Thread: Cold water shave...... Not for me I guess

So first off, this is my first post since 2009. I had life happen but now I have the time to get back into the art of SR shaving. I have been back at it six months. It's like riding a bike...... well, kinda. today I thought a would try out this magical cold water shave I continue to hear about. Did my normal routine (creature of habit) just with cold water. Washed my face with cold water, apply a very small amount of cremo as a preshave, lather with tabac and shave WTG and ATG. I am able to get BBS with a hot shave everywhere but my neck because of my weird east to west hair growth. I thought that Cold water might be the answer. It was not. VERY rough shave with more nicks than I have had in a while. Not even close to BBS even on the normally easy spots. I can only assume that from all of the rave reviews about CWS I must be doing something wrong. Any thoughts??? (BTW my blade is nice and sharp)

Thanks!

My first cold water shave was just so-so. I resolved to continue with it and give it a fair chance. Within a few shaves I was a believer. OTOH, it is not for everybody. In a poll done a year or two ago the hot water shavers far outnumbered the cold water guys.

We don't all have the same whiskers so one thing I would suggest, if you didn't do it this last time ..... the premise of the cold water shave is that the hot water will soften whiskers which actually, according to the 1905 booklet, makes them more resistant to the razor's edge.

The cold water leaves them stiff and brittle and more easily cut off. So he recommends, and I've been doing this for years, wetting the face with cold water. Lather cold. Rub that lather into the beard vigorously. Relather and shave. That is the entire prep for the shave. This works for me ........ YMMV.

No, no thoughts at all about. Just puzzled as I don't even use a pre shave or work the lather in first either and Tabac is a favourite of mine. Oh well, maybe for some reason it just doesn't work for you, everyone is a bit different. At least you tried it.

Bob

I didn't start shaving with warm/hot water until I started shaving with a str8 razor. The first thing I noticed with warm/hot water when I was younger was the razor burns. even now if my face feels a little tender for wind burn/sunburn ect... I return to the cold water knowing that I will have no ill effects. I do miss the warm lather but I say for me it is a fair trade off. The other plus to a cold shave... that stuff will wake you up in a hurry.

Cold water shaver here. Below is the link for the 1905 Shaving made easy book. When you open the site click on the book under "view the book" on the left side of the screen. It's a good read.

https://archive.org/details/shavingmadeeasyw0020th

Another Polar bear here too. I don't shave any other way. It works for me. Sorry that your experience isn't the same.


Mick

Love the cold water shave. In fact I do a splash afterwards with a little dash of AS directly into the water. Makes for a pleasant rinse. Feels so refreshing ahhhhhh !!

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

My first cold water shave was just so-so. I resolved to continue with it and give it a fair chance. Within a few shaves I was a believer. OTOH, it is not for everybody. In a poll done a year or two ago the hot water shavers far outnumbered the cold water guys.

We don't all have the same whiskers so one thing I would suggest, if you didn't do it this last time ..... the premise of the cold water shave is that the hot water will soften whiskers which actually, according to the 1905 booklet, makes them more resistant to the razor's edge.

The cold water leaves them stiff and brittle and more easily cut off. So he recommends, and I've been doing this for years, wetting the face with cold water. Lather cold. Rub that lather into the beard vigorously. Relather and shave. That is the entire prep for the shave. This works for me ........ YMMV.

That's the way I ride...works for me...YMMV!

Although my avatar might be a Polar Bear, my shaving is all HOT

My issue wasn't the shave part however, I just really didn't like the cold water... also just not a believer in the softened whiskers don't cut as easy part of that Manual...

I don't believe in much except what works for me but that may not work for others.

Bob