Thread: Hot Water On The Blade = Better Shave ?

Years ago in an unsuccessful attempt to learn the art of the straight razor shave I used to ask barbers for tips on how to shave properly. Somewhere along the line I was told to wet the blade with hot water. Hot knife through butter principal. I had more or less forgot about that when I came back to straights over a year ago.

Reading an instruction sheet (see below) that came with a Torrey razor refreshed my memory. Where it says dipping the razor in hot water will add greatly to the comfort of shaving. I also read in a 1906 Gillette razor pamphlet that,"It is helpful to rinse your razor in hot water frequently during shaving." Of course this is referring to the DE so the rinsing is undoubtedly suggested to clear the apparatus of lather and whiskers accumulated but why with hot water when cold would be just as effective for that purpose ?

Anyhow, I started holding my blade under the tap, with the hot water running, immediately before making my first pass and when rinsing the lather off while shaving. My impression is that this gives me a better shave. It may be the power of suggestion or the hot knife through butter principal may be working here. One thing for sure is that I can feel the heat from the blade on my face when I touch it to my cheek. BTW, my hot tap water at maximum can be run over my hands and splashed onto my face without discomfort and the blade is only warm.

If you haven't tried the hot water on the blade please do and comment on your results. I would like to know if other straight razor shavers feel any perceptible difference in the smoothness of their shave from a bit of heat on the blade ? Of course if you have been doing this all along and it is giving you a better shave let us know or if OTOH you tried it and it wasn't doing anything for you. TIA.

The barber that introduced me to straights, did it that way and I just always have.... I think that it helps...

I have always rinsed my blade in hot water before my first stroke and rinsed lather on each subsequent stroke instead of wiping on a cloth. Just be careful not to ding the blade on the tap (ask me how I know). If this gives a smoother shave I don't know. It is habit. I also rinse my tooth brush before using

One question...
Do you guys rinse the blade with hot water and then dry it with towel or you just leave the hot water on the blade?
Because I always warm up my blade under the running hot water before the shave and rinse it with hot water during the shave... But I dry the blade with the towel before making the pass...

I feel like the shave is better when I rinse it under hot water. Just wiping it with a towel just doesn't work for me.

Originally Posted by Robert1988

One question...
Do you guys rinse the blade with hot water and then dry it with towel or you just leave the hot water on the blade?
Because I always warm up my blade under the running hot water before the shave and rinse it with hot water during the shave... But I dry the blade with the towel before making the pass...

I don't wipe the blade during the shave. Of course I do afterwards with a fresh piece of Kleenex.

Rinsing the blade seems to work better for me than just wiping between passes. When Im done I rinse the blade and dry it with toilet paper.

I rinse the blade also.
Why dirty a towel?

I do remember the one and only paid for straight shave I got many years ago. The barber wiped the razor clean on the bib he had placed on me at the shoulder area.

That was a shave I never forgot. It was amazing and seems like yesterday. It has been over 30 years ago! I was 19 or 20 I think. This shave was in Mexico in a border town near Del Rio Texas. Heck of a memory!

Rick

I wipe lather off the blade with my fingers. I occasionally rinse the blade with hot water, but only when I remember threads like this one! I haven't noticed any difference between the "cold" and hot rinsed blade.

I have always rinsed my blade with hot water (but not boiling water...) and I always found it comfortable. Never try to use a towel - I use a microfibre towel to wipe the razor after the shave, but that's all