What's new

Chin area Hard to Shave :(

Hello there, I have been shaving with double edge razors for less than a year. Everything is fine until I get to my chin area. It takes me several passes to make the hair go away. Even after across and against the grain, It is never a baby smooth shave. I know I have very coarse hair around my chin area, but I see others not having much of a problem as I am? Is there anything I might be doing wrong?

The stuff I use:
Double double razors: Edwin Jagger DE89 and RockWell 6C
Razor Blades: Astra Premium Platinum
Brush type: Badger brush
Creams and Soaps: Proraso green & red soaps, TOBS Sandalwood cream, and Pre De Provence 63 shave soap.
 
@Armour100
Practice !
This is the answer for all (most) the trouble areas. For me it was the area around Adam's apple, my hair went horizontal but the curve prohibited me from running a razor properly there.

With practice I learnt to divide the areas into smaller steps and now I can manage BBS shave.

For your problem areas, it doesn't necessarily have to be the coarse hair.
Your gears are all good, no problem there.

Do you have a smooth stroke around the chin areas or do you hesitate/ razor gets tuggy in beard growth ?

If that's the case :

1) Is your lather too dry to accommodate smooth strokes of razor ?

2) If lather is fine, then is the blade too tuggy (lost it's sharpness) ?

3) Do you expect to remove the hair all in one pass ?

Divide the chin area into smaller areas and work accordingly, also No Pressure on the Razor.

Let us know more about the trouble if this doesn't help you enough.
 
Everything is fine until I get to my chin area. It takes me several passes to make the hair go away.

This is pretty normal. I probable hit the chin 4-5 times in a given shave. It’s gotten smoother with experience, but not really BBS like the rest of my face.

You might try different blades or a more aggressive razor.
 
@Contact_vs_Feedback
The razor does get tuggy, even with a new blade, but the problem is only on the chin. The cheeks are very smooth. Also, I shave once a week and do 3 passes (With, across and against).

The lather is not dry at all, I start shaving right after the lathering.

I don't really expect to remove the hair all in one pass, I would be fine with 3 or 4 strokes. But I have to do like 5-7 unpleasant strokes. I'm guessing it would be my inexperience as you also have said.
 
Chin area is the hardest for me as well. It took me a while to get a BBS on the chin but it's still pretty difficult. If I start feeling some irritation on the chin, I'll stop and not chase the BBS.

But here are some things that I've found works for me.

1) Decent razor - 6C is definitely a good candidate for me, with the R6 plate. Some others I like are GC84, Parker Semi-slant, and Gillette NEW SC.

2) Blade that works for your skin - I have my few and one of them is Astra SP. Also, I notice decrease in comfort by the 3rd use so I throw it after then.

3) Figuring out the pattern of your growth - self-explanatory. Whichever your hair grows on the chin, go against it for a smooth BBS. You'll have to to WTG/XTG first to reduce the tugging in the last ATG pass.

4) Skin stretching - This one was hard to master for me because I thought it was not necessary; it definitely helps. The point here is to flatten the skin as much as possible. Whether you form a certain facial expression or stretch with your other hand, it'll help to get that flat area. I roll my lips upwards and grab the bottom of my neck with my thumb and index finger to stretch.

5) Short strokes - This can be used any time but I find it helpful especially in the jawline. Because the chin curves, using short strokes helps me get all the hair without having to adjust my razor through the curve.

Hope this helps.
 
I would like to echo what Timeclo said about skin stretching.

When I used DE it never occurred to me to stretch the skin to the extent it made a difference. Of course I would lift the chin and contort my face, but I didn't care if it wasn't BBS.

Since moving to straights the importance of skin stretching is more noticeable. On the odd occasion I dig out the DE I use skin stretching out of habit and the difference is noticable.

I wish I practiced skin stretching when I used DE.
 
Hello there, I have been shaving with double edge razors for less than a year. Everything is fine until I get to my chin area. It takes me several passes to make the hair go away. Even after across and against the grain, It is never a baby smooth shave. I know I have very coarse hair around my chin area, but I see others not having much of a problem as I am? Is there anything I might be doing wrong?

