Getting BBS on the Jaw-Line

Hey everybody,

I've been shaving with a straight for about 5 months now, and I absolutely love it! One problem that is a constant for me, however, is getting a smooth shave along and just below my jaw-line. It seems like going XTG just isn't enough to get BBS, and it's extremely awkward and uncomfortable for me to attempt going ATG (up towards the bottom of my ear). It's awkward because of the way I have to hold the razor (I generally have to reach across my face with the opposite hand) and it's awkward because the jaw bone creates a curvature of the face that is just damn hard to shave around.

How do other people find themselves getting close shaves along the jaw-line? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

-Robert

Skin stretching is your friend in this department. Use your free hand to pull the skin on your jaw/neck upwards, and then shave N to S. For a lot of us this is an XTG pass (whiskers growing sideways) and should clean up that area nicely. Leaves my jawline BBS without the need for ATG shaving :tu

+1 to what Ryan said about skin stretching. I am lucky in that I can go ATG and I do. I have a skinny neck though and I have to pull areas to make them flat. Lot of nooks and crannies. Sometimes I may stretch an area up, sometimes down or even to the side. Play around with directional stretching and you may find one way works better for you than another.

On my left side I can go right along the jaw line from ear to mouth with the razor and that works. On my right side that doesn't and I have to stretch really hard and go from to of the jaw down and under to accomplish the same thing and that's with using both hands for shaving.

+ 1 to the skin stretching, I hold the razor really lightly in my thumb and forefinger (so that it swings as I move my arm). I find this very light hold works well for me, for if I tend to dig in against a hair, the razor will move in my hand; not continue forward, for long enough for me to say "Oh, shit!" and try again with more concentration. I do just a WTG and a ATG most times, and skip the XTG.

I find I can't really do a ATG on the point of my chin; but I'm growing my goatee back anyway, so that doesn't matter..

You can see I'm not stretching the skin here...

Attachment 86185

Because the other hand's holding the camera... :-)

Attachment 86186

+1 to the skin stretch, sometimes it's all you can do. I know my neck has gotten a bit more elastic especially after the constant stretching in this regard. But sometimes its as simple as learning the contour of your hair, like Ryan had said. It is most often a XTG pass, and sometimes that's all you need. I know I have for the most part re-iterated what's been said, but experimentation, stretching and observing will solve your problem every time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

Skin stretching is your friend in this department. Use your free hand to pull the skin on your jaw/neck upwards, and then shave N to S. For a lot of us this is an XTG pass (whiskers growing sideways) and should clean up that area nicely. Leaves my jawline BBS without the need for ATG shaving :tu

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This is pretty much exactly what I do. Well, on one side of my face anyway. The left side grows N-S, so I have to do an E-W XTG pass on that side (i.e. I hold the razor vertically and shave either chin-to-ear or ear-to-chin.)

For that bit of jawline I use the same pass that Carl photographed in his post above. To do the same thing on the opposite side I've had to learn to shave with my left hand.

p.s. Carl! Enormous shave den by you, man!