Steam Woes: Shaving Blind

This is something I have been contending with for the few weeks I have been wetshaving. It was no biggie when I was learning the basics with disposables before finding my $2 antique mall DE or ordering my starter straight. However, with my upgraded equipment I have come to the conclusion that what I am trying to do is insane.

I am pretty much blind without my glasses. If one of my house mates moves my soap in the shower, I am scrambling for a few minutes using my hands to find it or sticking my face 6" from every possible place it could be (they pretty much know better than to do that now).

If you haven't guessed what I've been trying to do, its shaving without my glasses on. Coming out of the shower, a quick swipe with a towel takes care of the mirror, but my glasses are a different story: if I dry them they are fine until the tap runs hot, then they fog over again instantly. I also have been shaving my sideburns very high (higher than the temples of my glasses), but I could always just let them come in a bit and the glasses wouldn't be in the way. That still doesn't solve the steam issue.

The next thing I'm going to try is running them under hot water. This will remove the steam but I will then be looking through drops.

I'm sure others out there have dealt with this issue, so I'm wondering what solutions all you fellow four-eyes have come up with.

well, simple physics says that when the glass is warm the steam does not condense on it, so run them under hot water to get rid of the fogging and wipe them off if the leftover droplets bother you.
Depending on the type of water and surface there are not necessarily leftover droplets of water.

The other option is to get large amounts of fresh air moving through your bathroom immediately after you shut off your shower. As you dry off, the mirror (and your glasses) should un-fog.
J.

When I am at my apartment here at school, each bedroom has it's own bathroom so I just keep my bathroom door open for the shower/shave process. It takes care of everything but a little patch of fog in the top corner of the mirror.

Home is a more difficult issue as the bathroom has no windows, no vents, and I can't keep the door open.

It might not be a method you'd prefer, but spit works well in a pinch for a diving mask, so...

shower with the door open! and leave your glasses outside of the shower room

Do you ever wear contacts?

True story there, I live in my contacts. I tried shaving with my glasses once but I'm so blind that I just went without a shave that day.

I do wear contacts sometimes, but there are times when having them is just impractical: mostly due to allergies (either poison ivy or sinus problems can make wearing them unbearable or unwise).

As for letting all the steam out, I rather like it. We don't have good heating, and the bathroom can be pretty chilly. I'm not sure that shivering and shaving should go together, but I will experiment with letting some of the steam out and see if any of the heat remains.

Opening the door worked for me, but you can also look for antifog cleaner for your glasses. They also make antifog for hockey masks and other sports eye protection that should be safe for plastic lenses.

I don't wear glasses but fog ****es me off too. After the shower I leave the bathroom for a few min and do something else like make coffee or pick out a CD for shaving. Then I reapproach the head. If fog is still present on any glass, I wipe off and blowdry the fog away. It works everytime for me. yes The blowdryer is indespensivible

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Originally Posted by gugi

well, simple physics says that when the glass is warm the steam does not condense on it, so run them under hot water to get rid of the fogging and wipe them off if the leftover droplets bother you.
Depending on the type of water and surface there are not necessarily leftover droplets of water.

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+1. Hot water followed by a dry towel works the best. Yay physics!

The hot water certainly worked. I had the idea as I was making this thread, and decided to go ahead and see if any other suggestions might be floating around. I tell you it was like a whole different experience being able to really see, instead of guess and kind of see where my razor was, and more importantly, what angle it was cutting at.

I second the original post - between the fog and the temples of my glasses, there's a lot of interference for us 4-eyed guys. I shave with the door slightly cracked to let some steam out and I don't run the hot water full-blast throughout the shave. (Added benefit: "hearing" the shave.)

As for the temples, my situation's a bit different since I have some sideburns. It does get tricky when I try to put the skin taught in that area, so instead of pulling up along the sideburn, I pull down from the corner of my jaw.

Use a hair blower (hot setting) to de-fog your mirror and your glasses. Works fast and well.

Best regards,
Bart.

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Originally Posted by BingoBango

...(Added benefit: "hearing" the shave.)

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I never thought about this, but it does help to "hear" the shave. I actually like the sound it makes.

Plug in a hair dryer,rest it securely,so that it blows toward your head. The warm air will(or at least should) help with the fog condition.:beer1:

Nikon 'Fog Eliminator' cloths will quickly eliminate this problem.

I use them whenever I visit tropical climates, so that going from an air conditioned room or vehicle to hot 'n steamy environs is no big deal.

Unfortunately also blind without glasses or contacts, but I've essentially learned the straight without vision at this point, relying mostly on touch and hearing.