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Hi Guys,
I got my first razor last week and have had a few shaves with it now and am slowly learning.
I was talking to someone at work the other day and he said he remembers reading somewhere that you should use cold water to rinse the razor and warm water to prep your face. Is this right?
Thanks for the help.
Tim
You can use whatever you have on hand. Cold water may require you to wipe the blade on a wet sponge or some sort of towel. Think about it, back in the day they didn't always have hot water to bath in or shave it...but still kept shaven and clean.
That is a good point! I think I'll give cold ago and see what I like best!
I prep with warm/hot water and rinse the razor with cold during my shave (yes I am very careful not to hit the tap). When I am done shaving I use hot water to rinse the blade off for the final time and dry the entire blade and scales. I think the hot water will heat up the razor and help dry off any leftover water.
Now you are in the spirit of things! I personally don't care for a cold shave, until the final rinse of my face. Find what works for you. One of our more seasoned mods started a thread about cold water shaving & IIRC, he prefers a cold shave. As long as the end result is a close and comfortable shave, who cares how you arrived at it!Quote:
Originally Posted by tim85a
Hot water will clean the blade better than cold water. other than that I see no differences.
Try em both and in mix it up. Different things work for different people. And, some better than others.
I started off cold shaving without a hot prep and in recent months switched to water from a kettle and face cloth before and between each pass.
Both work, hot seems to be bringing out certain qualities out of soap and creams I had in stock... YMMV
There is a reason professional barbers always start with a hot towel. It opens the pores and softens the skin and wiskers. Cold water does the opposite and tightens up the face and seals minor nicks. Follow with aftershave for a great cooling feel.
Also there were times they had no water at all. It's been a long time but I have dry shaved. no fun.Quote:
Originally Posted by shooter74743
I've been known to swipe a few passes in the dark watching tv. Back of the neck more frequently, though.Quote:
Originally Posted by rhensley
No biggie. More about feel... of course, angles, pressure, etc... All those years of shaving in the shower without a mirror.
Cold water.
Less irretetion for me.... and I just love the cool sensetion on my skin... especially in the summer
I have a hot water heater for a reason. Hot shower and hot water shave. Cold water rinse to close the pores.
I always rinse the razor with hot water, prep my face with hot water, and final rinse my face with cold water.
What have you decided?Quote:
Originally Posted by tim85a
I became a cold water convert a couple years ago and haven't shaved with hot water since. In the summer I really dig ice water shaves. Here in Florida the cold tap water isn't really cold and when the weather is really hot the ice water is very nice, not to mention a great eye opener.
Though certainly not the "end all" as any expert opinion, I have indeed had to use cold water when there was no hot water to be had here in the sandbox. Here's my take...hot water seems to work better for face prep and soaking the brush getting it ready to lather up...cold water seems to rinse the soap off better. I initially thought that the cold water prep would cause the whiskers to come up similar to when you get goosebumps but honestly couldn't tell a difference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tim85a
I used to love the idea of hot water and warm (e.g. scuttle) lather for a shave. But one day I decided to give slightly cool water a try -- and could not believe how much more comfortable my skin felt.
I should premise by saying that below my jawline, to each side of my adam's apple, the grain of my course hair not only comes together from multiple directions (making it almost impossible to go purely WTG in a half-dollar size area of skin), but the skin there is also a bit sensitive.
My suspicion is that heat of the hot water prep was creating a tiny bit of irritation, giving the mild irritation from the razor that much more of a head start... and that using slightly cool water prevents it.
I tried a cold water face shave earlier this week. Can't say I enjoyed it. I found it irritating. The irritation was confirmed when I splashed on some aftershave. I went back to a hot wash cloth, hot lather and cold rinse. I am going to try tuning the edge for better results with cold water. I think first I will try to finish on Coticule instead of JNat and see what result that brings. I did not try cold on my head which demands optimal prep.
Switched to cold shaving and really prefer it.
It's nice once in a while to break out the scuttle and have a nice hot shave with some hot lather, but day to day, cold shave gives me less irritation in far less time.
Seems like this is a preference issue. My only cold shaves were in the mirror of a Jeep in the Army. It wasn't a good experience, but nothing else there was either.
I think I'll give it a fair try again, since Phrank is so enthusiastic, and I generally benefit from paying attention to his posts.
It's possible he read it from this book, pp. 50-52. https://archive.org/details/shavingmadeeasyw0020th. This book is in the public domain and you can either read it onsite or download a copy for yourself. It explains that there is less irritation because the whisker is more brittle when cold. We're talking about tap water, not adding ice cubes if it is not ice cold. Warm whiskers are limp and you can irritate your face trying to shave them.Quote:
Originally Posted by tim85a
When I first heard of the idea I thought it was nuts. But I tried it and to my surprise it worked wonderfully well. Still I thought it was a silly idea and went back to hot water. Then about a year later I switched to cold water permanently because it's easier, and more convenient. I used to microwave water, then I had an electric kettle for a while, and I would use a scuttle to keep the lather warm. With cold water I was able to clear the sink area and all I need is a mug.
To be honest with you, I can't tell a difference in results with either hot water or cold water. And, I live in a semitropical climate, so it's no sacrifice of comfort for me.
My barber was taught to shave hot for the very reason the book says to shave cold because limp hairs are desirable.
I'd say the rule of thumb is to do what you want, and if you experience irritation with hot water, try cold water, or vice-versa.