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I have read several thoughts on shaving right after a hot shower or using a hot towel and letting that sit on your face for a few minutes. Does one produce better results than the other or is it simply just a matter of preference? I'm and every day straight razor shaver and also use a pre-shave gel. Was just curious thoughts.
Hot towels = skin irritation for me. I joined the cool/cold water shaving team last year. If your skin isn't prone to redness, get your hot on if it feels good.
I think it is a matter of whatever your skin prefers. Mr Moo is a cold water guy, I am hot. But then I don't care about a little redness either. Cold water on me stops my heart. Rather have bamboo under my finger nail :<0) As for the difference between towel and shower I think they are about the same. Your in the shower "however long" but how much of that time is your face in water ? I started thinking about all that too and wound up using the towel. I mean by the time I dry and get pants on my face is cold again. The towel is hot and now. So my routine now is: get water scalding hot in the basin, wash face with hands, then get the lather going. I pretty much stick to the same 7 day set at that alone adds enough variables that I couldn't tell the difference in either method as far as ease of cutting beard.
I am a two hot towel guy. Hot towel then lather then another hot towel. Shower is ok but I feel better about my shave with the towels plus the mirror is not steamed up. Showering fist is a little quicker.
The key is to properly prep your beard. You want to get the hair moist. Almost everything we do from better soaps and creams to using a brush and in your case the preshave oil helps your beard and skin get ready for the shave.
Just for experiment sake try dropping the preshave oil and do towels one day and a shower the next. See which you prefer. After all, it's your face and you are the ultimate judge of your shave.
I'm a cold water man, like MrMoo. I've done the hot towels, the vigorous face washing in the hot shower and shave afterwards, but I went to cold water shaving a few years ago, and do the prep suggested in the 1905 booklet. Splash of cold water, lather, rub lather in, lather again, shave. Works as well or better than any prep I've ever used. YMMV. :)
Every shaver is different as to what pre shave routine works for them. When you ask what works you will get many answers. Just try changing something and see if it works better for you. If the change makes no difference to you try something else and so on till you have your preferences pinned down.
Personally, I get by nicely with a splash of cold water, face lather and shave. None of the pre shave routines or using hot water made any improvements to my shave, but I had to try them to find out.
Bob
I also agree with the trial and error. I shower then shave. I use preshave oil before lathering my face. I find that my systems works for my face and beard. But many members here have different routines. I am a pansy and have to use warm/hot water. It also seems to help with my wiskers, so I can make a "manly" excuse for being a pansy.
If we were all cookie cutter shavers, we would use the plastic disposables. We are all after the truly personal, relaxing shave so it will be different for each of us.
Be patient as you find what works well for you. Like the lottery, the right combination is out there. You just have to keep searching for it. You will find the right shave long before the right lottery numbers though:p
I prefer warm lather (scuttle) in the winter months but I rinse in cold water regardless of the season. Cold water equals less irritation for me. I use Noxzema cleansing cream between each razor pass. I get very close irritation free shaves.
Thanks for the thoughts so far. To this point I have been a hot towel guy but I have read enough to make me want to experiment with cold water as well. Anxious to see if it produces any different results on my end or if I will be sticking with my current routine.
I'm a newbie also, and was wondering what the technique is for the hot towels? I've seen one or two videos on youtube of a barber who does this folding thing where it seems to stay on pretty tight, but how do you guys get them to stay on?
I fold it the long way. Get only the mid portion wet with really hot water and hold it behind my head with the wet portion covering my face and neck. Check out Lynn's video for shaving with a straight.Quote:
Originally Posted by laranginha
I personally do not leave the towel on that long, maybe a minute or two, so I actually just hold mine tight against my face. I am not sure what others do in terms of technique or duration. My couple of minutes with a hot towel and preshave gel works great for me and gets me a great shave.Quote:
Originally Posted by laranginha
I shave with a straight razor and almost always shave after a hot shower. I also use proraso white pre-shave cream. On the days that I do not shave after a shower, I simply splash my face several times with hot water then I do the hot towel thing. I find that this is sufficient enough for a good shave; however with my corse beard, a hot shower softens my beard and prepares my face better. I would agree with the others when saying that this can change on a case-to-case basis. However for corse beard I would argue that a hot shower would work better than using a hot towel.
I'm new to straights, and haven't used a cold water straight shave yet, but when I was using only a DE/Safety razor, I preferred the feeling during a shave with hot water, but after a cold water shave my face felt better. I think the feeling of the shave itself with cold water was more crisp. I guess I'm a bit nervous about switching things up for now. I was shown a hot towel shave for my first straight.
Did a cold water shave this morning. Sooo smooth.
Recently tried a cold water shave, what can I say about it? It was cold and I didn't feel any difference in shave quality, so I went back to hot water. I use a pre shave oil now only because I have it and it cost a lot. It won't be replaced. As far as keeping the hot towel on I staple it to the back of my head until it goes cold and do once more with staples then make a paste of ground alum to cover the back of my head. Seriously...hold it to your face as they go cool pretty quickly you won't be spending a lot of time doing this. Then it's lather and go, face lather, scuttle, cream, puck...it's fun picking the soap of the day. If I am not face lathering I make the lather before I start the hot towels so it rests, this seems to make a better lather for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by laranginha
I have a rather quick pre shave routine that works for me, ymmv I guess L:
If I'm using my safety razor (a Merkur open comb) , I just rub a puck of Kent Shaving soap on my face and then use my brush to build a lather, exactly as you'd use a shaving stick.
When I'm using a straight razor, I wash my face with hot water, then work the shaving cream lather (taylor of old bond street sandalwood at the moment) with the brush. and then drop a few drops of Trumper's Skinfood into the lather, then mix it some more, then really use the brush to work it in. And that's how I prep for a shave... Its not very elaborate, but, like I said, works for me.
I just make sure my face is clean then just wet it and apply the lather and shave. I do the hot towel thing with lather on my face after the shave. If you have a proper sharp razor and you are skilled in it's use you don't need much pre shave prep. Much of it is just feel good stuff anyway (IMHO).
Fully Wake Up
+1 on the Proraso pre-shave. I recently started using Proraso green pre-shave -- it has a cooling effect that contrasts nicely with nice warm TOBS lather. Seems to give me a smoother shave as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spiros
Fairly new to this as well, gents. I've never heard of a cold shave nor pre shave oil.
My routine has been a shower, thoguht I can'tt stand it too hot, and then lather with the Lotion I have and a brush with hot water...I don't leave it on long, I just get started.
Perhaps I shall experiment with a hot towel next.
I agree with this method that the booklet recommends. I found that during the day/days (according to how often I shave) some/a lot of grease and dirt accumulates on my skin and on the surface of my whiskers. This grease prevents the lather and the water to take effect because the water can not penetrate the grease. The grease makes the beard water repellent. No water can soften my beard - no matter if it is hot or cold - unless it can get to the beard.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
So, by rubbing the lather into the skin, I, basically, simply clean my beard with soap, I remove the grease. This is what soaps were made for in the first place. This is "the prep". Then I apply the lather for a couple of mins. Now the water in the lather can do its job - soften.
Only I use an ordinary bar of soap to clean my face and then the lather.
Getting back to the op, for me, neither a hot shower nor a hot towel give as good a shave as rubbing. It is worth a try.