The stuff I use:
Double double razors: Edwin Jagger DE89 and RockWell 6C
Razor Blades: Astra Premium Platinum
Brush type: Badger brush
Creams and Soaps: Proraso green & red soaps, TOBS Sandalwood cream, and Pre De Provence 63 shave soap.

I have been wet shaving for over seven years. When shaving with a DE, I will do an extra WXTG pass on the chin, and at least one extra ATG pass in a normal shave. This is because my stubble there is very coarse.
 
Some good suggestions above!

I would add that you should consider ‘mapping‘ your beard to understand precisely what you are doing with each pass!
 
Using shave oil instead or under the soap of the last shave I always seem to be able to get a bit closer. But it seems everyone has a spot which is stubborn and requires more practice. For me it is right side jaw next to the chin. Always needs an extra pass.

But o chase dfs and that makes life easier.
 
Thanks a lot guys, many good suggestions given here. I will try all of these on my next shave. 😀
What sort of prep do you do?

I just used to wash my face, but found the results improved a lot when I started using the hot washcloth after washing.

Fold it double, soak it in water as hot as you can put up with, and hold it against your face until it cools down. If your whiskers are still not hydrated and softened, repeat if necessary.
 
The razor does get tuggy, even with a new blade, but the problem is only on the chin. The cheeks are very smooth. Also, I shave once a week and do 3 passes (With, across and against).

One easy thing is to switch to sharper blade. There should not be any tugging if your blade is sharp enough. By the way, if you anyway look scruffy the rest of the week (because you shave only once a week) then there is not much purpose in chasing a BBS.
 
It's my trouble spot too...but the solution is easy for me... the most important is the blade. With a good blade (YMMV), there'll be no issues but otherwise, tugging and skipping will cause nicks, weepers, and irritation.
 
@Armour100
Practice !
This is the answer for all (most) the trouble areas. For me it was the area around Adam's apple, my hair went horizontal but the curve prohibited me from running a razor properly there.

With practice I learnt to divide the areas into smaller steps and now I can manage BBS shave.

For your problem areas, it doesn't necessarily have to be the coarse hair.
Your gears are all good, no problem there.

Do you have a smooth stroke around the chin areas or do you hesitate/ razor gets tuggy in beard growth ?

If that's the case :

1) Is your lather too dry to accommodate smooth strokes of razor ?

2) If lather is fine, then is the blade too tuggy (lost it's sharpness) ?

3) Do you expect to remove the hair all in one pass ?

Divide the chin area into smaller areas and work accordingly, also No Pressure on the Razor.

Let us know more about the trouble if this doesn't help you enough.
On your Adam’s Apple, try swallowing and holding the swallow. It flattens out the Adam’s Apple so that you can run a blade over it.
 
Not knowing what your chin looks like, (cleated, smooth, chiseled) it’s hard to give specific advice. If you’ve ever watched a geofatboy video, you will see him do something that tightens the skin on his chin and allows him to shave over a relatively smooth spot. He had trouble with his chin area at first.

All the suggestions above are good, specifically, skin tightening and beard mapping.
 
If irritation is not a problem then go: top to down, side to side in both directions and then down to up. Pull your skin to increase tension and get better exposure at the jaw angle can use a small sponge to aid). It aint easy but is doable. A more efficient razor might help (R41, Schone or Fatip OC slant). Use the blade 3 times max rinsing and drying after use. Runny soap is better than cake frosting (it's all about glide). You will get there.
 
Chin area solution : goatee!
Jokes apart, pretty much what Timeclo said.
Go light and skip the Against the grain pass for the chin. You can do with the grain, left to right and right to left. Make sure there's always lather left when you pass multiple times on same spot.
 
Last edited:
Well, a chin is curved and with most men also not flat (more or less of a dimple). So, it is very hard to maintain the correct angle and also (atomatically too much) pressure (that's why pivoting heads beame that popular). Also, the chin beard does grow often in differerent directions, and it is normally much more dense and harder than on other parts.

So, using the correct angle and (counterintuitive) much less pressure is key (aka being patient and persistent), also I would recommend a sharp blade instead of a dull one (e.g. Feathers or Kais instead of Astras, Sharks and so on - but that's IMHO only of course). Going in at least three direction plus a thorrow clean up is unavoidable.
 
Top Bottom