Well, where I stand is with decent shaving soap (I always prefer soap to cream) and some Taylor of Old Bond Street pucks in the mail, because my current Glycerin soap dries out too fast. My question is how to get a decent prep for my shave.
My standard process is that I do NOT shave straight out of a shower. I live on campus, so the mirror is usually foggy at that time, and it's just too loud for me to focus, so I always shave later in the day/early at night. Now, my usual prep is to splash very hot water on my face -hot as I can stand- and while doing this, let my brush sit for 3-5 minutes in a mug of hot water. After that I get my mug of soap lathered (I always keep the puck at the bottom of the cup, I get richer lathers that way) I keep the sink full of steaming hot water, and leave the mug, soap and brush of lather all in the steaming water, so it keeps hot. While doing this, I keep my face warm and wet (just by splashing/patting hot water onto my face) Next, I apply the lather, Let that sit on my face until it cools (while it is cooling, I strop my razor) and once the razor is stropped, I apply a second coat of warm lather, and start in.
My lather still dries out, and, while I don't get much tugging, it's still there. My question is, Would putting a damp, hot hand towel over my face help any, and are there any other tricks you guys can advise for a better shaving experience? Lastly, for those of you who use the hot towel method, how do you keep the towel on, and still do normal prep/stropping? Basically, what is your preferred prep routine.
Thanks for the help.
Jeremy