About a week into shaving with a straight and it's getting better. I use a lighter touch and less angle. 3 passes and other than being a little uneven, it's about as good as 3 passes with the ol' disposable schick with 4 blades.That chin though is a little tricky but I'm starting to get it figured out. I think one of my problems over all is I tend to touch up spots dry, so I am still getting a little burn. #stickingwithit
That chin though
- Thread starter mvsmith
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Cut that out lol!
Congratulations on making the move to straights! Glad you’re enjoying the process.
~Matt~
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I still have not master my chin, but getting there. Nothing beats a straight shave for closeness and relaxation. Never rush a straight shave, I know this unfortunately. Plan, prep and execute.
The chin is the most challenging area also for me. I find that the chin really tells whether a razor is sharp enough.
You may shave your cheeks and neck areas with a slightly dull razor and get away with it, but the chin will definitely suffer. On the other hand, when the razor is truly shave ready, I find that the chin gets clean and smooth with much less effort, resulting in less burn and irritation
You may shave your cheeks and neck areas with a slightly dull razor and get away with it, but the chin will definitely suffer. On the other hand, when the razor is truly shave ready, I find that the chin gets clean and smooth with much less effort, resulting in less burn and irritation
Roll the razor in your fingers as you go around the round parts. Better several passes after re-lathering each time than scaping and try to get every hair with one.
My chin was really tough for me the first few shaves. I have several scars that make it a challenge (lots of different angles needed to get it). As Twelvefret mentioned, once I got the rolling motion down with the razor, my chin became much easier. It is now no different from shaving anywhere else for me (except for the scar areas).
For chin, the main challenge is maintaining the blade angle as you move around the contour of your chin. It takes practice. As a noob, there is no shame in touching up with a DE or cartridge at first and slowly progressing toward exclusively using the straight. Being too much of a perfectionist with the straight with little experience generally leads to weepers and irritation.
Personally I only shave WTG on the chin and above the lip. With one pass plus a little touch up, I get a pretty smooth shave but just short of a BBS in those areas. Everywhere else, I get a BBS in 2 passes with touch-up, occasionally 3.
We're all unique snowflakes, so learn what works for you. But take your time in learning the proper technique.
Personally I only shave WTG on the chin and above the lip. With one pass plus a little touch up, I get a pretty smooth shave but just short of a BBS in those areas. Everywhere else, I get a BBS in 2 passes with touch-up, occasionally 3.
We're all unique snowflakes, so learn what works for you. But take your time in learning the proper technique.
The chin takes a little getting use to. I'm relatively new to SRs and there is a thin line on my chin that takes a little extra work to ensure it's cleanly shaven.
Overall, it does get easier the more you shave.
Overall, it does get easier the more you shave.
It took me 100 days to get my chin shaved to a level where I felt comfortable going out in public - somewhere kind of close to a sloppy electric shave. I'm six months in now and it is much better, though I can't go ATG w/o some discomfort. I usually just do 2 XTG passes to finish up a shave.
It is weird to me how all the things that used to be obstacles when starting out are no problem now. For example:
*When I started, if I didn't have really slick lather, the shave hurt. Now I can shave with basically any kind of lather.
*When I started, shaving any more than one day's growth was very painful and there was a lot of pulling (in fact I started each SR shave with one pass of the DE). Now I can shave with any day's worth of growth no problem.
*When I started, I had a lot of trouble starting at my sideburn and shaving downwards (my first stroke). Now I can almost do it blindfolded (I have low visibility in that area anyway because I wear glasses).
*When I started, I couldn't go over areas multiple times w/o re-lathering. Now I can run the razor over my chin multiple times while adjusting angles until the hairs I am targeting get cut down.
*When I started, honing was a complete mystery to me. But now that I've found a comfortable edge (1 um film or 12k Naniwa), I can touch-up my blades with no problem.
I'm still learning, to be sure. But I'm also somewhat proud of myself for even being able to do this just about every day. I was totally scared to death on day one and got two decent cuts my first week.
It is weird to me how all the things that used to be obstacles when starting out are no problem now. For example:
*When I started, if I didn't have really slick lather, the shave hurt. Now I can shave with basically any kind of lather.
*When I started, shaving any more than one day's growth was very painful and there was a lot of pulling (in fact I started each SR shave with one pass of the DE). Now I can shave with any day's worth of growth no problem.
*When I started, I had a lot of trouble starting at my sideburn and shaving downwards (my first stroke). Now I can almost do it blindfolded (I have low visibility in that area anyway because I wear glasses).
*When I started, I couldn't go over areas multiple times w/o re-lathering. Now I can run the razor over my chin multiple times while adjusting angles until the hairs I am targeting get cut down.
*When I started, honing was a complete mystery to me. But now that I've found a comfortable edge (1 um film or 12k Naniwa), I can touch-up my blades with no problem.
I'm still learning, to be sure. But I'm also somewhat proud of myself for even being able to do this just about every day. I was totally scared to death on day one and got two decent cuts my first week.
Then Chin thing will come. You will figure it out as you continue to shave. Everyone’s chin is different and you will learn to shave yours. One day you will just think “that wasn’t so hard” and forget about it. Don’t fret, just keep shaving. We all went through it and so will you.
When I started I would do a first pass on my chin with a DE and then a second pass with a SR. The rest of my face I did with the SR. This helped to build up muscle memory and eventually the chin was easy.
That’s great advice!!
- Thread starter
- #13
On about my 7th shave. I have Just been working at it, making multiple passes. Starting to get reasonable results.
Shaving my chin and jawline have always been difficult due to grain direction. I normally shave WTG and ATG with a straight razor, but then switch to a DE razor for a tough up pass, primarily on the jawline and chin. My method might not meet with approval of the straight razor purists, but it works for me.
Any chin updates? I've found steady and multiple angles and passes is the key.
- Thread starter
- #16
This is where I am. Patience is definitely a virtue here. I may make 3 passes on the rest of my face but 4 or 5 at different angles on my chin lathering for each.
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