How to shave "valleys" nearby my chin ?

[kekon]

Today i've had my first good shave with straight razor. However, there are two areas nearby my chin where hair grow sideways (direction is from the face to the rear of the head). It is very difficult to shave these areas WTG and ATG because i just can't put the blade there and move in a convinient way. Additionally, these areas have a shape of very shallow "valley" which is another compllicating factor. I can only shave them XTG but this leaves some hair after shaving (this is mostly due to the "valley" i've mentioned about). Also i have goatee which doesn't allow to move the blade freely in any possible direction. Is there any solution ?
(i must say that shaving the "valleys" was not big problem when i shaved with multiblade cartridge razor)

[JimmyHAD]

My 'trouble' area is on either side of my windpipe and I had problems similar to yours when I first started straight razor shaving. It took me quite some time, perhaps a month or more, to start to be able to manipulate the blade in different directions. Skin stretching techniques such as pulling a valley to flatten it out help now. Approaching the area from a different angle if what you are doing isn't getting it. Maybe I am a slow learner but it took me time and practice to get to the point where I could do passes in different directions, learn skin stretching technique and get a bbs shave consistently. We only get to shave once a day. With patience and persistence it will come.

[ChrisL]

Would it work for you to puff up your cheeks Dizzy Gillespie style (or as close as you can to that)? That's what I do to get around my chin, the sides of my mouth and above my upper lip area on the second pass.

Chris L

[Ben325e]

+1 to Chris on that. I huff and I puff and I mow those hairs down.

[ChrisL]

+1 to Chris on that. I huff and I puff and I mow those hairs down.

Nice!

Chris L

[Bart]

Some nice suggestions are already made. If I may add:

1. For hollow parts of the face that cannot be "inflated", I really enjoy the virtues of razors with a smiling edge. They allow me to get a few nasty spots in my neck completely smooth.

2. Also concerning the razor: the sharper the blade, the smoother the result. At least that's how it works for me. With a normal "shaveready" razor, I really need to attack a whisker precisely against the grain, in order to cut it at the "zero"-level. Sharper edges will also cut it smooth if the direction of the cut ATG varies a little. There seems so be quite a variety of beard types, as some guys report to be smooth form doing 2 passes WTG, which is just totally out of the question for me personally. I don't get closer than 5'O clock shadow WTG. Of course, I don't know about you. But for me, sharpness is important.

3. I use more than one grip. I just can't guide the razor in the right direction without breaking my wrist, if I'm only alowed the standard grip, which I call a forehand grip (in anology with tennis). With this grip, the foreside of the razor touches the skin while the backside holds the lather. With the backhand grip, the backside of the razor touches the skin while the foreside holds the lather.
Here's a barber book version of the idea:

My personal slightly altered version, that's works better for shaving oneself, looks a bit more like holding a butter knife. The scales are completely folded out straight, and I hold the tang between thumb and index finger.
You'll notice that it really expands the moves you can make. Whether it 'll allow you to tackle your trouble spots, I can't tell for sure.

4. There are a few other advanced things you can try: you can look them up in a Wiki entry I made: Advanced shaving techniques for the straight razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Hope you'll figure out something,

Best regards,
Bart.

[EMC45]

Funny that you said Dizzy Gillespie!! That is what I think every time I shave my cheeks. I puff them out to get a good shave. I also have to hold the razor with a chopping grip to get my right jawline cheek. The hair grows from the front of my face to my ear. On the left side it is straight down. WTG and then ATG.

[izlat]

Good suggestions. Let me also mention that there are razors with shorter blades - they may work better in some cases.

Cheers
Ivo

[bevansmw]

I have a low spot on both sides of my neck too, I use the middle section of the razor to the heel to get them, seems I can get them better that way than trying to use the toe end of the blade. Just on my WTG pass though, going ATG is easy enough with the other half of the blade.

[kekon]

Thank you for all the tips. They are very informative and useful. When my wiskers grow again i will try to shave the "valleys" and use the techique you recommend. I have very sensitive skin but i notice that my straight irritates it less and less with every shave. These valleys are always very red after the shave but i will improve it.
It would be good to have a "shaving simulator" in the form of mannequin where the direction of hair growth could be adjusted freely