Thread: Cold water shave is the best & worst ever

Haha good one!

Try rubbing your face with an ice cube before you shave. I do it all the time. Works very well.

Originally Posted by Dups

Haha good one!

Try rubbing your face with an ice cube before you shave. I do it all the time. Works very well.

Only an ice cube on the face? You gotta hop on the dry ice bandwagon, my friend; your face will thank you for it. I'm working on engineering a liquid nitrogen scuttle...

Tried the cold water shave and was impressed with the results. I like my hot towels and lather though so for now I will stick to that at home. I had been toying with the idea of taking the str8 (and associated equipment) on a hike in the Smokey Mountains and one issue was going to be heating the water if it was just a day hike. Not any more. Sounds like just the place for a cold water shave since the streams are ice cold up there year round.

I'm still unsure why drying the face before lathering and shaving is recommended with the cold water approach. It seems you would want the whiskers to stay as hydrated as possible, and that dryer whiskers might dull the razor quicker...

because down is up and up is down in the cold water world.

I like the pre-shave prep of removing the skin's own built up oils, and the rationale of old, hardened sebum that prevents the hydration and softening of the lathering + moist heat treatment of the towel.

I think I have inadvertently benefited from some of this cold water stuff in this thread by shaving in rather cold air (when not shaving after a shower). The cold air cools the lather during the preparation and the cold, dry air sucks the moisture out of the lather on my face quickly and I didn't bother to use hot water for rewetting. With the cold air my facial skin may have been prepped by this cold water method. Contemplating this.. perhaps that is how my shaves have been closer than anticipated, that the cold air tightens the pores and causes the facial hair to stand up slightly, combined with good secondary pulling of the skin it would make sense that the shaves can be smooth and close.



Interesting read, guys. FYI, sometimes I'm shaving in an estimated mid-fifties fahrenheit. Have been laying off the heat/electric bill for reasons of frugality. Huh. Makes for a chilly morning shaving routine.

I did it again today. Tepid water building lather and loading the brush from my SRD Bulgarian Rose Otto soap puck, then putting the loaded brush in the freezer while I stropped. Damn Fine Shave once again!
-JohnnyCakeDC offical member, Polar Bear Shave Club.....BBBBRRRRR!

Originally Posted by JohnnyCakeDC

then putting the loaded brush in the freezer

That is taking it up to the next level.

It's my new standard Jimmy. Nothing else will do.

Too Funny! I can feel that cold water splash right down to my toes during the winter. Cold water shave is refreshing in the summer, but I will have to think more about when its winter.

JohnnyCakeDC, You are ready to hang with the Winter Siberians!

Pabster