Thread: Should whiskers really be soft?

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I don't know anything about the physics of it, or if the hydrated hair, through hot water, retracts further into the pores once shaved ..... but according to the book a stiff whisker cuts more easily than a softened whisker. I don't know if this is correct either, but I do know that I like shaving with cold water better than hot.

I Know the physics of it pretty well. I also know that everyone is different as to their likes and dislikes. MY whiskers are very tough and the best place for me to shave is in the hot shower. Since I won't shave with a st8 in a shower, the next best thing is immediately after.

If you like a cold shave, enjoy. if you like a hot shave, enjoy. it is all about whats best for you and your face!!!

All in all, we all enjoy out shave.

I remember when I was a fuzz-bearded 17 year old I could shave dry with a twin blade cartridge. If I tried that now, with my 36-grit stubble, it would either pull the whiskers out by the roots or pull the razor out of my hand. I can only shave after a hot shower, keeping my face wet for at least ten minutes. For me, the lather just prevents the whiskers from drying out until I shave.

Cold lather on a -30 degree morning, no thanks.

Aw well it is never -30 inside my house when it is outside and neither is the tap cold water but I can understand the aversion to trying it.

Bob

Originally Posted by detra83

For me, this makes most sense and I tend to believe that they knew a lot more about wet shaving back then.

What are your thoughts on this? Are most people doing it wrong today by applying hot towels and such before shaving?

They also thought razors had 'teeth' back then. Maybe they used coarse stones & they did.

But ... The hair becomes stiff because the lather supports it & makes it stand up. It becomes brittle because all the oil is stripped out of it by the soap & the cuticles open up on the hair allowing easy ingress of the razor's edge. Hot water helps dissolve oils but good lathering is still the key regardless of what it actually does to the hair.

It all boils down to trying both hot and cold shaving and deciding which you like. The hotter the better for me.

Originally Posted by Wayne1963

It all boils down to trying both hot and cold shaving and deciding which you like. The hotter the better for me.

That is so true. It is not a matter of which is better or even why, just which ever you like and works for you. For me it makes no difference hot or cold to the shave quality so why waste the energy to heat the water.

Bob

If your beard in soft, then you don't need to do anything else. Some of us have very coarse beards that a razor has difficulty cutting if they are not prepared for the shave. I can do no prep and shave with a Feather, but I can only get a couple of shaves this way as the blade is quickly dulled. I can't cut my beard at all without prep if I am using a straight. How much prep you need is a function of your individual beard. In prep there is absolutely no "one size fits all."

this is what is great with the straight razor place, we can all take a different journey but arrive at the same destination. I was taught to shave by my Great-Grandfather and Grandfather. Great-Grandfather was an advocate of the cold water shave. he believed that hot water softened the whiskers causing the razor to slide across the whiskers not cutting them causing you to go over the same spot over and over again causing irritation. my grandfather believe in face lather as the best way of coating the whiskers. but one this they both believed a soap (any shave soap) that was lathered properly would work well completely on it own, it was a matter of knowledge and technique and a soap should stand or fail on it's merits.

I heard that it seems that your hair and nails grow after you die. They seem to grow, but in reality the skin dries out and contracts, so the hairs and nails stay the same length, only the skin becomes smaller, exposing more hair and nails, making the illusion that they grow. I also heard that soaps dries the skin, which might have a similar effect. The skin dries and contracts and the whiskers become "longer". Also the soap removes the oil from the whiskers thus making it easier to cut them with a razor. And after shaving, the skin get moisturized again and the shave becomes closer because the skin sucks in the remaining short whiskers as it returns to its original state.

I do not do any prep because for me it is not possible to soften my whiskers without softening my skin too. And if my skin is soft, I get irritation. Quite straightforward I think. So I just lather up - for about five minutes and shave. I don't even splash my face with water. No need.

So this softening and prep thing doesn't work for me at all. I just can't have a decent shave after having a shower.

Everybody needs to experiment and find out what is good for them! :-) Good luck!

Originally Posted by szarvi

I heard that it seems that your hair and nails grow after you die. They seem to grow, but in reality the skin dries out and contracts, so the hairs and nails stay the same length, only the skin becomes smaller, exposing more hair and nails, making the illusion that they grow. I also heard that soaps dries the skin, which might have a similar effect. The skin dries and contracts and the whiskers become "longer". Also the soap removes the oil from the whiskers thus making it easier to cut them with a razor. And after shaving, the skin get moisturized again and the shave becomes closer because the skin sucks in the remaining short whiskers as it returns to its original state.

I do not do any prep because for me it is not possible to soften my whiskers without softening my skin too. And if my skin is soft, I get irritation. Quite straightforward I think. So I just lather up - for about five minutes and shave. I don't even splash my face with water. No need.

So this softening and prep thing doesn't work for me at all. I just can't have a decent shave after having a shower.

Everybody needs to experiment and find out what is good for them! :-) Good luck!

Have you tried a cold water shave yet? Perhaps that would prevent the irritation you describe.