Or shaving inside one of those industrial walk-in refrigerators!:rofl2:
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I tried cold shaving today and i must say it was my best one yet with my straight razor.
I'm hooked and now I won't go back to the warm water.
Wow. Some guys are hardcore. I just enjoy a moist/heat pre-shave prep to soften, then cold rinse from the tap, lather up again (as first is for the hot towel) and go to it. I don't care about the temperature of the blade, I just use cold tap water to not waste the hot water electricity. It does kind of make me look forward to cold winter air again, though. Shaving in lower 50s may be a good thing.
the only time i use cold water is after im done shaving. i might have to try cold water shaving, but im a little scared to be honest :(
noob report here: I'm trying cold shaves since my 3d shave (am now at my 5th). FWIW, I never succeeded in getting a good shave with cold when using mach 3 etc. Always had my neck cut open by the blades.
WIth the srtr8, I have no problem at all, even with cold water. I might be overshaving, since I've done the last 2 within 36 hours and my skin is a littlebit irritated. I'm amazed that cold shaving even works :)
Not that it is saying anything in this discussion though since I don't have too much xp in str8 shaving ;)
Since the whole point of using cold water and cold lather is to prevent the hair from softening up... Do you allow your cold lather to sit in and soften thr wiskers or do you apply and shave right away?
I don't believe the goal is to prevent the hair from softening; it's to make the skin surface contract, holding the whiskers upright (normal to the skin surface) and keep them from being pushed down flat. If the theory is correct, it is still helpful for the hairs to be softened, because this makes them easier to cut. Rubbing the soap in should strip the oils from the hairs, allowing water to be absorbed, softening them. It all sounds fairly plausible. I do wonder about how temperature affects the blade, however.
I usually start with a warm lather and finish with a cold water ATG. Best of both worlds?
IIRC the premise of the 1905 booklet was that a stiffer hair is more easily cut ? I haven't read it in some time. As far as temperature and the blade .... I used to run hot water over my blade before I attacked the whiskers. Then it occurred to me that I might be causing some expansion of the striations on some sort of molecular level. I began running cold on it instead. I don't know that one is more effective than the other.
Dunno, from the premise of the booklet, noted above , the other way round might be better. I was thinking the other day that I want to dust off my Moss scuttle and give a hot water shave a try once again. I haven't shaved hot since I started this thread this past February. I'll probably do that this week and report back.
Hmmmmm its snowing outside, do i dare, haha, anyone think i should give it a go.
Stocky
One member spoke of using a bowl w/ ice & water for a post-shave action. I suppose that could be used as shave prep as well, but a bit more than I want to pursue. 'Liking the cold tap water just fine so far.
My first use of cold water had a strange coincidence - and I think that's all it is. I was a couple months into using str8s, and having a terrible time using a full hollow - especially if it was at all flexible. I used a flexi blade for the first test of cold water, and since then, the full hollow has given no troubles. As I say - just coincidence, but maybe the less limp stubble was also easier to mow.
Ok Just tried the "snow shave" :idea: rubbed a handful of clean snow on my face till it melted, then shaved with soap, the lather was made from the soap and a ball of compacted snow
The result
One of the best feeling shaves ever :tu, absoloutly no iritation.
Not the closest of shaves but thats only because i rushed.
i did nick myself twice though and they aint small :(
It appered that if i caught myslef it seemed to open up alot quicker thus more pain probably because of the contracted muscles.
Also i was using my shavette as my razors on vacation at the hones haha.
Stocky
I switched over to cold water back in the summer and could tell a huge difference in the quality of the shave right away--I don't think I'll ever switch back. I was a bit apprehensive with the advent of colder weather here, but have found that I get even better results, and strangely enough, I really like how the colder water feels on my face, especially after the shave.
I do ~1 minute post-shave under cold water to help close up the pores and it helps a ton, but it's like spending a nice relaxing evening in a hot tub only to get out and fall into a snow bank. While I know, based on how cold water helps my skin post-shave, that a cold water shave would give me great results....I just don't think It's for me. Not with snow outside, anyways.
Right i should get some free time sooner or later, any ideas for how we can make this work, im thinking mini fridge, with a hole the size of a shaving cream can (i know that stuff aint great but will make dispencing easier), the tin can be slid in so that only the head sticks out, and then it'll keep it cool ;). :idea:
OR:idea:
a small tube with a fan flowing air through, then you could place a can of shaving cream or a tube of it.
