Hey guys,


I have a problem that I hope someone has experienced or has an idea on how I ca fix it. I have had a goatee for the vast majority of the last 16 yrs. I have a very coarse beard in the goatee area. I have found over the years that after a while the skin under my goatee likes to breathe and be exfoliated a couple times a year. I also have dry skin on my cheeks and chin. I usually shave the goatee and remain clean shaven for about a week before growing it back.

Last night I felt the need to clean off the goatee and let my face recuperate. I cut the goatee down to stubble length with my beard trimmer and I went through my normal beard prep but let the conditioner and hot water sit a bit longer on my goatee area to help get it a little softer. I shaved my cheeks and neck with no issues and got a nice clean first pass on them. I lathered my whole face and di the right cheek. Relathered my left cheek, neck, and goatee and shaved my neck. Relathered the goatee area again and tried to shave it. It was like the razor ran into steel cables. There was no smooth sliding across the skin. It felt like I was using a steak knife. I was expecting this but not to the degree I was feeling. When I did my second pass, the razor felt like a butter knife on my cheeks and neck and I left the goatee alone.

So after all that I get to the questions. Will the goatee area get softer if I continue to shave it? Is there anything else I can do in my prep to make it softer? As it stands currently I would probably need to strop after my upper lip and again after my chin before my second pass in order to maintain the edge.