Thread: advice for a noob....

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

For the chin and any other area of the face you have to imagine and break the contours down into smaller flat planes, adjust your strokes accordingly. Under the jawline, the best thing that I know of is to use your free hand to pull that area upwards onto the jawline and then shave. I do not do ATG on the neck. I hope this helps, if you have any more questions please ask on the forum or shoot me a PM.

This is what I do. I basically raise everything I can above the jawline to make it straighter, then what is left should be below the jawline where it is much easier to shave then going around the jawline, where it is also easier to cut yourself. The chin is the hardest area for me, I go nice and slow and stretch what I can. Having a scar across half my chin doesn't help.

Thanks all for your replies. I've gotten a few more shaves in since the last time I posted(only shave every 2 or 3 days) and my technique has gotten better.

@disburden - I went a couple of shaves without the ATG and focused on angle and pressure and got some better results. In the end, I need the ATG because of the way my face is, and growth pattern. I haven't been able to work out technique yet to really do a XTG on that area.

@durhampiper: thanks for the link on the diagram


Some things I've learned....

My lather was drying out, which I didn't even think about since the "shave cream" was more of a lotion. Added more water, and the shave irritation almost was gone immediately. Now I lather only the part of the face I'm working on(till my technique improves and/or i can shave faster).

A cold wet washcloth on the face after the shave is the most soothing thing ever. Any minor irritation is gone. I'm still trying different products, but trying to not go overboard on buying them(and the GF is kind about understanding)\.

Speaking of the GF, I went with her into this makeup store in the mall called Sephora and was astounded to find they have a small mens section that carries preshave oil, shave lotion, and after shave balm from several companies including "The art of shaving". I was quite shocked, and thought maybe y'all would find that amusing/interesting.

I've also worked out that the way I grip has huge impact on the shave. Doing the Lower left side of my face(jawline) requires a very specific grip to gain comfort and control on the razor. I now tend to do just XTG from ear to chin on that area only, including the whole chin and it's worked out much better.

Thanks again for all your replies and help. I've found this site to be impressive, and very educational.

-Tim

I hear you about the drying out of the lather. However, I would just lather the whole face, as I do, and when you are done with the one side, using hot water, re-wet the tip of your brush and do little circles on your face and then the lather re-hydrates. Experiement and try for the right amount of water. The reason for full face is, it gives the other side that much extra time to get soaked and whiskers softened. A little re-wet and you're back in business.

Last night was the nices shave I have had. Here is what I did. I used my Udderly SmOOth hand cream Dry Skin - Get Udderly Smooth Udder Cream for Dry Skin that was developed for the dairy industry but workers loved it so much they now make it for everyday use, and I put it on my face about 10 minutes before I haved. I did some other things, and when I got my lather ready I merely brushed it on right on top of this Udderly Smooth lotion already on my face. If you use it and get it wet is is REALLY slick. It contains Lanolin, and I usually apply some on my face after the shave. GREAT stuff!!! You can get it at Wal-Mart in the bottle or a smaller tube at DOLLAR GENERAL for a buck! I was amazed at the difference. I used a Ramapo Co. No. 54 razor that has been around before the Civil War that I honed, and it was quite an improvement!

Was going to say the same about reactivating the lather. Works well for me.

Originally Posted by HColl

This is what I do. I basically raise everything I can above the jawline to make it straighter, then what is left should be below the jawline where it is much easier to shave then going around the jawline, where it is also easier to cut yourself. The chin is the hardest area for me, I go nice and slow and stretch what I can. Having a scar across half my chin doesn't help.

I agree. The chin is also the hardest part for me. Often I switch to another razor that most people would have thrown in the trash can. It is a Mulcuto(Solingen German) that had a large chip out of the bade about 2/3 back from the front(toe). So I used my Dremmel and removed that chip and the rest of the blade back and then smoothed out the edges. None of the blade is close to sharp (as in safe) from about 2/3 of the way on back. The front of the blade I had to tape since the spine was so bad with pitting. My result is a narrower width razor that has a very keen edge, VERY, and is real handy for doing the lips and chin area.


I put the file jimps in there myself while I had the blade out re-doing it. Work nice for holding in the fingers.

I've only been at this a month or so.. but i find that for along and just under the jawline, stretching the skin up (pulling taught from your cheek) pulls that hair up off the jawline and onto the face making it easier to get stroking down.. when I release the skin theres about a centimetre clean under my jawling where i can start my neck shave from