I had no problem taking off my cheek hairs and even got a nick on my cheek from shaving with my straight razor, but my chin stubble won't budge. I must've stropped it fifty times trying to shave my chin stubble off: nothing. Tried sharpening on both sides of my honing stone: nothing. Should I throw my straight razor in the garbage now, or later?
Why Does It Carve My Cheek Up But Can't Shave My Chin Stubble?
- Thread starter The Wagonmaster
- Start date
Time, patience. We all experience that. The chin is a matter of rotating the blade during the pass for me and not starting from a dead stop. Of course, wet and slippery lather is essential.
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Because if you hair is anything like mine, and probably most people, it's a lot more dense and coarse around and below your mouth (goatee area), but also twice as tricky to shave as your cheeks (or even neck).
This can be difficult area to master, if you're certain your razor is sharp, make sure you take it super slow and at first, don't try to shave off too much hair. When you're starting, try just to "remove the lather" from that area, and remove some more on the next pass, you'll get it eventually. It can also be tricky to stretch the skin in this area. This is just one of the videos that can give you ideas how to approach it (skip to 3 min mark if pressed for time).
Also, if you're anything like me, that's the last area I shave, so sometimes it doesn't hurt to lather again, just to make sure your lather hasn't dried a bit. Make sure you prep "long enough" so your hair has time to absorb moisture and soften up, it'll be that much easier to cut.
This can be difficult area to master, if you're certain your razor is sharp, make sure you take it super slow and at first, don't try to shave off too much hair. When you're starting, try just to "remove the lather" from that area, and remove some more on the next pass, you'll get it eventually. It can also be tricky to stretch the skin in this area. This is just one of the videos that can give you ideas how to approach it (skip to 3 min mark if pressed for time).
Also, if you're anything like me, that's the last area I shave, so sometimes it doesn't hurt to lather again, just to make sure your lather hasn't dried a bit. Make sure you prep "long enough" so your hair has time to absorb moisture and soften up, it'll be that much easier to cut.
The chin is generally the hardest area to master for everyone with a straight. It's a technique issue. Give it more (a lot more) time.
Are you positive the razor was ever shave ready?
Do you hone your own razors?
Do you hone your own razors?
Just like with shaving the neck with a DE, shaving the neck can be very difficult because theres so few truly flat surfaces, so you have to constantly adjust your angle.
I think that most people, even barbers, struggle to get a close shave on the neck.
I think that most people, even barbers, struggle to get a close shave on the neck.
- Thread starter
- #8
When I first got the razor, I feel like it shaved fine, although then I had trouble with the chin as well, but after a couple shaves it became really dull. I had some trepidation about stropping because I actually tore up the strop and destroyed my last razor while stropping. This time, I did it nice and slow. It seems like it's sharp if it took off my cheek hair and sliced my cheek.
So, I got a old Wade and Butcher last week that I later honed. I could have sliced skin easily the way it came. Therefore something can be very sharp and not shave, I think. I could cut myself with a pocket knife, but not shave.
I am new, so take this in that regard. I would like to suggest you look over this thread I started.
Getting to Shave Ready on Your Own
If you follow the Burr Method on films you will achieve a shave ready edge. You can choose to use diamond or Chromium Oxide paste.
My first stropping strokes are intentionally very slow and deliberate, very light if any pressure. Short, 8-10" strokes. As I progress I get a bit faster, but speed is not the goal.
All of my razors are old ones I have found cheap. All of them are shave ready. As you progress you will learn what do to and if you need to touch up the edge you will be able to do it yourself. You'll be more satisfied this way.
I had this problem for a while too. My cheeks would be smooth (or cut) then my chin and neck were still rough (even after two passes). After about a month of shaving every day I found that my technique improved and my understanding of my facial hair also increased. Now I can get a nice smooth shave all over no matter what razor I use. I still get some bad shaves, but they are farther between than my good ones.
Don't worry. It is your face and you will figure it out. The force is with you. Just give it time.
What do you have for hones to maintain your razor?
What brand is your straight razor?
What brand is your straight razor?
In the beginning it is hard to determine whether your razor is dull or bad technique. That is probably the most frustrating thing about switching to a straight.
To be honest it is probably a little of both. Learning good stropping is essential and don't be afraid to touch up on pastes or films frequently when first starting. Your first goal will to be "look" clean shaven without nicks or irritation. Don't worry about BBS and all that. As long as you look presentable...job done. The rest will come with practice
To be honest it is probably a little of both. Learning good stropping is essential and don't be afraid to touch up on pastes or films frequently when first starting. Your first goal will to be "look" clean shaven without nicks or irritation. Don't worry about BBS and all that. As long as you look presentable...job done. The rest will come with practice
- Thread starter
- #14
The stone is Bora 501057 Fine/Coarse Combination Sharpening Stone, Aluminum Oxide
The straight razor company is Zertone and it has a wooden handle. It was cheap, but maybe it's you get what you pay for when it comes to straight razors. Some people on Amazon have said that the razor was not shave ready, but Zertone responded and said it is, in fact, shave ready. I found some German-made straight razors for auction on Ebay that are listed as shave ready and I also found one on Amazon that's absolutely gorgeous from a company in Tennessee called AishaImports. No one has reviewed it yet to dissuade me from getting it. It seems like trying a bunch of different razors is common in this community.
