DE Shaving Technique Question: Jaw/Neck Intersection Line?

Ok, I got my first DFS this morning using a new cream (C.O. Bigelow, which I LOVE) almost everywhere, but I'm still really struggling to get a decent shave along my neck/jaw line. I've tried shaving in just about every direction, adjusted how I'm holding the razor, the angle of the razor, how I'm tilting/holding my head, tried pulling/stretching the skin, and I still just can't get anywhere near smooth in this area. Does anyone have any special tips/tricks they use?

 

That is an issue for me too. I switched to using a more aggressive razor with a sharp blade. I do two passes ( One North to South and the other South to North). I also stopped looking for perfection. My cheeks are BBS, but I have some rough spots on my neck. Some days I have more then others, but there are always some there. It is good enough for me. If I do more than this, I get a boat load of irritation on my neck which is even less comfortable then the stubble. Just take your time and and be mindful of technique.

***Edit to Add***

Try a different soap also. I like the Bigelow, but I never seem to get the closest shave with it. I would suggest an Arko stick. Again, this is just what works for me and doesn't mean it will for you. It is worth a shot or at least something to think about.

 

No special tricks. I usually just use shorter strokes and try to keep the angle consistent. I do sometimes shave the inch or so right around the jaw separate from the check and the neck and that does help.

 

I do plan to try shave sticks, another puck soap or two (the EJ I have just is NOT working for me...), and some different creams with time. For now though, I am going to start rotating through blades to see what works best for me. I'm still using the first type of blade that I chose randomly when I started using my DE, the Derby Extra, which has worked well giving me a nice smooth shave on my cheeks with no irritation. I am just missing a couple of spots at that neck/jaw line and I'll be happy with my shave (I'm already about 2,000,000% better than I was getting with the old Mach3 and a can of shave gel...). I think part of it has to be something with approach/technique- whether I'm not holding a consistent angle through that part, whether I'm applying pressure inadvertently, something must be different, plus it could be the blade as well.

And the Bigelow has given me a much closer shave than both the AoS sample cream I had and certainly better than the EJ soap.

 

I also have the same problem as Pan Chango, and I rarely get BBS because of the same area. I have tried tilting my head down as I shave the area trying to make a flat surface. That didn't work out for me, but others suggested it to me. I will open my jaw about 70-80% to try and give myself a flatter surface and that does help me somewhat. I would also recomend mapping the hair growth in the area. I can easily do two passes on my neck, but if I'm not careful the third pass irritates me so I usually do XTG and ATG only and skip WTG. Its not perfect but good enough for me and a DFS.

 

Man I had the same problem as well...but then a while back I tried a different combo that I have never tried before because iv never gotten any good blades before I have always used cheap dollar store blades or personna blades....I loaded my EJ89 with a feather.....and used Omega tube cream...short strokes..... and let me tell you.....IMO that Omega blows Bigelow out of the water...dont get me wrong I love Bigelow but I get a much better shave and thicker lather with Omega. I dont use this combo all the time though because I have so much stuff I like to put in rotation but when I do...I find that I have maybe a tiny tiny bit if not zero rough spots...like Dale said above...it worked for me so it may not work for you but its worth a shot.

 

I had a generally frustrating and just 'off' shave and really entire morning routine today (more on that in another thread...), but much to my surprise the one area that I actually got a good shave is my jaw line. Now, good isn't to say that it is really good, just not any worse than other days when I've gotten a much better shave elsewhere.

 

What's the razor? That's a trouble spot for me as well. I've tried SE, DE, adjustables, slanting strokes and different preps...

Lasy night, I tried my new acquisition: Pomco Slant. BBS. Not saying it can't be done by technique alone, but the hardware was definitely a step forward in this, for me.

 

I'm using an EJ DE89L I believe. My wife got it for me for Christmas, and I'm 90% sure that is the model- I know it is an EJ.

 

I've heard that's a pretty mild razor. I have a tough time along the jaw line, as well, with mild razors.

 

I had the same trouble. What I do is pull the skin up so that the hairs on my jaw line is around the bottom of my cheeks. Then I see the direction of growth and shave WTG and ATG.

 

I take care of my jaw line on my second pass which is AGT north to south, except, it's more of a diagonal path than a south to north. Basically, I follow the jaw bone from my chin to my ear, using shorter strokes. It has worked for me for quite awhile, now.

 

I do that sometimes too, but there still always seems to be an area that I can just never quite get. I am thinking that I may have to move to a more aggressive razor at some point, or at least maybe more aggressive blades with this razor. I am getting ready to order a sampler pack in the near future that includes feather blades. Maybe those will work better for me. So far, I've tried 3 or 4 kinds of blades and am still falling back on the first I tried, Derby.

 

How long have you been shaving? You may need to use an advanced technique like blade buffing to clean that area up.

 

I've been wet shaving for a little over a month. What is 'blade buffing'?

 

Look at 2:10 of this video from Mark (Mantic).

 

I stretch the skin and blade buff it, its the only way the bloody whiskers disappear in that area for me.

 

Ya, blade buffering is not as hard or as scary as it looks. I use an EJ and Merkur 38c and both of them are easy to use for buffing. Never a nick or a scratch, or a burn (which, from the video, looks like an easy unwanted result to achieve)

 

This jaw shaving thing does indeed appear to remain one of the great mysteries of the universe. I've tried stretching the skin, dropping the jaw, blade buffing, wtg, xtg, atg shaving up, down, back and forth and sideways, lots of pressure, no pressure and pressure somewhere in between.. even tried an Einsteinian thought experiment..about shaving.. still left over whiskers and irritation. To me it seems like this region of beard exists outside of normal time space where the laws of physics don't apply...