Thread: Cold water shave is the best & worst ever

I guess it is like the old cigarette ad for Camel filters .... not for everybody. I am not selling my beloved Moss scuttle but it is in the cabinet under the sink and I don't foresee needing it again. I am 100% cold water shaving and loving it.

Tried this the other day... didn't notice anything remarkable or better... back to hot water for me! I may try it again someday though.

I am now throwing in the towel on this method. I have been doing this for about three weeks, and although it started out great, the last week was pretty rough with irritation and post shave red blotches that I believe are indicative of whiskers being pulled. Now, I only use DE razors, so maybe this method is intended for straight users only because I think cutting through hard whiskers was dulling my thinner blades too quickly -- hence the pulling. It's not a total loss, however, as I have realized that I can adequately prep my whiskers with tepid water rather than the "as hot as my face can stand" water I used to use, which is very drying. So, I now wet, lather up, and rinse with tepid water, dry my face and apply witch hazel, lather with good 'ol warm scuttle foam, and have at it.

Perhaps for the people that didn't like the cold water, maybe just warm instead of hot is the answer as it was for me?

This water temperature issue may have to do with hair type and if your beard is tough or soft. My hair is sharp and hard, but I tried this this morning and I really liked the outcome. I also used the four-figure-grip that was shown in the booklet. I actually liked it!

Originally Posted by Disburden

This water temperature issue may have to do with hair type and if your beard is tough or soft. My hair is sharp and hard, but I tried this this morning and I really liked the outcome. I also used the four-figure-grip that was shown in the booklet. I actually liked it!

I am still enjoying the cold water shave but couldn't get with the new grip. I did take a brief stab at it .... no pun intended.

I am in the school of, "use whatever is natural" when it comes to grips

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I am still enjoying the cold water shave but couldn't get with the new grip. I did take a brief stab at it .... no pun intended.

Hey guys,

I've been out of the SRP loop for the last few weeks - my wife and I came back recently from a great vacation in Mexico. I read through the manual and got up to speed on this entire thread tonight before deciding to finally give it a shot. Hesitantly though, I might add.

Followed the directions put together by concensus here for the most part; I had a hot shower, applied some Proraso pre/post andlet that soak in while I made some (cold) lather using Proraso soap. Applied a coat of lather, massaged in w/ fingers and relathered using my brush. I did my usual shave routine - nothing more, nothing less - 2-1/2 pass with ATG touchups. I then did a cold water rinse followed by a hot water rinse, and to cap it all off a splash of Dominica Bay Rum.

The verdict? So far a very smooth shave. My skin feels very soft and my wife even remarked upon it. After the bay rum my face felt a little raw for a couple minutes (my skin is fairly sensitive), but felt great afterwards. The true test will be tomorrow; IF I ever get irritation it will be the next day after a shave. I'll keep you guys posted....

Well this might be a good time to invite members to join the new 'Polar Bear Shave Club'.

Straight Razor Place Forums - The Polar Bear Shave Club

Once everyone has tried the routine a few times and have found a few tips or tricks for getting the best shave with cold water we'd love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers,

Rob

I have been shaving with cold water for a couple of weeks now. The lather does not dry out as quickly. Plus I like the results even better when I use a boar brush...

Well, having been trying this out for about a week now, I have to say I am sold on the technique. The shaves that I get are noticeably closer and easier to achieve, which in itself would be pretty good, but the real clincher is how comfortable they are. In fact, the longer I go with it the more comfortable they seem to be getting. Is anyone else noticing this (apologies if I missed it up thread)? I'll hold out on joining the group for another week or so just to be sure but I think you guys have got me. Many thanks to Jimmy for trying this out and enthusing about it, thereby hooking me in.