Chin area?

Hey guys, just wondering if people could give me tips for doing my chin. I know I'm a n00b, but I can regularly get 3-pass BBS on my cheeks and sideburns with nary a nick, so I've added new areas. I can do my neck perfectly, but the area under my chin continues to give me issues, and I'm not moving onto doing my mo until I can get the chin perfect.

In particular, the point of my chin is the real bugger to get. :soapbox: I've tried WTG, ATG, XTG, everything I can think of. My prep is fine, my blade is sharp enough, yet I still get visible and touchable whiskers left behind on the point of my chin and underneath the chin (generally very very close to the edge of the jawline), even after multiple passes in multiple directions. I think the culprit is my skin stretching, but being a young'un I have no loose skin to grab a hold of and stretch. Anyone got any ideas on how I could stretch that troublesome chin point out to snag those annoying few whiskers?

I'm in the same boat as you. Using straights every day for a little over a month, BBS on the cheeks, neck, and jaw... just not the chin.

I suppose stretchy jowls will come with age.

I'm kind of obsessive about having a BBS chin, not that I get it everytime, but I have to do about 6 passes in different directions to get everything.

I will put my thumb in the corner of my mouth and pull up and attack in a couple of different directions. Theres the open mouth pull the bottom lip technique I'll do from time-to-time.

This is going to sound like heresy, but I have found that a slightlymore oblique angle and short, scything strokes in many directions will work wonders, even on un-stretched chin. Just keep experimenting, and you'll get it all down! Good luck!

As has been stated already,noone can tell you what works on you.You have to learn by trying.The only advice I can think of would be a light touch,be prepared to ease up if the blade stops or catches anywhere,and practice going "around the corner"vertically while keeping the correct angle.

Besides the hairs on the chin being thicker, it is very difficult to see the angle of your blade when shaving your own chin. I had CarrieM watch me shave and mention when the angle was out of the zone. After a few times with her watching I was able to develop a 'feel' for the angle in the difficult areas.

Chin - use small buffing strokes when working the chin. When shaving around the curve of the chin - north/south - use a steeper than 30 degree angle say 15 - 20 degrees. Just concern yourself with reducing the hairs for the third pass. The point of the chin is challenging so there should be some overlap with the passes.

Between passes, rinse with hot water and lather the area nicely.

When doing a third pass going North use an angle around 30+ degrees as this seems to get the chin BBS and cleans up the rough spots, but only after you have reduced the hairs on the first two passes. Doing this without reducing the hairs first will results in a lot of tugging. :rant:

On the side of the chins, use XTG slant movements when doing your first two passes North/South.

Good Luck!

Pabster

i think a big question here is what direction your hairs grow in?

mine grow straight down in the middle and kind of a 45 deg angle from my mouth out on the sides of my chin (sorry if the description sucks, but i think this grow pattern is pretty commun). i just act like they are all going straight down, so i do WTG while stretching the skin that would be under my chin up onto the flat of the front of my chin. its pretty easy, put your finger under your bottom lip and push it up onto your top teeth. i also encorparate the sides of my chin into my cheek area by opening my mouth as wide as i can and pulling up on the top of my sideburn (saw this in a users video, though i don't remember who, thanks). then i go from side burn to chin which is mostly an XTG for me. this gets your jawline nicely also.

thats what i do, hope it helps, though chances are you will develop you own technique. keep at it, good job so far.

Wes

A long time back a fellow posted that he places his thumb and forefinger in a U shape on either side of his chin and stretches back towards his ears pulling the chin tight. I have been using that method for the point of the chin area since and it is working well for me. In my case I am going XTG first from the right and then from the left and flattening the angle out.

I have found that north and south and east and west works best for me. If I try funny angles it increases my chance to get a nice nick. I think a buffing strokes does help as well, with a low blade angle.

Crom

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

A long time back a fellow posted that he places his thumb and forefinger in a U shape on either side of his chin and stretches back towards his ears pulling the chin tight. I have been using that method for the point of the chin area since and it is working well for me. In my case I am going XTG first from the right and then from the left and flattening the angle out.

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I do that stretch also. It's very effective.

I would suggest that, if you're getting adequate but not BBS shaves on your chin to move on and do your whole face, it will all fall into place in time.

I managed a perfect BBS today, with nary a nick (ok, ok, I had one, but that was just where I sliced the top off a wee zit), and have been happily face-sturbating all day.

Got my chin damn near perfect (one patch, maybe 10mm by 10mm with a few whiskers not as short as I'd like, otherwise flawless), and even managed a perfect Fool's Pass on my mo area. I'm getting better at this game for sure.

Not sure exactly what I did different today. Possibly using very short strokes on my chin is the key - didn't try any fancy stretches, as I'm a little leery of having my fingers so close to a very sharp piece of steel. I'll have to think about it for next shave.

If only my beard would grow faster so I could have another shave and work it out!

The chin is such a challenge because of all the contours. I've been using straights for 10 months and am just now feeling that I have finally conquered my chin without leaving traces of stuble.

I put my blade to my chin with an open mouth. Next I pay close attention to the way the blade is angled and the ammount of pressure. Lastly, I close my mouth while holding the blade still.

That is right I move my face while holding the blade still. Yes, it is crazy backwards but it is the way I do it.