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for me- the hollow of the neck towards the bottom of the hairline. there's almost always irritation especially when i go down against the grain(hairs are pointing up and towards my ears). unless my razor is scary sharp which i only achieve occasionally by dumb luck, the razor will pluck these hairs out by the roots and the hairs will come in ingrown. any technique tips?
My hardest area is my right undercheek/jawbone area. It's a kind of hit and miss area. Sometimes I'll do one good stroke and whip it all away in one, other times, all the blade-buffing and scraping in the world doesn't get the stubble to budge. I've found it's generally an indication of the sharpness of my razor, so the moment I can't make this stroke, I know it's time to hone.
the hollow just under the jawline. Everything else is easy.
The right and left areas just below the chin/jawbone. The hair changes growth pattern. Under the chin, the hair grows down and then changes directions and grows toward the ears for half the distance and then finally changes directions to due south.
To get BBS, I often revert to a Jagger DE 89L for a final ATG touch-up after the WTG, XTG, & ATG straight razor passes.:shrug:
My ear lobes. I don't shave them very often, and when I do it is unintentional and very ugly.
I tend to have problems with the two little spots directly under the nostrills. I can't even count the number of times that I've cut my lip or nose trying to get those spots.
Definitely directly under my chin. I've got a good scar there and makes things interesting. Other than that, just to the right of my adams apple. For some reason the hair grows in different directions and the concave topography of the area make it a little difficult. :/
Definitely my chin. It's nearly as sharp as my razor.
The areas right and left of the chin, underneath the jawline, and the final line of hairs at the bottom of the neck, just like the OP.
I turn my head to the side and tilt it up to get the flattest area possible under the jaw. I head southward with the razor. Just before I get to the final line of hair, I use my hand to pull my neck south even more, lifting those little guys straight up. Razor at about 10 degrees, and a scything stroke. Usually leaves with no irritation or ingrowns.
I've been doing this for a while, so I know how to attack those tough spots with relative ease. But for some time the toughest areas to get a clean shave were my chin (like everyone else) and the hollow on one side of my neck. A little practice and perseverance, and now it's all good.
this one is tough for me too and it seems like a tricky spot for others as well- mainly b/c i don't like to shave the right side under-jawbone area with my left hand since its too shaky (i can get the corresponding left area with my right hand on the atg pass. ) For the right side underjaw atg pass, i use an unusual grip with my right hand. the razor is open to about 280 degrees. with the edge pointing up i put my thumb on the side of the tang and my index and middle on the other side of the tang. the ring and pinky is under the monkey tail down to between the 2nd and 3rd knuckle of the ring finger- locking the blade in my hand. then shave up on the right underjaw with your right hand with the heel closer to the chin and the toe pointing to the ear. i kind of curl the razor up to keep the edge angle pretty small. hope this helpsQuote:
Originally Posted by Shangas
I agree with under the jaw bone being tough. Although my problem isn't getting that area smooth, it's the irritation and multiple weepers I've been causing with my ATG pass that is the issue. I think I may try two XTG passes from opposite directions (n/s and s/n) because under my jawline the hair grows from the middle towards the ear on both sides.
Well gentlemen, I proved my hypothesis, that if I can't shave my jaw-area, it's because my razor's dull.
I sharpened up my straight-razor, stropped it to within an inch of its life and with hot lather, went to town on my face.
Two good strokes and I got my right under-jaw area nice and smooth.
Yes, a proper shave ready blade will certainly help in this area (or any area for that matter :)), but don't forget that proper technique is just as important. You'd be surprised what a good scything stroke will do for you, even if that blade isn't exactly scalpel sharp.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shangas
what exactly do you mean by scything. -is it moving the edge forward -point first- slightly off the perpendicular line or is it something else? ps is that you in your avatar or a young neil young? :)
lol - The actual definition of what constitutes a scything stroke is still debated - to avoid rehashing it, I'd suggest looking it up in the wiki or doing a search for related threads.Quote:
Originally Posted by 8man
PS - Yes, that is indeed Neil Young in my avatar. It`s from the cover of his 1978 album Comes a Time.
Totally have the same problem. It looks like an aerial view of a hurricane when it's grown out, making the right side of my neck the toughest part to shave by far.Quote:
Originally Posted by gomatty
hollow on the base of neck like the OP and ATG on the edge of my chin, but i genuinely believe that the chin is a grind issue as i have an easier time with my quarter hoillow than my full hollow
Just below my jawline on the right side of my neck. The hairs grow almost sideways and I need some creative attack and a good smiling blade to get the best result.
:roflmaoQuote:
Originally Posted by ace
But for me, it's the chin, hands down, thanks to a serious cleft combined with whiskers that grow due south. Approaching my chin as a series of very small, flat planes helps, but the stroke that would really work best for the cleft--ATG--is very difficult. It's tough to get the skin there stretched so that it's flat across. I usually manage to get it done, but it takes more time than any other area on my face.
I started to shave with straight razor 5 years ago and in that period, I remember, that hardest part was my neck because hairs growe in few directions. It was not so big problem to shave the neck but problem was to achieve at least DFS.
Today, I do not have that novice problems and I can shave every part of my beard easily without significant problems.
Under my jawline on my weak side. I am still new to straight razor shaving, my biggest challenge is shaving under my right jawline; I am left handed. I tried using my right hand and I alway nick myself, so now I reach over and change the razor's prostion in my hand and proceed slowly and carefully. In time I'll have it figured out.
The chin and a small patch on the right side of my neck. It seems this is an area where the growth patterns cross, so I can never seem to get it just right w/ my SR. I ususally end up taking my DE to this area.
Attachment 69676The areas in the pic are the hardest for me to get BBS I end up using weird positions to get it done.
my goatee area around my jawline. i've been working on coming in on it in all different directions, but no dice so far.
Chin, for sure!
For me its my chin just like everyone else and for some reason a small spot on one side of my neck. I just have to be extra careful and these spots come out nicely.
Over the past couple of weeks I seemed to have engaged in psychological warfare with a small area just to the right of my chin. I can get it close and smooth in a couple of directions but their defence mechanism is very robust.
Upper lip/mustache area. And when I do get it it hurts like a mofo but doesn't leave signs of razor burn.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gomatty
Quote:
Originally Posted by JesseB123
+1 on the above. Just to the right and below my adam's apple... it's mayhem down there.
All around my adams apple as the growth is in swirls. To make it more interesting, if I pull my skin it makes the hairs disappear rather than rise! I've learned to get around that by not pulling my skin over but just moving my neck... takes a few swipes but it does the job :)
Definitely the throat area, but especially the right side. I've resorted to making a "sweeping" stroke holding the razor in my right hand, edge facing to my left, and the pivot at the base of my "Adam's Apple." It's not perfect, but passes muster.
