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Hey everyone,
I'm extremely new to straight razor shaving (I'm 3 shaves in at this point), and I'm just wondering what the benefits are of applying lather before using a hot towel. I've read over many of the hot towel threads, and it seems to be common practice to apply lather before the towel. What's the reasoning behind this?
Thanks,
-Robert
I think the consensus is that is softens the beard, just like pre-shave oils, creams, hot water, hair conditioner, etc. Though an old shaving manual I read recently says the role of the soap is to make the beard stiffer; to make it stand up so it is cut by the blade. Whatever the supposed reason, it seems to work well. I've recently started doing this instead of a pre-shave oil or cream (or in addition to). It allows you to relax for a minute or two, and generally I wash some cream or soap down the sink anyway; so I feel I may as well use it...It also feels good, and I think straight razor shaving's maxim should be "If it feels good do it", a statement you can't blindly apply to all things in life, but to shaving it's what it's all about; it's a very tactile endeavor...
Gets the oil out of the hair and the moisture in.
Mick
The very first straight razor shave I had 30 years ago, the barber did this , Hot Towel, Lather, Hot Towel over the Lather, Re-Lather, Strop, Shave...
I started that way 3 days later and have never really changed other than to do a bit of testing here and there... The only other "Trick" I have added, is to make sure my face is actually wet before each Lathering... It is after all called Wet Shaving :)
To infuse the lather into the beard and remove oil and dirt, all in one step. You have to wash the face first anyway (assuming you are following the barbering procedures).
I remember the barber doing that when I got a straight razor shave forty some years ago. When he washed my face he did so vigorously. I vaguely remember him telling me that he used a lot of elbow grease to soften the whiskers.
Yep, that's the way I do it and also the lather plus the hot towel increases the scent of the soap. I also lather and use a hot towel after the shave too if I have the time.
Hello, Robert: Yes, everything these gentlemen have noted adds to the pleasure of wet shaving. The process removes the oil, adds moisture, and softens the beard, as they point out: Lather, towel, wipe, lather again, and so on.
Hmm, I might have to invest in some towels for this purpose if that's the case.
Saw some NICE towels and other VERY nice creams at royalshave.com, added a whole bunch of really cool sounding foreign creams (i.e. Top Secret, Bigelow, Veleiro, O Melhor, Institut Karite, Figaro), added a whole bunch to my 'Favorites' on my computer for lusting after purposes only to find they don't deliver outside of the US!!!
Nice towels though RoyalShave RoyalShave Green Herringbone Barber Towel
(sorry if someone's already posted this link!!)
My first STR8 shave was from a barber at a tattoo convention and this was the method he used, as he described it served a few purposes. One to soften the beard and moisturize the skin to make it more plyable for strectching, and second was to relax the gentleman getting the shave making him less likely to move or jerk when he was shaving. I found it to be quite relaxing and one of my favorite parts of the whole shave.
I'm curious if anyone here has actually splurged and purchased a towel steamer and if so do they have any sudgestions on prefered make or model and where I might find one?