Thread: How carefully do you remove the lather?

After I finish shaving I lather up again and apply a hot towel and then remove the lather with the towel and rinse with cold water.

Shaving soap, like any soap, is drying to the skin. Many shave soaps has taken measures to try to counteract this, adding humectants, oils or butters, but the fact remains the same: soap dries your skin. If your skin is oily, perhaps this is not such a bad thing - if you already have dry skin I am sure it is not good. Personally, I wash it off thoroughly.

Originally Posted by str8fencer

Shaving soap, like any soap, is drying to the skin. Many shave soaps has taken measures to try to counteract this, adding humectants, oils or butters, but the fact remains the same: soap dries your skin. If your skin is oily, perhaps this is not such a bad thing - if you already have dry skin I am sure it is not good. Personally, I wash it off thoroughly.

Likewise for thorough after shave cleaning but I follow with Nivia or Eucerin. My skin is dry as plaster except for the nose which is still pumping oil after all these years.

Rinse my face with cold water (very thoroughly), pat with a towel, then apply aftershave. I was told in the beginning to pat my face dry rather than rub so the face retains its natural oils.

When I was a teenager and young adult I really had problems with my face breaking out, and used an electric razor. My dad used an electric and discouraged any notion of wetshaving. I also couldn't use aftershave on a daily basis because of the complexion problems.

When I was using the multiblade razors for most of my life my face was so irritated most of the time that I used Avon Moisture Cream on occasion. It did a good job getting my face ready for my daily beating the next morning.

Since going to the DE and then the straights the last couple of years I haven't had to do anything out of the ordinary to take care of my face.

So the simple wipe is not very common, it appears. If I remember correctly, I actually think the one time I got a shave from a barber he used the pre-shave wet towel (by now cold) to wipe off after the shave (as Mod mentioned), and then splashed on some aftershave.

After my shave, I rinse pretty thouroughly with cold water, but I don't rub my face, I splash the water on, then pat dry with a towel. After the witch hazel & aftershave are on, I don't believe there is any trace of lather left.

Bucket for head dunking....

Still new at this but after I'm done shaving, I rinse off with warm water. Then splash cold water on my face, then depending on my mood I either use club man pinaud aftershave or i'll use the real shaving Co. after shave balm.

Originally Posted by trondsi

But I often see others (in shaving videos for instance) simply patting with a towel, and then applying aftershave. Doesn't this cause irritation if some soap remains on the skin? Is it important to remove the lather, or is it no biggie?

I rinse with cold water thoroughly. But keep in mind that if I were doing a video I might skip that and just do what they did in the interest of time .

Originally Posted by Mod

I just turn my hot towel into a cold towel and that does a great job.

same here ... i know if i miss any it dries my skin out real bad ...