Chin shaving tips, anyone??

I'm still pretty new at straight shaving, but don't seem to be having many problems with my neck area, upper lip or cheeks, but my chin area still gives me some trouble. Specifically, the area from right below my lip and down.

It seems like the problem stems from that area being relatively 'unyielding' for lack of a better word----kind of hard and bony when the skin is made taut there!! I always end up with a few small 'weepers' there it seems like, and I haven't figured out which direction is the best for the tip of my chin either. I feel pretty confident in my stropping and honing, as it shaves well and is comfortable------this one area just gives me some trouble.

I try to pull the areas as flat as possible so I'm not shaving a 'knob', so to speak. Any input would be welcome. Thanks.

What is your angle on the chin? Flatter is better for me.

On WTG I make the Jay Leno chin and tilt my head up as I make somewhat longer strokes. As I go "around the horn" the razor rotates from perpendicular to the floor to parallel as makes the pass from under lip to adams apple.

Second pass is XTG ear to chin

Last is ATG-opposite of the WTG. But I keep the blade flat against my face. One caveat is that when the blade is totally flat on the skin, I find a LITTLE pressure(butterfly's footsteps worth) is needed to just sink the edge into the same plane as the whiskers. Alternatively raising the spine slightly will accomplish the same. YMMV greatly, and since you are a newer shaver
save the flat with slight pressure for later .

These areas are tough to shave, and take quite a bit of patience and practice to get them down. Have you tried puffing some air into the area? Or sticking your tongue there to raise it out a bit? I've found that doing either makes it easier to shave.

Haven't try the tongue trick to push the skin out. Will have to try it.

For me, I bite my lower lip and the stretch like crazy downward on my neck. THis lets me get just below the lip fairly well. To get the curve, I stretch upward, still biting my lip, but doing the head back slightly pulling the skin off to one side or the other, depending on the hand that currently has the razor. I repeat this on each side, then to get below the angle of the chin, I let go the lip biting and stretch downward on my neck skin and shave below the curve. That way I never really go around the curve, and I'm shaving on flat space just above, with stretching and below with stretching.

YMMV, but it works out good for me, no more rough curve!!

Good luck mate!
M

Good tips----thanks.

AverageJoe said:

Good tips----thanks.

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~~~here's a few from me Joe...first off, IMO, you need an impeccable lather. Slick, slick slick, and like Kent stated, low blade angles, mainly, so you can shave the area more than once and escape razor burn, but then that's my stradegy everywhere else as well (low blade angles). One of the resons I mention a slick lather is, I've recently began using Cella again. I went through a little red tub and before it was over, a friend decided to go in w/me to get the brick, so he got the brick, divvied up my half in those shrink wrap bags and sent them to me...4- 125 gram bags. Anyways, I let them sit in my fridge for 6 months anyways and haven't used Cella ion that long of a stint, until 2 days ago and I'm back in the groove again and can't believe how slick this lather is. BTW, I'm face lathering with an Omega boar using Cella which is hard for me to let go of my Chubby3 but, until I figure out a wider container to use for the Cella, I'll have to use a smaller brush. Sorry, but I digress

Back to shaving the chin....when I shave the left side of my face starting at the cheeks, I can come down in a diagonal pass and catch the left side of the chin, but not all of the way to the center, but this is a good pass and is or has been recommended by the shaving pros ...and IIRC, I think it is mentioned in this video http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6502106680110094707&ei=qZFMSc2YFoS4-QGs7ZW-Cg&q# which is a good video for all around straight shaving, and the video that I watched over and over to comprehend and learn the scything technique. And I need to metnion I first saw this video thanks to Chimensch as in his 30th anniversary thread, he links to this video

Okay, getting back to tips for shaving the chin, jake style=...I'm right handed so I can do a better job with my right hand holding the razor and I like to start from left of the chin about an inch away from the start of the chin so I make sure the chin and this inch area before the chin is lathered up and damp. I hold the razor pretty much straight up and down (the blade), and like Kent mentioned, the blade is nearly flat w/the spine almost touching my skin, and sometimes actually touching the skin. Before I start this pass I poull the skin taut with my free hand to the left of the blade, then I let the razor fly=, in one smooth stroke as far as I can go

now I think the aformentioned video states it's best to use the tip of the blade to shave just under the lip. the middle part of the blade to shave the middle part of the chin, and when I shave the chinny chin chin, I use the heel of the blade/edge, so sometimes, I make this west to east pass in several passes. I should also mention most of the time I lather up the area under my nose and catch the left side of my moustache too using this techniqyue, which is ATG for me, both under the nose west to east and the chin too, so it's best to make a down ward pass (WTG for me and most everyone else) before this west to east pass on the chin, and I usually do this north to south pass on the left side of my chin when I shave theleft side of my face, bringing the razor down (usually) in a diagonal fashion and catching the left side of the chin. I'm a firm believer in doing at least one WTG pass (if not two) before attempting to shave ATG

So that's pretty much it, and I'll make this chin pass (left to right horizontally) more than once during the shave, so as to make sure I get the entire chin north to south

Oh!, if I'm really wanting to get the chin BBS, I make sure I do a south to north pass just under the lower lip.... I have a small patch of hair the grows parallel to and just under the lower lip, but ususally the left to right pass with the tip of my blade catches this hair nicely, negating the need to do a south to north pass on this 1/4" patch (in height) of hair

I don't do right to left passes with my razor using the left hand well (shaving the chin beard), because I'm not left handed, but I wont let that stop me on occasion from practicing...hope this helps


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.

mjhammer said:

For me, I bite my lower lip and the stretch like crazy downward on my neck. THis lets me get just below the lip fairly well. To get the curve, I stretch upward, still biting my lip, but doing the head back slightly pulling the skin off to one side or the other, depending on the hand that currently has the razor. I repeat this on each side, then to get below the angle of the chin, I let go the lip biting and stretch downward on my neck skin and shave below the curve. That way I never really go around the curve, and I'm shaving on flat space just above, with stretching and below with stretching.

YMMV, but it works out good for me, no more rough curve!!

Good luck mate!
M

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That's EXACTLY what I do and it works great for me to. The only thing I would add that I also do for the OP is that I use a slippery shaving gel underneath the white shaving lather and on the small curve on the actual chin I use really short controlled strokes rather than the longer strokes that I use on the rest of my face. And the lightest possible pressure on the actual chin.

the edge i put on my solingen last night (from a LNV coti) was BBSing the chin all night long on WTG... usually i have sweep/wipe from l-r to get there but last night's edge did it..