FIRST & FINAL Cold Water Shave

Hey, guys.

I've read a lot here about you guys who do cold water shaves, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I normally shave using a Georgetown Pottery scuttle that keeps my lather nice and warm. I always shave after a warm shower.

So, this time I rinsed my face several times with cold water, didn't put any water in the bottom of the scuttle, and just "uberlathered" like always. Have to say...I wasn't impressed. It actually hurt a little bit as the razor was going through all the whiskers -- not in an irritation sense, but I could really feel that the whiskers weren't soft like they are with warm water and warm lather.

The results are fine, but no better than my hot water shaves. I know some of you guys have great success and really enjoy this technique, but it doesn't work well for me. I guess my whiskers are just too stiff and wiry, maybe.

So, this was my first and last cold water shave.

~ ryan

You gave it a try and its not for everyone. You have found what works well for you. I enjoy a cold water shave during those hot summer days and find it refreshing, but not during the winter:eek: (except for the final rinse)brrr!

Pabster

As they say, to each his own. My results were on par (perhaps better?) with my best hot water shaves, so I can't complain personally. Although the hot water shaves do feel somewhat more luxurious.

I still love using my scuttle and having warm suds too.

But, I love a nice cold water splash after the shave..........:)

Have fun,

Lynn

Just coming into winter here & tried the cold process... Might save it for summer :p

Being new to this I am open to experimentation to see what works. I've tried the cold water shave; haven't decided yet whether or not I like it. What I DO love is to get a couple of ice cubes from the dispenser after the rinse and just rub my freshly-shaved face with them. Very refreshing, especially after a menthol shave!

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Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

Being new to this I am open to experimentation to see what works. I've tried the cold water shave; haven't decided yet whether or not I like it. What I DO love is to get a couple of ice cubes from the dispenser after the rinse and just rub my freshly-shaved face with them. Very refreshing, especially after a menthol shave!

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That ice cube idea sounds great! I'll have to try that on one of the stifling days this summer.

TBH my very first cold water shave was not convincing. It left me undecided but the second one confirmed the concept for me and I can honestly say that I have not shaved with hot water since. This from a lover of the Moss scuttle who always did two passes even if I didn't need to so that I could enjoy the warm lather.

The thought of cold water and lather is a bit off putting until you try it a couple of times IME. Rather than being uncomfortable I was surprised at how refreshing it felt. I do believe the stiffer whiskers are easier to cut and, although I hadn't thought of it before reading posts on the topic, the pores closing because of the cold water probably add to the efficacy of the cold water shave.

BTW, I'm not on a crusade to advance cold water shaving. Lucky Cynic posted a 1905 pamphlet on shaving and I read it and followed it. I don't care what anyone uses to get a clean shave but I am hooked on the cold water myself. Like the old Camel Filters ad used to say, "not for everybody". :) The important thing is to enjoy the shave however we get it done.

At first I loved the cold water shave, it worked great. Soon after the hairs were hard to cut in cold water and it seemed the shave wouldn't last as long, so I went back to warm water, which worked really well again. The other night I had a cold water shave and it was great, the next shave with cold water was horrible.

I then used hot water and get a really nice shave....

I think our skin may just like to have things changed up every once and a while..:shrug:

Yep...every face is different.

Mine hated the cold water approach, much to my chagrin. I'd love to be able to utilize that method during these hot & humid months, but there's just no way.

I've had similar results to the OP. I just couldn't get a good shave with cold water.
I am still wanting to experiment with cold water, as I've read some posts explaining the rationale for it, and I believe it has some merit.

I think when I shave tonight I'm going to try 1st and 2nd pass with hot lather, then switch to cold lather for a final pass. (I'm going to pour the hot water from my scuttle, then refill with ice water... Hopefully the temperature change won't cause it to crack or anything)

I've done cold water a few times, even forced myself to do it for 3 days in a row.

For me the results were about the same as hot water, except i hated every moment of the shave.

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Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

I've done cold water a few times, even forced myself to do it for 3 days in a row.

For me the results were about the same as hot water, except i hated every moment of the shave.

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This sums up my experience precisely.

I seem to do it all back the front ie; shave then shower ..cold water straight out'a the tap for the shave followed by a warm shower then a spash'a witchazel , I dont have any dramas with irritation or anytin else , any nicks I do get pull up quickly with a slasha cold water , its the only way to go for me ..

At last, sanity

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Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

I've done cold water a few times, even forced myself to do it for 3 days in a row.

For me the results were about the same as hot water, except i hated every moment of the shave.

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Originally Posted by KingOfBreifne

This sums up my experience precisely.

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+2. I tried for an entire work week and caved back in on Saturday.

The feel of the cold suds wasn't all that bad, it was kind of like a menthol hit. I missed the feel of the warm razor from the hot tap water more than anything.

Personally, cold water does nothing for me but wake me up. And I don't want to be woken up that way!

Everybody is different. Just get that BBS Shave however feels best for you.

I've tried this a couple of times now.
It's alright I guess, the shave is decent enough.
One little problem I found with it is that my neck gets harder to keep slippery.
To me it seems almost as the soap or cream looses some of the lubricating effect when I use cold water. I dunno, I guess I'll stick to the hot water regimen for now:)

I've tried the cold-water-only shave, and had the same experience with the slight discomfort, but I like the closeness of the shave I get with cold water. So I have ended up with a compromise: I hot shower prep and make my first pass with warm water to get the heavy beard out of the way in comfort, then all subsequent passes are with a cold water rinse in between latherings to raise the beard. I've found that I get an exceptional, comfortable shave with this technique.

Cheers all,

Larry

If 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.

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,

Rob

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Originally Posted by Frankenstein

always draw the blade with a slight slicing motion.

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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.

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I consider it an advanced technique but maybe I was a slow learner and it is not.

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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.
:)

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Originally Posted by Frankenstein

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.
:)

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Rubbing the lather in and then re-lathering, as described in the book, and after further experimentation, that is my entire preparation procedure. Not for everybody but works well for my particular needs. :)

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

If 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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Where can I find this 1905 technique?

Before trying it, my experience (inexperience-3 months) is that the razor is more likely to skip and drag, resulting in a better probability of cuts.

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Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

Where can I find this 1905 technique?

Before trying it, my experience (inexperience-3 months) is that the razor is more likely to skip and drag, resulting in a better probability of cuts.

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Here is the thread where you can find a PDF of the pamphlet. Here is the thread that more or less got me going with the cold water routine. Read my sig below to avoid nicks and cuts hot or cold.