This may not work for every man's face. I spent so much time and money researching, buying, and trying the various pre-shave products and routines, and found that some prepped my beard for shaving better than others, perhaps. But it was when I tried a cold water shave that I had a revelation. Well, two revelations. First, cold water left me a smoother, closer shave, and resulted in less irritation and razor burn (none, actually) than warm water. Second, absolutely no prep worked perfectly for me. That is, all I do (and I mean I do nothing else whatsoever for prep) is splash cold water on my face, saturate my brush in cold running water, lather on my face with my preferred soap, and shave with 2, maybe 3, passes. That's it. No heating the water, or keeping the brush and lather warm while shaving. No pre shave oil. No glycerin. No hot towel. No hydrating shower before shaving. Nothing. And I get the best shave I've ever gotten. And I've tried most things, I think.

Now, I truly believe our faces are different, and this spartan method may not work well for some or even most men; I really don't know. Also, being a man of ritual and routine, I think there is great value and pleasure to be found in the pre shave rituals and practices we may employ. So, I'm not saying you are making a mistake doing those things. But I am saying that if you really just want to get to shaving in as easy a way possible, and get a fantastic shave to boot, this basic cold water approach MIGHT work for you. It does for me, and I love it.