Thread: Water Temperature Theory

IMHO....There may be another variable which needs to be considered, besides temperature,
which may affect skin condition: the quality/purity of the water.

When we lived in Tonga, all of our water was captured rainwater, stored in tanks. It was very
"soft" and not treated in any way. All of my shaving soaps and creams produced excellent
lather, and I had no skin irritation problems, regardless of temperature.

Here in California, we now have "city" water: drawn from a river, highly mineralized, heavily
chlorinated, and distributed through iron pipes. Now it's difficult to make a decent lather, using
the same products and brushes that I used in Tonga; and skin irritation is a problem, no matter
what water temperature I use. Same skin, same products, same brushes, same razors, same
temperature ranges, but entirely different results.

Its gotta be the water.

Originally Posted by PaulKidd

IMHO....There may be another variable which needs to be considered, besides temperature,
which may affect skin condition: the quality/purity of the water.

When we lived in Tonga, all of our water was captured rainwater, stored in tanks. It was very
"soft" and not treated in any way. All of my shaving soaps and creams produced excellent
lather, and I had no skin irritation problems, regardless of temperature.

Here in California, we now have "city" water: drawn from a river, highly mineralized, heavily
chlorinated, and distributed through iron pipes. Now it's difficult to make a decent lather, using
the same products and brushes that I used in Tonga; and skin irritation is a problem, no matter
what water temperature I use. Same skin, same products, same brushes, same razors, same
temperature ranges, but entirely different results.

Its gotta be the water.

Conclusion; life is easier in Tonga!

Originally Posted by Lemur

Conclusion; life is easier in Tonga!

Yes and no, but that's another discussion altogether.

Our water is drawn from Lake Superior and is treated before distribution also. It is chlorinated and treated with God knows what else before being distributed through pipes of various materials possibly even lead in rare cases. The water is soft water for all that. It lathers all shave soaps and creams well.

The biggest problem in in making a good lather is still water hardness. Skin irritation might have something to do with other chemicals also in the local water.

Bob