Steamed towels and shaving mirrors

Hi guys,

It seems from most of the comments I've seen around here that most of you shower and then shave. The benefits of this approach are undeniable, as the hot shower helps soften the beard growth. However, I can't really adopt this approach, unfortunately: once I get out of the shower, the mirror in my bathroom is so fogged up that I can't see anything, and it's basically the only mirror I have access to in the mornings.

Now, from what I understand, there are special anti-fog shaving mirrors available that will not fog up. Do any of you guys use these? Would you recommend one? How much do they run?

Even if that solves my foggy mirror problem, though, there's still the fact that I just don't have much time in the mornings and, being a newbie, the whole shave routine takes up a bit more time than I'd like to commit to every morning before work -- I need to be in the office by 3:30 am so you can imagine that that extra 15 minutes of sleep is near and dear to me.

So I've been thinking that I'd like to shave in the evenings rather than in the mornings, at least initially. This brings me to the steamed towel idea. Besides being very nice, barbers have been using steamed towels to soften clients' beards for centuries now.

So my question is, do any of you incorporate steamed towels into your ritual, and if so, how do you go about it? How does it compare to showering in terms of beard softening?

Tell, tell :)

I use the towel method most of the time and find that it works very well...
The hardest part is just waiting the 2-3 minutes it takes, but that's just me.

I work at an auto parts store and we sell a product by Rain-X that is an anti-fog coating for the inside of your car windows ... it works well in the bathroom as well. Just make sure to follow the directions to the T.... it works for me.

Hope this helps,

Steve

I don't do it. Its too much trouble for me. It is completely different than taking a shower. Much better I think. Most people have the idea that it is the same, but its not. The hot towels are wrung dry (sort of) and the steam brings up the oils of the face creating a better shave than a hot shower. You need to wash the face with a little soap though I think first (thats opinion, and not based on barber training).

So, the idea is:

1) Wash face to remove oil
2) Infuse steam into the now oil free hair
3) Bring up more facial oil
4) Produce high quality shave :)

Thanks for the replies! antioch510, I will keep an eye out for Rain-X, that might be something good just in general. I think I'm pretty sold on the towel idea (of course, I haven't actually tried it yet, so maybe I'll change my mind once I have).

AFDavis11, your outline really makes me think that the towel method may be the right one for me.

So now the question is, how does one steam a towel? In a barber school video I saw that someone linked to from here, the teacher rolls a towel around what looks like a hot water faucet, runs the water through it, and then rings it out. He doesn't say whether anything is special about the towels he uses, or whether there's anything special about the faucet, or anything.

So how does one go about steaming a towel?

I leave the bathroom door open when I shower so it doesn't fog up, then I close it to keep drafts off as I shave. I also do the whole routine, shower and shave in the evening especially if I have to get up early.

The only thing special about the steamed towel is that the water is usually just a little hotter than you can stand to handle, that way it is perfect by the time it hits your face. I do enjoy a hot towel wrap and shave every so often, it's usually for and especially pampering shaving experience though. I wouldn't want to have to go through the whole ritual every day. If I hurry it only takes a couple of minutes longer to shower than do a proper hot towel treatment.

The hot towel method is effective but can be more about an effective pampering method than a necessary method. You can short cut the process IMHO by washing your beard well and rinsing with the hottest water you can handle. Rinse thoroughly, leave your face wet and start lathering. The hot towel method probably won't beat that by much, at least it doesn't for me. Either way you'll need to wash your beard, I think, because that makes the biggest difference in the shave.

However, if you pursue the hot towel method then I suggest you turn your hot water heater up all the way. This way all you'll need to do is run your towel under the hottest tap water you can take, wring it out a bit then apply to the face. For a proper towel - a hand towel will do just fine as most of the steam towels I've seen are darn near the same exact dimensions. Cotton terrycloth should do you just fine.

Hope that helps.

Regards,
EL

If you have a can of inexpensive shave cream..barbasol is what I have,
Spray it on several places along the mirror and buff it out. Fog is stopped for a month or two. A can lasts forever for this duty.