Like this:
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/a...vingcooler.jpg
Any other ideas
Also just hit me that if we use the fridge idae then monst mini fridges come with a warm option as well as a cold one (well mine does) so then depending on the weather it could be flipped for a bit of warm lather in winter time and cold in summer time.
Stocky
Hey Stocky,
I like the snowball as lathering tool myself. I'm thinking a shaved-ice machine like for sno-cones, or maybe a 7-11 Slurpee dispenser, and some kind of ice/shaving cream blend.
No canned stuff. :nono: That'd be just too far out!
Yh seems like a fair idea just means we will need a refridgerated snowcone maker all the cheap ones see that you put the ice in and it just smashes it up.
Back to the thinking board :beer2:
Stocky
A margarita maker might do the trick. Those Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville ones are something to behold. It would be a real nice way to mix together the shaved ice, shaving cream, glycerine and some extra scents. Besides, it mixes it to create a supreme lather, which you can then just pour onto your face. I mean, a brush may not even be necessary!
Im liking this idea, i also thought of thoes slush pupie machiens, im sure they keep them cool, they also have a nice tap on the front so you could simply despence it into a bolwel :idea:
Stocky
And as a plus they make that nice, pleasant whirring sound that occasionally is interspliced with a satisfying "PSSHHH!".
Fella's, nothing says "smooth shave" like "PSSHHH!"
This is the picture meant to go with the earlier post, it got moved so i thought id, repost it, should be low voltage and reasonably good, as pointed out the can would be a bad idea so we can use a nice tube of cream :).
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/a...ingcooler2.jpg
Stocky
I think the main problem is going to be keeping the ice from melting over time, it needs to be a refridgerated device, that way it can sit in the sahve den/bathroom and give lather as and when needed.
Stocky
You could easily make that using a cheap computer fan and some pvc tubing. Not sure what you would use to power it, though. you could probably find a small, cheap computer power supply to run it.
That being said, seems like an awful lot of work for the same result you could get from just sticking the tube in your freezer for 20 minutes, or running under cold water for a few minutes.
funny you say that, i have just took a few fans from pc's i've been working on, and was thinking of using that, i also though, in our green age, a solar pannel, that means it'll be on for a good hour or 2 before i get up, and thus nice and cool. ;)
i also agree on the freezer idea but that means remembering to put it in 20 mins before each shave.
Also another gadget for the house is always good haha well for me at least.
There is only one solution to this...prototype!
Sounds good, i'll see what i can do mate :)
Just plug one of those camping fridge/freezers into a wall socket int the bathroom. That way you got ice on hand and you can have a cold beer or pour yourself a Bourbon and Coke post shave drink.
How can you have a Shave Den without a fridge for your beer????! :D
Mick
This is what i suggested earlier on in the thread, thing is they are 12v dc or 240AC (in england), so there must be a more efficient way. on the other hand a beer with a shave sounds good. :beer2:
Yes, but since when does efficient and convenient ever go hand in hand. It's one or the other, and in this case the beer is convenient too... :)
Mick
Aeon may have the answer. And it's less a matter of prototyping as it is seeing who has a margarita maker AND does this first. That makes it a matter of pioneering. Since I lack a margarita maker, I can only cheer from the sidelines.
I can, however, print stickers. Just tell me how big the "Supercool Shave Cream-O-Matic" sticker needs to be to cover up the "Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville" sticker. :w
Sign me up as a convert to this cold water malarkey. I have now tried it for a week and every shave has been super close, smoothe and comfortable.
Really working for me.
Claude
I just rub my face with dry ice before the shave and all stays wonderfully cold for hours and stiff enough so I don't have to stretch anything - can't really - tried it once and cracked my cheek.
:beer2:
Dry ice?! You wouldn't need a razor if you did that. Your beard and most of your skin would just fall off with one decent slap on the back of yer silly head! :D
Mick
For those seeking an effective method to obtain cold water for the cold-water shave, why not move up north to Canada. In winter, ordinary tap water turns ice cold, and in case you catch pneumonia, our healthcare will take care of you for free!
thank you so much for this thread. I just started straight shaving this month and started cold water the last few shaves. It was GREAT!!! Thanks again!