggestion.

Take care,

Kenny