You just listed your woes right there. That stone is 150/240, we all only go as low as 1000k to set a bevel and progress up to roughly 12000k. I wouldn't even put a knife on your stone. The razor is going to be an issue as well, you are going to require something that is actually made from quality steel.
I'm not trying to be rude, but you got fleeced on your current setup and you have a mountain of reading to do. The good news is you are in the right place. Talk to @steveclarkus and @Twelvefret, they are both new like yourself but are able to guide you in a way most of us can't.
I'm not trying to be rude, but you got fleeced on your current setup and you have a mountain of reading to do. The good news is you are in the right place. Talk to @steveclarkus and @Twelvefret, they are both new like yourself but are able to guide you in a way most of us can't.
Hold the press good sir! If you continue down this path you will hurt yourself. I do not want to see that, as it will inevitably lead to you abandoning straight shaving as a bad idea if you do not make course corrections.
Like with many markets, quality is not cheap. There is enough market saturation and demand that the marketplace for quality razors has stabilized, and you aren’t going to get a well made, shave ready, new razor for “cheap”. It just is not going to happen.
Also, “shave ready” is the buzzword now in this marketplace. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry that wants to sell a razor shaped object will call it shave ready, it doesn’t mean squat. If a straight razor -shaver- tells you they have received properly honed edges from a given source -THEN- it could be considered to come to you actually “shave ready”.
The stones you mentioned are not at all suitable for honing a razor. They are far more appropriate for grinding bar stock down to start looking like a razor.
I am going to lay out for you here the path of least resistance. Pay attention, and deviate at your own risk. This is not the only way, but boy is it the easiest.
Step 1: purchase two proper “shave ready” vintage straights. If price is a real barrier to entry, they don’t have to be beauty queens. As around here and you will get reccomendations of eBay sellers who can be trusted to hone your razor. Alternatively whipped dog sells razors I am told are quite properly sharp. The buy / sell / trade sub forum here is a good place to watch as well.
Step 2: read and watch how to guides for the basics; lathering, stropping on leather, how to hold and use the razor itself. Re-read and re-watch.
Step 3: a hanging strop - whipped dog has their “poor mans strop”. There are other inexpensive strops, but you will need one.
Step 4: start shaving. At first. One pass with the grain on each cheek. Do that much with the straight, and the rest with a safety or cartridge. Stick with that for a few shaves, The gradually start adding more face. When you get up to one with the grain pass all over, stick with that for a while before adding a partial second pass.
Step 5: use only one of the two razors you purchased for a while. Strop it VERY CAREFULLY in accordance with the reading and videos you’ve researched between shaves.
Step 6: when stropping is not enough to keep that razor shaving sharp, it is time to begin learning to hone. Start in the honing sub forum here with the sticky post called “Newbie honing compendium”. That thread will teach you “The Method” for honing and maintaining your razors.
Step 7: by the time your second properly sharp razor is beginning to dull, you’ve worked through “the method” threads enough, and your supplies have arrived, and you are ready to re hone the edge on the first razor. There should be enough time before the second one gets dull that you will have some overlap to compare your first couple of attempts to a proper edge, helping shorten the learning curve.
One of the early pieces of advice that I took to heart when I started with straights is to not let things get too complicated and try to take on too much at once. That centered around not trying to hone a razor you are just learning to shave with. For some of us, ME, that was excellent advice. Sticking with a razor honed by a local guy who does it for a living insured I was starting with a shave ready razor. Not having to think about or worry about whether or not I screwed it up really helped me. The razor was ready to go and all I had to do was learn how to use it and strop it. If I screwed it up while shaving or stropping, it was a short trip to the hone master for a reset. As it turns out, I never screwed it up so I'm still on the original honing well over a year later.
The advice given above to get a pair of inexpensive yet ready to shave razors is simply excellent. It solves a lot of problems and if you eventually decide straights are not for you, you're not out much dough. Simplicity when you begin is a great approach.
If you find you love straights, the time will come when learning to hone and take care of them yourself will come naturally. As for me, I'm still waiting for that time. I know a local guy and just having that brief shaving conversation with somebody that knows his craft is worth the small fee for a genuinely sharp and properly prepared razor.
All just my opinion of course. YMMV.
The advice given above to get a pair of inexpensive yet ready to shave razors is simply excellent. It solves a lot of problems and if you eventually decide straights are not for you, you're not out much dough. Simplicity when you begin is a great approach.
If you find you love straights, the time will come when learning to hone and take care of them yourself will come naturally. As for me, I'm still waiting for that time. I know a local guy and just having that brief shaving conversation with somebody that knows his craft is worth the small fee for a genuinely sharp and properly prepared razor.
All just my opinion of course. YMMV.
