Thread: Shaving the chin

So I've got about 7 or 8 shaves under my belt now, and the spot I haven't been able to get totally smooth is my chin. Tonight I got the closest yet, and I attribute that to not having shaved for two days, letting the hair get a little longer.

How do you guys manage the chin? I don't dare go against the grain, but I'd like to know what you guys think or how you get it really close.

Kyle

Dang...immediately after posting this thread, I found two other threads that give some chin advice: one and two.

Any further comments are still welcome, but I refer people looking for info to read through these two threads.

I stretch the skin and pull a funny face to pull the skin even more. Then I first shave with the grain then across the grain. The skill is keeping the angle of attack even.

What I have noticed that it is easier to shave along the chin and neck line if I use my 4/8th gong razor, more control than the larger blades. In fact I am getting more and more converted to 4/8th. Not any closer just easier.

Peter

Originally Posted by phopwood

In fact I am getting more and more converted to 4/8th. Not any closer just easier.

I'd just like to say that although I'm very much a rookie, I like my 4/8 as much as, if not more than, my 5/8 and 6/8 razors. I know everyone else seems to be going for the bigger and heavier blades but I'll be honest and say that my little 4/8 kronpunkt is near the top of my favorite list so far. The 5/8 seems to be the perfect size, with the 4/8 a very close match. My lone 6/8 is actually one of my least favorite razors.

Maybe as I get old and curmudgeonly like the rest of you I'll develop a penchant for meatchoppers but for now I think I'll snap up all the smaller blades you guys are passing by and get them for a song

-- Gary F.

My attack plan on the chin doesn't differ much from the one listed above. First I made a southward pass, making sure to stretch the bottom chin skin very tightly so I can nab those hairs that are on the bottom of the chin. When they're on the neck/throat, they're a lot easier to shave. I then do a second cross-grain pass, stretching my cheeks upwards as I do, making a few against-the-grain strokes. For the against-the-grain pass, I stretch and use the toe of the razor do take down the individual hairs that have been missed.

gfoster, that's good that you've found a razor that works well for you. It's weird -- I started out with 5/8 razors before I moved to the 6/8. Then I got my 7/8 razor and I really like it a lot. Going back to the smaller ones seems like I'm losing some of the shave experience as I lose some of the blade size.

The 4/8 I tried was good for the precision shaving, but I felt it was lacking what a bigger razor would accomplish with the big strokes.

Might be different because I have both a moustache and a goatee, so pretty much everything has to be precision. For the same reason, I'm liking the square points best, especially when I'm squaring off the edges of my goatee.

-- Gary F.

I shave the chin from the sides, holding the razor with the left for the left side and with the right for the right side. I just shave as if doing my cheek - BUT:

I change the technique a little bit. Shaving the cheeks is like driving on the "Autobahn". Straight forward (ok, with a little slide ... ;-)). Chin is like driving a narrow street in the blackforrest, so I make a kind of "peeling" short strokes.

The "peeling razor" prevents you from holding the straigth to steep an cut yourself. You can manage narrow passages of the skin better ...


Arnd

Take a look at our video section and watch the chin being shaved. That should give you a few ideas.

Lynn