Thread: Chin area question- New member

Originally Posted by MedicineMan

Shaving with a SR in the shower takes some balls...maybe even takes some off!

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Funny thing, if you peruse the "What do you look like" thread you'll see a lot of members with goatees/van dykes...

I have a goatee, have for decades actually. I've been warned by SWMBO that I was not to shave that or my mustache

I got lazy last week and grew a beard, just recently buzz cut my hair with a #1. Now comes the time to shave and my SWMBO told me I should keep the van dyke...only thing is if I do that I could pass for Ed Norton in "American History X", sans the tattoos, I don't think that look goes over too well with most.

BBS all the way.

@ReardenSteel (aka Spoonman): Facial hair has its trends like anything else. Tell her the Van Dyke is mostly off-cycle for now, and you don't care for the trending beard-o look. That ought to justify BBS. Besides, more real estate to shave = more fun! I found if I didn't shave the mustache and chin area, not only was there not much left to shave, but the remainder was without challenge.

To answer the OP, keep at it and take the other's advice. Stretching, different approach angles (for me, XTG going east-west or west-east works well), and just plain practice and a really sharp blades helps immensely.

It is a tough spot for sure. Part of what makes it tough is the rounded aspect makes it hard to keep the angle low. I am a some what minimalist when mit comes to prep. Too much prep irritates my skin. My prep is simple, Noxema pre shave, face lather and shave. There are some that do zero prep and cold water shaves. There is no standard method. The mentioned short buffing strokes certainly is used by many to get the whiskers on the chin.
The other thing that has not been mentioned is how is your edge holding up? As a beginner I had to send a razor out pretty steady in the beginning. It is easy to mess up the edge through poor shaving and stropping techniques.

I agree. The chin is a tough area. For me, short strokes, lots of different angles and stretch, stretch, stretch.

Originally Posted by bills2345

New to the site and not an expert by far but been using a straight razor a few months. Luckily no stitches, I picked it up pretty quickly. I am using a Hart 5/8" with a round tip. I still have a hard time I guess in the chin area where another guy would have a goatee. I got the sides and neck pretty good but no matter what method I use, I constantly find on the chin it feels like it's ripping and it's uncomfortable and I wind up giving up and using a regular razor there. I used shave soap soap, a glide gel I found online and I use conditioner before I shave. I let my face heat up and hairs soften in hot water and shave in the shower. Any tips or ideas? If this is not the place to post this I apologize, just let me know where is.
Thanks,
-Bill

Check which direction your hair grows in the problem area. Make sure you are going with the grain.

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The chin requires that you have good angle control. You're constantly adjusting your angle to accommodate the roundness of the chin. Once I begin a stroke on the chin, I do not stop until the razor has traveled the entire radius of the chin. This helps me maintain a good angle.

Don't let the chin discourage you, a great many of us had the same problem. Just keep at it, and one day you will have a "eureka" moment, and the chin will no longer seem that hard to shave.

Early on I used to have trouble with my chin but found that it was easier if I only used the heel end of the blade. Effectively choking up on the blade reduced leverage and provided more stable control maneuvering around the chin.