Thread: Convert to cold water shaving

Hmm, ya wanna be real tough, just shave dry, No lather, No water, Dry.

My dang whiskers are like trees, unless hot they dull my razors, I have to prep them. Cold water just makes it so I would have to shave the same evening to go out. will try it again but do not expect miracles. To each their own.

I'm four years in to shaving with a straight and for at least three of them its been with cold water.
There are so many variables in the learning curve, but things went better with cool/cold water and I've not been tempted to go back...

I was always under the impression that the hot water softened the beard, and is why I've always hot shaved. The cold water final rinse sure feels good though. Might have to do some experimenting with this cold water shaving.

Ok You have all convinced me to give it a try tomorrow

Originally Posted by Firefighter2

I was always under the impression that the hot water softened the beard, and is why I've always hot shaved.

You are correct. The little 1906 book that started this phenomenon says that a softened whisker is more difficult for the razor to cut. Cold water stiffens the whiskers making shearing them more easily done. I'm not sure if one or the other is correct, but I know cold water works better for me. YMMV.

I very quickly switched to cold water after starting to use a straight. A good 85% of my irritation problems went away. The other 15% was a combination of product ingredients and technique. Only when using a DE do I sometimes/rarely revert to warm/hot water. Final rinse in all cases is always cold water.

I joined SRP just to tell everyone how amazing shaving with cold water is! I read through several pages of the original thread after reading Shaving Made Easy and decided to give it a try. I have been bearded for the past 3 years and got a bug to shave it off; oh the shock! I had the distinct impression that I was running around naked for several days, but the shock passed and I decided I would shave for awhile. When I shaved off my beard I used my old hot water routine with MWF, Wee Scot, and Merkur HD with a Sharp blade. I stumbled upon the cold shaving thread and gave it a go. Wow! This time, after washing my face I rinsed with cold water and pat it dry. I then got my lather going (Proraso soap in a bowl and Omega Pro 48 brush) and wet my fingers, dipped out some Proraso Pre Barba and rubbed it into my beard, followed by lather (same razor/blade). This time I took the time to work the lather in with my fingers per the book and smoothed it out again with the brush. I could not believe how smooth the shave was, zero irritation. I did a final rinse with hot water before going back to cold and patting dry again. I finished off with a liberal dose of Osage Rub and was grinning from ear to ear.

I'm a convert! Next time I'll go with my old favourite DE: The Merkur HD slant. My technique has flagged a bit after being bearded so long--or so I feared--but I suspect an even finer shave will come out of that slant with the cold water method.

Amazing!

I can do it, and get a good shave from it. But I really prefer at least a lukewarm shave to cold water shaving. Just a comfort thing for me. I very rarely get any kind of irritation, no matter what the water temp is, and have not noticed any difference in hot or cold as far as closeness of shave goes. YMMV.
In a pinch, if all I have is cold water, it's not a big deal, but if I can get it warm, that's my preference, even in hot weather.
But in the end, YMMV, and personal preference is king in shaving, so we do what works for us, and shave on!

Yes, I seem to recall having run out of hot water once about ten years ago. At the time I remember being surprised that it didn't affect the quality of the shave much if at all. I figured I had developed really good technique I suppose. At the time I really loved the combo of Gillette Slim adjustable and Feather blades and was getting fabulous results with every shave. I never imagined starting a shave with cold water could offer such stellar results! But then, yes, everyone is different.

Originally Posted by kiltedshaver

This time I took the time to work the lather in with my fingers per the book and smoothed it out again with the brush. I could not believe how smooth the shave was, zero irritation.

Welcome to SRP and a great first post. Hope there will be many more. I was doing my usual cold water shave this afternoon and while I was working that first lathering in with my fingertips I thought of how nice it is for that to be the only preparation I need to do. When I first started cold water shaving years ago, I did the 'normal' prep, but not long after I went back to the book and followed that advice. Never looked back. Also + 1 on the Merkur slant. When not straight shaving, or using the Mongoose single edge I go to the 137 merkur slant.