Thread: Conflicting Information

So after exhausting myself for a few days reading various sources of information, i've come across a few inconsistencies in the data.

This in particular is in regards to what happens to hair in the prep process.
All agree that the face needs to be cleaned, but some take the stance that the pre-shaving cream and lather serve to soften the hairs making them easier to cut.
Then other sources say this is an incorrect assertion, as they actually serve to take the oil out of the hair so it can harden and provide more resistance against missing the blade making it easier to cut.

Gentlemen, insight?

My experience suggests that pre-shave prep serves to soften the facial hair.

I think you are worrying over what doesn't matter. All will agree that shave prep is one of the three most important parts of a good shave. My prep is pretty much a good face scrubbing with hot water & body soap...typically in the shower, shaving immediately after toweling my head & body off...not the face. I want it to stay very hydrated. Follow that with good shaving form and a sharp razor and you will end up with a great shave. Take any one of the three I just listed and the shave will suffer.

We surmise a lot around here. I suggest you read, experiment, and then do what you find works best.

I dont mean to make it sound like the end of the world.
But still, completely opposing points, both to be taken as legitimate and "logical"
thats a bit quizzical, and not that i have OCD or anything... but its also annoying. It discredits both sources, and is disheartening to see.

Does anyone have a legitimate, scientific explanation for what is happening, and why one side is right and the other is wrong?

Originally Posted by Rome

Does anyone have a legitimate, scientific explanation for what is happening, and why one side is right and the other is wrong?

Not me. I tried, but never came to a good understanding of the cold water / stiff stubble school of prep thought. Eventually you'll just have to experiment for yourself if you want to see which side you belong to. If you don't, then it doesn't really matter anyway, because both methods can provide all the prep you need for a clean shave

I lather up with hot lather and shave, noting the amount of forward force required to shave. After that area cools, to shave the area it takes slightly more forward force. Doesn't this demonstrate that warmth softens instead of hardens? For, if it hardened, it would take more force when warm.

Under my chin, there are some areas that shave worse when soft. In fact, I splash cold water on those areas at times to make the hair stand up stiffer.

Take a piece of cold wet hair in your hand and swish it against your other hand. Do the same after the hair is hot and wet, and it is softer, more whippy.

I just can't buy that warming and wetting hair makes it harder. It might make it turgid and soft. But, turgid and engorged with water is different than harder.

removing oil and grease from hair would harden it, and this particular source claimed that the various shaving soaps/creams/w.e had alkalines that would do precisely that, in order to make shaving easier

With this it is a simple case of try it both ways and see which you like better. I'm a cold water less prep is more guy but YMMV. Regardless of what science or anyone says it is what feels good to your face when the shave is done.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

I think you are worrying over what doesn't matter. All will agree that shave prep is one of the three most important parts of a good shave. My prep is pretty much a good face scrubbing with hot water & body soap...typically in the shower, shaving immediately after toweling my head & body off...not the face. I want it to stay very hydrated. Follow that with good shaving form and a sharp razor and you will end up with a great shave. Take any one of the three I just listed and the shave will suffer.

+1 on this...

As for the scientific evidence:

Heat and alkalinity allow for breaking up the hydrogen bonding that occurs in the Keratin proteins of hair. These proteins confer hair the structural stability it possesses for normal function. Breaking up what holds hair together (think glue) will make it easier to cut them.

As for oil...The main reason you remove "old oil" is because it is the site where dead cells, bacteria, skin secretions (toxins and such) end up in. This hardens throughout the day, plugging up the pores (through which your hair is sticking out). Plugged up pores mean less "breathing" of the follicle and moisture retention of your skin/hair. Exogenous oil is not used to soften the hair, per se...it provides lubrication. Oil bonds to hair's protein (H-bonding and hydrophobic - or oil loving part - interactions) and is used to effectively allow the creation of a barrier that helps your skin better retain it's moisture...well, I can see why people think that is softens hair . Removal of oil does not harden hair directly...it leads to effective breathing of underlying skin cells and moisture loss, which causes dryness and "cracking".

Now, what cremes/soaps do is provide you with 1) oil (fats etc...), 2) glycerin (moisture retention), and 3) alkalinity (H-bond breaking). All these factors and heat play a role in softening up hair and getting it prepped for cutting.

IMO, the reason that people report having closer than normal shaves with cold water is because in the presence of cold water, the skin around the hair follicle retracts/shrinks, effectively exposing more of the hair to cutting...after shaving in cold water, your skin will return to your normal temperature of 37ºC, thus engulfing more of the hair...this leads to a closer shave. Personally, I prefer a warm lather than a cold one.

I hope this helps,