Thread: Cold Water Shaving

I didn't notice a difference in the number of nicks I get. There's definitely less irritation though. The whole reason I switched to straights was to eliminate irritation, so to that end I shave with cold water. It is pretty refreshing on a hot summer day, when it's 105 with 90% humidity that makes it feel like 115. Those days a cold shower and shave are glorious.

The only downside is when it gets cold outside. Right now in the middle of winter the last thing I want to do in the morning is splash cold water on my face. I still use cold water but I'm more prone to skip a day or wait until evening to shave.

I used to keep everything including water in the fridge for shaving, i went from using a kettle to heat water to cold pretty quickly.
now I keep my soaps etc in the fridge but the water i use is whatever comes out of the tap, i find cool water shaving much more pleasant than hot, but where I spend most of my time it doesn't get below about 8 degrees overnight in the middle of winter and in the summer the overnight temps can be 30 degrees so added heat isn't really required.

Originally Posted by Marshal

I didn't notice a difference in the number of nicks I get. There's definitely less irritation though. The whole reason I switched to straights was to eliminate irritation, so to that end I shave with cold water. It is pretty refreshing on a hot summer day, when it's 105 with 90% humidity that makes it feel like 115. Those days a cold shower and shave are glorious.

The only downside is when it gets cold outside. Right now in the middle of winter the last thing I want to do in the morning is splash cold water on my face. I still use cold water but I'm more prone to skip a day or wait until evening to shave.

I don't splash cold water on my face. Just brush wet lather on it. That is not bad.

In North East England where Summertime is usually measured in hours per year rather than weeks or months, I am not sure that I have what it takes to cold water shave but the quest for less irritation is one I'm all for.

Probably won't try it for a while though. We're hitting 0c outside and I've been much more sensitive to heat changes this year than previous (more related to health). I am brave enough to douse my freshly shaven visage in the cold water after a red hot shave though.

Elcs, don't take the term 'cold' water' literally. I switched to cold water shaving because of irritation, sensitive skin, sensitive to some products and Rosacea and have found that any temperature of water from cold to lukewarm alleviates all these problems. Now, for me, it's the time of year that dictates the water temp. Colder in the Summer and currently slightly warm water fits the bill.

Originally Posted by rolodave

First post, IIRC, in these many threads on cold, warm, hot water shaving to say just what is cold. Ice water means 32F (Oc).

What is "cold" in Miami is far different than cold in upper Canada or Finland or well water in Idaho.

Giving the actual temperature of the water would help many decide if "cold" water shaving is something to try. JMO

This might be important when cold water shaving. I remember my home in VA in the winter. The cold water out of the tap was VERY cold. Now in FL (panhandle) I don't see any difference in the time of year. It's never real cold though. Also, the manner you get the water at your home might make a difference. In my home in VA we had a well so the water came from 60-70 feet underground. I don't think that's deep enough for lava to heat it.

I tried cold water shaving and while it is ok I think I prefer a warm lather in a scuttle. I used to heat the scuttle with water in the microwave for up to 3 minutes. Now I heat it for 2 minutes and after I create the lather it's warm but after it sits for 4-5 minutes it's a little warmer. I think I like this temp. best. So along with the "how cold is cold?" question I think "how hot is hot (or warm)?" would apply also. As if there aren't already enough variables.

But the important thing is that no matter which you choose, they all seem to get me shaved with no bad or even uncomfortable experiences. So if I HAVE to use cold water I can and I know it'll be ok. One thing I tried a couple of times was heating a wet towel and letting it heat my face for 1-2 minutes. I want to try that some more but it seemed like a lot more trouble than it was worth. To me anyway.

One thing about trying all these different ways to shave is I think how experienced the person is has a lot to do with the results (or perceived results). I've been straight shaving for just over a year and now I think my shaving technique is comfortable enough to judge how I feel about different water temps., soaps and other things we can change from shave to shave. I think a brand new straight shaver doesn't have a technique consistent enough to judge the results of different water temperatures, soaps, etc. This is how it seems to me as I'm learning. After getting completely used to Mitchell's wool fat soap now I can feel a BIG difference in a Proraso cream or the lime SRD soap I just got. Also, maybe now it's time to try cold water again, face shaving, etc. It all seems to work so maybe it's about finding out what you like best and sticking with that. Or, maybe it's about a different shave experience from one day to the next. I guess it's up to the individual. Just like most of this shaving stuff. Every face is different and every whisker is different as well.

One thing I remember about cold water was I liked it when the bathroom was hot like after a hot shower. Cold water felt refreshing. But if the bathroom is cool I like the feeling of the warm lather.

Jack

As one of the main floggers of cold water shaving I entered it with a little trepidation since I've always disliked cold water, especially after a hot shower. As I matured in using cold water I discovered how subjective cold is and how we each perceive it. My current stand on 'cold water' shaving now reads as any temp that feels less hot or mostly cool to your face. My main reason for switching was one of easing irritation (sensitive skin and sensitive to certain products) and then finding out I have a relatively mild case of Rosacea. Research showed me that heat is the enemy with Rosacea and I embraced cold water enthusiastically, still disliking the coldness. Never one for saying "Eureka!" I experimented with varying temps of less hot to cold as a finish in the shower. Clumsy as it sounds and read I think the term Temperate Water is closer to how the idea of cold water shaving should be known at. In all the playing around I found that, based on the time of year, ambient temperatures and my subjective sense of the day I finish with anything from lukewarm, tepid or, when I can stand it, straight cold water from the shower head. But I always make my lather with cold water and do a cold water rinse at the end of my shave. And that does it for martyrdom for the day.

Im in NW England as mentioned summer time is measured in hours lol.

I cold water shave when using SE and Straights only, (I only found out that they work better for me with cold, this year) DE's are hot water only I dont know why DE's are better for me with hot but thats the way it is.

My path has been similar to Razorfeld.

Shower/Prep - I've been in the habit of "Navy" (very shorter water use) showers since Dad was a US Marine....So its a short rinse in warm/cool to wet down, water off and the soap thing and then warm/cool rinse start that goes quickly to full cold finish. I will try to get a temp reading this week. Total running water time is 3 minutes, most of it in the rinse cycle. You will note that the beard hairs do stand at attention by the end of the rinse. Added benefit is that I have less (much less) of a problem with dry skin in the winter.

Out of the shower, wet my face with tap water -cold- and currently a coat of Cremo for face prep and to keep the face wet while I load the brush.

Tap water cold - ice supplement in the summer - washcloth to soak off the Cremo before building a face lather.

When I was bowl lathering I would set the bowl in the ice water bath that I use for my final rinse.
But I am now a face lather guy so I just use tap water cold or ice water for lather water. But it warms to face temp.

Post shave is a hot as I can stand it towel to clear the lather followed immediately by a ice water towel (washcloth) - usually 2x of those since they are so nice.

Another benefit is that soaps that might be borderline irritating with hot water seem to be less to no problem with cool/cold.
And weepers and cuts are mostly handled by that ice water final if you try it.

And at the end of the day, its what works for you, there is no wrong or right temp.
If you think you would like to try it I would suggest you just use tap water (cold) for face prep, lather build and the final rinse.
The warm/hot rinse I use is as much to clear the lather from my Mo as anything else.

Smooth Shaving....

I too am a cold water shaver since a very long time, I guess about ten years now. To me, it is more refreshing and less irritating than warm water.
I guess it is also a matter of personal preference: I know people who don't like using cold water while support the idea warm water is better. I guess it is always a matter of "use what works best for you", from water to aftershave.