Thread: Avoiding Nicks and Cuts

Yes. Keep trying. That's the nastiest part of the shave and it will take a lot of time adjusting to it. I'm shaving with a straight for nearly an year now and still having trouble getting BBS there. Here's a few tips I learned, but before you read please take into account I have an angular face, it may not work the same for a round plump one: stretch your neck as far as you can. Place a grip on the lower neck somewhere top keep the skin tight. If your prep involves a lotta hot water your skin will sweat and be slippery, I use a barber towel so my fingers won't lose the grip when the blade's on the skin. Next check the direction your hair's growing towards. Under he jaw bone the hair will not have the same growth direction as the whiskers or the chin. At least that's what mine does. To go ATG you will need to be extremely careful and watch out so the nose of the blade doesn't dig into your jaw bone. In my opinion ATG is the only way to get a very smooth shave there. I know there's a lot of guys opposing ATG on the grounds that WTG and XTG provide BBS just as well, but that comes after years of experience. Until then I strongly recommend ATG in the jaw-neck area.

On the other hand, BBS in that spot leads to irritation in my experience. I do not insist too much on it and if there's a little hair left it's barely noticeable, probably only your dance partner will see it if she looks really close. That's especially because the face curves inward and it's hidden from view.

Hope it helps.

Originally Posted by MikkoK

I am having trouble shaving my face around and right under the jaw bone. The face seems to curve inward under the jaw bone and I end up not having a smooth shave over there. Any tips?

a few ideas that might help...one, obviously make sure that your razor is sharp...sounds elementary but stranger things have happened...two, learn the grain of your beard...three, learn to tighten the skin on your face when shaving...four, I'd consider some prep if you don't do it already

Originally Posted by certifiedbodyman

a few ideas that might help...one, obviously make sure that your razor is sharp...sounds elementary but stranger things have happened...two, learn the grain of your beard...three, learn to tighten the skin on your face when shaving...four, I'd consider some prep if you don't do it already

And I guess number five would be just more practice? I have already done all of the above with the exception of the razor being super sharp.

Thanks for the tips.

Sorry, Jimmy, but this isn't as effective as it was in your signature

Are many learning curves to the art for sure,learning beard growth patterns,muscle memory etc.
Go's without saying that the blade and prep are paramount.
Shaving is a repititive process IMO,you cut yourself,your brainbox will register that mistake and you most likly will not do the same again.
Keep at it in a rudimentary form and you will master it,go into it with 75 tips and tricks,treat it like rocket science with trepidation and a head full of stuff,you will never master it.

Hey, ryan82,

I have been researching SR shaving for over a month now and just recieved my very first Dovo 5/8'' razor yesterday along with some quality products for shaving. I know its not going to be easy but it seemed like a disaster and i need some advice. Anticipating the arrival of my new razor, ive studied several videos (lynn on utube as well) as well as others, and im a sponge for knowledge as im a novice..

Watching others on videos, it looks effortless and the main thing was the blade just gliding over your skin, creating a close shave. I wasnt expecting this, but i was expecting something better than what i got yesterday...

So, i prepped myself, hot shower, oil, cream etc.. and here we go... the razor completely dug into skin, nothing was cut, (a few whiskers).. So, i stopped, re adjusted my angle to about 30 deg and tried again... All i got was cuts and pain and no shave?

So, Im figuring hmm, i guess my new SR needs to be honed? So i called a gentleman at a knife shop that does sharpening and asked some questions. He recomended that i bring it in. SO, today i did just that, and he looked at it.. He ran it on the strop a few times and i bought a strop there took it home and began stropping based on everything that has been said here.... Tried again... 2nd attempt! nothing, just like the first but i didnt give up, ended up using my nik pen 10x and i dont have a half way close shave? what do i do? im willing to put the effort into this but im a little discouraged right now?

thanks for your help

mark, lake oswego, Oregon

Originally Posted by theirsashave

Hey, ryan82,

I have been researching SR shaving for over a month now and just recieved my very first Dovo 5/8'' razor yesterday along with some quality products for shaving. I know its not going to be easy but it seemed like a disaster and i need some advice. Anticipating the arrival of my new razor, ive studied several videos (lynn on utube as well) as well as others, and im a sponge for knowledge as im a novice..

Watching others on videos, it looks effortless and the main thing was the blade just gliding over your skin, creating a close shave. I wasnt expecting this, but i was expecting something better than what i got yesterday...

So, i prepped myself, hot shower, oil, cream etc.. and here we go... the razor completely dug into skin, nothing was cut, (a few whiskers).. So, i stopped, re adjusted my angle to about 30 deg and tried again... All i got was cuts and pain and no shave?

So, Im figuring hmm, i guess my new SR needs to be honed? So i called a gentleman at a knife shop that does sharpening and asked some questions. He recomended that i bring it in. SO, today i did just that, and he looked at it.. He ran it on the strop a few times and i bought a strop there took it home and began stropping based on everything that has been said here.... Tried again... 2nd attempt! nothing, just like the first but i didnt give up, ended up using my nik pen 10x and i dont have a half way close shave? what do i do? im willing to put the effort into this but im a little discouraged right now?

thanks for your help

mark, lake oswego, Oregon

Mark
I am a newb as well and had the same experience until I got a razor honed by one of the pros here on the form. Gssixgun honed mine and the difference was amazing. I also then realized I had the wrong angle. I can tell the difference in angles by the sound. You can hear the cutting when youhave the right angle.
Brian

The thing that works best for me is to first have a Capt. Morgan and Coke, then take a hot shower and finally shave. The Capt. Morgan and Coke takes the shake out of my hand, loosens my grip, relaxes me to focus on what I am doing and the hot shower softens up my otherwise tough whiskers. When I follow that order, I rarely, if ever nick myself.

I must agree with that piece of advice above; tighten, tighten, tighten the skin. Loose skin sinks...wrong rhyme. Anyway, Contort your fae and additionlly, pull the skin ever tighter. You will, practically, without a doubt avoid all nicks and cuts that way. Just remove the loose skin from the equation and wallah!

...still have to agree with the previous posters...sharp razor, tight skin and good prep...although at times I have to slack on the prep due to local conditions out here and time constraints...good prep IS a bit of a luxury out here but definitely worth it if I can make the time BUT...a really sharp razor and tight skin definitely go a long way to help avoiding nicks...in fact, I just purchased a Boker King Cutter from SRD...crazy sharp (honed by Lynn I presume) but...I hadn't recieved my Heirloom Old No. 2 Strop yet...I figured "what the heck" and put it in service sans the strop...well, the first shave was marvelous, the second shave was a bit less so, the third a bit less etc. until I was nicking myself in multiple places...so...just in time the strop arrives and I've been stropping it ALOT with the proper technique (just figured that one out too thankfully) and presto...a really smooth shave today...so...sharp razor, tight skin equals good shave...a good prep is a definite bonus...