RainX works too.
:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by atpinak

Thanks for the replies! antioch510, I will keep an eye out for Rain-X, that might be something good just in general. I think I'm pretty sold on the towel idea (of course, I haven't actually tried it yet, so maybe I'll change my mind once I have).

AFDavis11, your outline really makes me think that the towel method may be the right one for me.

So now the question is, how does one steam a towel? In a barber school video I saw that someone linked to from here, the teacher rolls a towel around what looks like a hot water faucet, runs the water through it, and then rings it out. He doesn't say whether anything is special about the towels he uses, or whether there's anything special about the faucet, or anything.

So how does one go about steaming a towel?

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I use towels and am a fan of them.

Even if I do take a shower before the shave, by the time I dry of my hair and body (not face, of course), then make the lather, and make sure I can see myself in the mirror, my face has pretty much cooled down. Thus I like to use towels.

Before I do this, I ensure that the razor is ready and I make the lather. Then, I run the towel through hot water, squeeze most of it out, and apply it to the face. I do this 2-3 times for 30 seconds. After the last time, I apply the lather and go to work.

I've been simply using a hand-towel and running it under HOT water. I then ring it out and fold it over my already-lathered face. Feels Wonderful!

So you are looking for a anti-fog mirrow ?

You can anti fog any mirrow you want.

-Get a regular shaveing foam like Barbasol,Noxema or whatever.
-Apply a small amount in a cloth/paper towel.
-Rub in your mirrow till is gone,dont rinse the mirrow... and vualah !!!

Now you have an ati-fog mirrow.Is not going to last for ever so you have to re apply from time to time.










RPR.

Another question about the towel routine:

cwrighta: you put the hot towel over your face with lather ALREADY on? doesn't it mess up your towel? and what's the purpose for it?

Its always best to use a hot towel over lather. The lather is far better than the towel alone at softening the whiskers. How would lather mess up a wash cloths? Its just soap, rinse it off when you are done and let the towel dry off.

I use a hot towel over Proraso Pre/Post. This works very well for me.

Jordan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gags1892

Another question about the towel routine:

cwrighta: you put the hot towel over your face with lather ALREADY on? doesn't it mess up your towel? and what's the purpose for it?

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I have two towels during my shave. One to be a steam towel and for face cleanup, and the other for razor/sink cleanup.

The steam towel over lather helps drive the lather into the whiskers and soften everything. I wipe off the remaining later and then RE-lather. The towel, I just rinse off with hot water and hang over the side of the sink for cleaning up my face after shave passes.

As another mentioned, you can avoid the mirror fogging by leaving the bathroom door open during a shower.. may or may not be an option depending on living conditions.
I will have to give the barbasol method a try as well.

For a steam towel... last night was my first try... my hot water is hot enough that it scalds/burns on contact, so what I did was fill my sink with HOT water, and soaked the towel in it during my shower... by the time I was out of the shower, it was cooled enough to use..

Very interesting...I might have to try this one time. Great post.

If your water is not hot enough for your liking and you don't want to have to turn your hot water heater up...microwave a bowl/tupperware of hot water before you start. Take it with you and dump a towel into it. When your ready, pull the towel out and set it in the sink and wring it out...vola! Instant hot towel. Place it back in the hot water when done and use it for clean up afterwards or another steam towel treatment between passes.

As this is just a tad time consuming I only use this method when I have the time and really want to pamper myself with a relaxing shave.

-Pary

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rusty Shackleford

If your water is not hot enough for your liking and you don't want to have to turn your hot water heater up...microwave a bowl/tupperware of hot water before you start. Take it with you and dump a towel into it. When your ready, pull the towel out and set it in the sink and wring it out...vola! Instant hot towel. Place it back in the hot water when done and use it for clean up afterwards or another steam towel treatment between passes.

As this is just a tad time consuming I only use this method when I have the time and really want to pamper myself with a relaxing shave.

-Pary

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Or just stick the wet cloth in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. As long as it's wet, nothing catches fire (microwaves work by exciting the water particles in whatever you're "cooking" - that's why they hate metal... no water).

^ plastic is another story for some reason. Paging Bill Nye: whatchu know 'bout microwavable plastic? Must be magic. ;)