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Thread: FIRST & FINAL Cold Water Shave
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06-09-2010, 01:49 AM #21
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- Oct 2008
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Thanked: 1195If discomfort is a problem with cold water shaving you might want to increase your beard prep, which I found made all the difference in the world with the "1905 technique". I was getting the velvet squeegie effect myself, hardly even felt the razor on my face. But then again I realize that personal preference comes into play, and if you don't like it that's fine too.
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06-09-2010, 06:14 AM #22
I notice a few people in this thread are saying that they are interested in using the cold water routine but they are not having the results they expect. I'd like to say a few words which might be of some help.
In my experience I've found there are a few things which often make a key difference in doing something. One is that your mental approach is just as important as any technique and the other is that there is often a counter-intuitive step which is easy to overlook.
When I first started with the cold water it was just an experiment and I thought it would be a good way to improve my technique for hot water shaving. There was really not much support here and most members told me that the results would be unsatisfactory. And they were. I couldn't get the blade to glide smoothly over my face, it was cold and unpleasant, and I had trouble cutting the hair. It would have been easy to stop right then and turn the hot water tap on and go back to what I knew worked, but that wasn't my objective. I wanted to make the experience more difficult and try to learn some new things.
So the first step was realizing that a cold water shave is not a hot water shave. They feel different, you need a different technique and you get a different result. The only thing they have in common is that you are standing in front of the mirror with a wet face.
As for the counter-intuitive part, that's a more individual thing. In my case I originally thought a soft hair would be easier to cut, but it turns out a hard and taught hair is easier; I also thought a light and fluffy lather would be better but now use a more dense one; I used to use a light touch but find a little pressure can help in some spots; I used to think the cold water was unpleasant but it became addictive. I also find it's better to strop a warm blade but cool it for the shave, and always draw the blade with a slight slicing motion.
Anyway, I hope this is helpful to someone. I'm not really trying to convert anyone, but if you are interested I definitely think it's worth investing some time in experimenting.
Cheers,
RobI love the smell of shaving cream in the morning!
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06-09-2010, 12:10 PM #23
First let me say that I am not a drum major for cold water shaving. Like Rob (Frankenstein) I came to it as an experiment. In my case the 1905 pamphlet that Lucky Cynic posted was what made me curious. Fact is that since that first cold water shave months ago I haven't shaved with hot water since. OTOH, I don't care whether anyone else shaves with cold, hot , lukewarm water or whatever. So I'm not on a crusade here.
What Rob said about a slicing motion is, IMO, an advanced shaving technique and it is what I do. This can be done heel leading or point leading and is, in my case done with no pressure and the blade gliding over, not into, the skin slicing the whiskers and never digging into the skin. This is sometimes referred to as the scything motion.
It may be that some guys can get this easily but it took me over a year of shaving with a straight to get it. I consider it an advanced technique but maybe I was a slow learner and it is not. One way or the other it is slicing rather than chopping the whiskers and IME makes for a more efficient way to shave hot or cold.Be careful how you treat people on your way up, you may meet them again on your way back down.
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06-09-2010, 01:10 PM #24
Thanks for clarifying that, Jim. I would agree that it's an advanced technique but add a necessary one. For me it makes the difference between a shave and a good shave. As a point of interest, I DO add some pressure on it when doing the chin area. I'd classify it as a master technique (implying no immodesty) - a potentially dangerous but favourite part of the shave for me - and the result (in that area) is still bbs 12 hours after the shave.
And I also have to thank you Jim for directing me to the 'rub the lather in with your fingers' part of that book. Since I started doing that the shaves have been even better.
I love the smell of shaving cream in the morning!
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06-09-2010, 01:35 PM #25Be careful how you treat people on your way up, you may meet them again on your way back down.
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06-20-2010, 11:51 PM #26
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Straight razor shaver and loving it!40-year survivor of electric and multiblade razors
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06-21-2010, 12:06 AM #27Be careful how you treat people on your way up, you may meet them again on your way back down.
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The Following User Says Thank You to JimmyHAD For This Useful Post:
CaliforniaCajun (06-21-2010)