Thread: Cold water shave is the best & worst ever

Originally Posted by Rugcutter

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.

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.

Originally Posted by markevens

I usually start with a warm lather and finish with a cold water ATG. Best of both worlds?

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.

Originally Posted by Stocky

Hmmmmm its snowing outside, do i dare, haha, anyone think i should give it a go.

Stocky

It ain't snowing in the bathroom is it ? Give it a go, you'll never know 'till you try.

Ok Just tried the "snow shave" 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 , 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.

Originally Posted by Stocky

, the lather was made from the soap and a ball of compacted snow

A sno-cone machine/lather dispenser. Handier than the Pocket Fisherman!

We could call it the Scuttle Rebuttal.

By the way, I tried a cold-water shave today and yes, it's a game changer. Very nice, close, and mild.

Originally Posted by roughkype

A sno-cone machine/lather dispenser. Handier than the Pocket Fisherman!

We could call it the Scuttle Rebuttal.

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 .

OR

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:



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. That'd be just too far out!