Thread: Chin Advice

Hey Everyone,
I got a Thiers-Issard Sheffield Silver Steel, Kingwood, 6/8 for Christmas and am having a few issues with my chin. Before I get started I want to say that I have a few years experience with a Feather AC but it was used in conjunction with a DE so my technique is certainly not flawless.

I'm having a lot of trouble with the chin area right now, that is, I can't really get the razor to cut through the stubble. I can't quite tell if it's the angle (I've adjusted it some with little result), a lubrication issue, stropping, or something else. It also seems to drag some when I go against the grain under my sideburns. The razor was ordered through Classic Shaving's honing service so I wouldn't think that would be an issue.

I'm really enjoying the straight so far and would love to get the chin down so I can shave even more and with less irritation. Please help out a straight razor noob.

Thanks for your help!

EDIT: I just tried the HHT with the razor and it failed miserably but it the Feather with a new blade failed as well. Any thoughts?

There's alot of unknowns from the description of past shaving efforts.

Chin area - have you been able to do this area without trouble w/ your Feather? If so, it could be that either the edge wasn't shave ready, or possibly the stropping technique degraded the edge.

There seems to be no issue mentioned other than ATG by sideburns and chin, which would point to technique. I had serious issues w/ flexible hollows until I let go of one misconception about blade angle (I have many other misconceptions I'm hanging on to ). I'd keep using the same angle on the heavy beard that I used on the sideburns. The short version was that when the resistance was up, I had to dramatically drop the spine much closer to the skin. Blades and edge finishing vary dramatically, but angle would be the first thing I'd try. If it's gliding easy, a high angle is fine. When the brush gets dense, get the spine much closer to the face.

Also, I don't know if the scything or guillotine stroke is a familiar idea. It also reduces resistance from heavy brush.

I hope others can post & maybe we can get you back to having fun.

Thank you for your help, I will try to clear things up as best I can.

Getting the chin area has never been easy, no matter the razor. I've used Mach 3's and Fusions, a DE, a Feather, and the TI and there is always a lot of drag. I've been able to get through it with the DE and usually the Feather but in my 3 shaves with the TI I haven't had tremendous luck.

So your first suggestion would be to decrease the blade angle? Is there a common mistake I might be making with stropping that I should correct?

I will attempt to do some guillotining as well. Seeing as I could at least make progress on my chin with the Feather, I want to think I may be stropping improperly.

The chin area is my toughest challenge. I've been using a straight razor for 3 or 4 months and shave almost every day. I've learned to "map" my face and to use a different grip for each area of the face. My first pass is WTG on my face and neck. I do a light WTG pass on my chin as well, but never seem to be able to grab the beard despite the angle or sharpness of the blade (I'm pretty sure this is a technique thing that I'll overcome...). Then I relather and do an ATG pass on my neck and jaw line. Depending upon how I feel, I might take it up past the jaw line a bit. I then relather and to an across the grain cut on my sideburns and the sides of my face. On my previous WTG and ATG passes, I try to do justice to the chin and make all of the motions... yet it's the XTG that brings my chin in line.

Stick with it - you'll figure out your "map" sooner or later and find what works for you. I've had two "ah ha!" moments in my straight razor shaving experience. The first was trying to replicate the angle of the blade to mimic the angle of the blade in a Gillette disposable. The second was knowing that I could hold the razor any way I wanted to - even sideways with two fingers! The reality is your razor is a tool and you want to learn how to use your tool.

just a few tips.stropping will make or break your shave look at every video you can find and read the article in wiki on stroping. i start with my chin when my razor is fresh off the strop and at its sharpest.i do the lower lip frist then streching my lip as far as it will go upwards i run the razor straight down in the middle and under my chin.then from the strip i just cut i move down and sideways frist right with my right hand then left with my left.hope this helps. try turning the hair around with your hht. root out is the easyest cut, wipe the razor to make sure all oil is removed

Thanks for the advice.

I'll revisit the stropping videos tomorrow. It's hard for me to tell how much pressure is too much and whether or not I'm keeping the spine and edge in contact with the strop when I'm moving at the recommended speed. It will be worth the effort in the long run though. I shall press on.

Cutalot's advice on starting with the chin is on point. I've had difficulty with the chin with the Dovo Shavette but never with the DE. Either way, I always seem to come to it last when the lather is beginning to dry out. I think the difference between doing well with the DE and not so well with the Shavette is that the weight of the head of the DE (Merkur 34C) facilitates the cutting action. It is much easier to establish a low angle and drag it through the beard while raising it to make it effective than trying to establish an angle and "pushing it" through the beard. That plus the fact that the beard confronts the shaver with changing angles makes it naturally more difficult.

The chin area is normally the hardest for most folks because the whisker there is usually the heaviest and due to the shape of the chin itself. As indicated earlier in this thread the key is the angle and close to the face or more vertical is a good thing. The tough part is how to keep that cutting angle as you go around the curvature of the chin and that part really just takes practice. Speaking of videos, I would watch as many shaving videos as possible to get a picture of how people handle this part. You should find it a little more challenging going for a shavette to a 6/8 inch wide blade simply because of the width of the blade. Our hands have a natural tendency to bend back when we have a straight razor in them and this is more prevalent with wider blades. That opens up the shaving angle to 45 degrees or more usually and you really have to pay attention to maintain under 30 degrees and especially around the peak of the chin or the lowest part leading down toward the neck.

You can always have a razor re-honed if you think that's the problem, but making sure it is not technique is always the first place to go.

Have fun,

Lynn

I took a small step back from the chin today because I had suspicions that my stropping was to blame. It is at least partly. I was shaving and it felt pretty weird so I dried the razor off and stropped for a little bit and saw a marked improvement. I also tried the guillotine stroke under my sideburns (because of the resistance I was experiencing earlier) and that made a HUGE difference. My face is on fire right now from a combination of poor technique and everything on my body being chapped. I'm going to take a break at least until my Skin Food arrives.

In the mean time, I'd like to improve my stropping. I've watched several videos and think I'm getting a little better but any advice on common beginner mistakes would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot guys!

I'm 6 months in, and I'm my technique has only recently gotten to the point where I can get BBS on my chin, when I was getting BBS on my cheeks within the first dozen shaves.

This is what really helped me:
Forcing myself to lower the angle down as much as possible (I was doing what lynn said and mistaking 45+ for 30 degrees)
Very short strokes, ~1/2 inch or so.
Stretching the skin to move hair from a particularly curvy section to a flatter one.
Not cutting at a perpendicular angle to the razor, but angled as in my avatar picture.
Learning growth patterns and adjusting angle of approach accordingly.

You can also grow a goatee for awhile.