Total wet-behind-the-ears newbie, 2nd shave with a straight

I don't know if cold water stiffens the hairs back up. I shower warm and don't let my whiskers dry between the shower and the shave. The cold water, besides being gentler on the skin, may help to stand the whiskers up better, like goose bumps do. Dunno. But there's some old wisdom that says cold water is the one true way. Old, minority-view wisdom, but there it is.

I think the hot-towel thing is part of the ritual of a full barber shave. And think about it, would you pay more to have someone lay hot towels on your face, or cold ones? Ritual isn't necessarily about what works best. It's about what the customer likes the most.

Good point....hmmm...I may just have to try that for sh!ts and giggles. Thanks.

I made the switch to cold water shaving and it really helped my sensitive skin.

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Originally Posted by Theseus

I made the switch to cold water shaving and it really helped my sensitive skin.

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Did you notice it affecting the quality of your shave at all? Did you have to add an extra pass or do anything different than when you were using hot water?

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Originally Posted by Sylvain

Did you notice it affecting the quality of your shave at all? Did you have to add an extra pass or do anything different than when you were using hot water?

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My shaves actually got better when I switched to cold water shaving. I don't do any more passes than I did using hot water. Also cold water shaving is great when using soaps/creams with menthol. Talk about face freeze.:)

By George I think you're on to something! I broke down and tried it this morning. The irritation factor is definitely less than it is with hot water. There is, however, noticeably more pull on each hair as it is slicing through. This could be simply because I am still getting acclimated to my Muhle R41. It isn't anything that I would consider unbearable, just a marked difference in a warm follicle versus a cold one. The ultimate test will of course be when I break out the Feather AC SS and The EJ DE89 on a cold water beard. Thanks for the idea, Theseus!