I've been lurking for quite some time lately instead of actively posting but the details behind that are rather bleak so I won't bother with them. Anyhow I have a question/scenario I'd like a little clarification on regarding the prep portion of my shave...

First off, I like to shave BEFORE my shower because my face wash seems more effective without the extra dead skin etc in the way. The problem is I notice that my beard growth is significantly softer/easier to cut immediately afterwards.

For instance, prior to going to a straight razor I shaved in the shower with my Mach3 and my beard was/is fantastically easy to cut through. Out of the shower though it's tougher and less enjoyable.

Obviously shaving blind in the shower with a straight razor opens yourself up to accidental suicide, rusting blades, and probably more than enough other problems to prohibit that idea so I'm on the hunt for equally viable alternatives...problem is I've never been able to achieve those same results with simply soaking under a hot towel.

Either the towel is hot, but doesn't have enough water in it to actually soften the bristles, or I end up soaked because the water in the towel is running down the rest of me. And of course in the latter case I don't spend enough time under the towel to get results because I'm freaking soaked...so what am I doing wrong? Apparently I'm not getting results with the towel method as it stands because my beard is no less harsh afterwards than without it altogether.