Best method for heating towels?

[duotone]

The last 5 or so shaves I have been pouring boiling water onto a small towel into the sink and allowing it to cool slightly for 2 or so minutes while I lather shaving cream onto my face.

Then I pick it out of the sink and open it out so the air can cool it even more,.

Fold the towel in half & assume the position lying on my back and then lay the towel on my face & neck until it has lost its heat.

Just curious as to what others do really.

 

[rabidpotatochip]

I only heated a towel once for Mrs. Chip, but what I did was put a wet towel in a freezer bag, put the open bag (must be open or it'll probably burst!) into the microwave for a minute or two and proceeded to almost burn my fingers...

After letting it cool for a minute it was good though.

 

[Austin]

I only heated a towel once for Mrs. Chip, but what I did was put a wet towel in a freezer bag, put the open bag (must be open or it'll probably burst!) into the microwave for a minute or two and proceeded to almost burn my fingers...

After letting it cool for a minute it was good though.

Chip, I'm not asking how you tortured poor Mrs. Chip with a hot towel.

 

[rabidpotatochip]

Chip, I'm not asking how you tortured poor Mrs. Chip with a hot towel.

Don't worry. As the towel tester of the house, I spared her from the searing agony which I experienced.

 

[rm71]

Used to put a damp face towel in the microwave for 30-40 seconds. Now I just throw my towel in hot water, let it cool a little and apply it to my face.

 

[Stubblefield]

Hot tap water?

 

[Andy]

I use a normal sized towel and wet it with cold water, then microwave it for 4min. After it comes out of the microwave I give a few flicks to let the excess steam escape and good to go.
Andy.

 

[Jatte]

i take a thick smallish towel, wet it, wring it out a bunch and microwave for 3 minutes, lather up, apply towel and when its not warm anymore re lather and shave in ecstacy

 

[duotone]

i take a thick smallish towel, wet it, wring it out a bunch and microwave for 3 minutes, lather up, apply towel and when its not warm anymore re lather and shave in ecstacy

Does it really need that long? I thought 30 secs or so would do it?

 

[BrianL]

Microwave a damp towel for 2 minutes. YMMV (your microwave may vary)

 

[duotone]

Cheers will try microwaving it and let you know how it goes.

Thanks all!

 

[dpm802]

I use a genuine chamois cloth (real goat skin) and run it under hot water from the bathroom faucet. It holds a huge amount of water.

The heat retention is only 20~30 seconds ... so I just run it under the tap again if I want to soak my beard longer than that. Usually, 2 times is enough.

 

[northpaw]

I got a harebrained idea the other morning and put a doubled-over layer of aluminum foil over the towel after applying it. I was amazed at the difference it made in heat retention. Looked pretty funny in the mirror, but it worked well.

(I know it wasn't exactly what the O.P. was asking about, but I found it helpful, so...)

 

[duotone]

I got a harebrained idea the other morning and put a doubled-over layer of aluminum foil over the towel after applying it. I was amazed at the difference it made in heat retention. Looked pretty funny in the mirror, but it worked well.

(I know it wasn't exactly what the O.P. was asking about, but I found it helpful, so...)

No, good idea, its apprecaited!

 

[duotone]

Gave a damp towel 2 minutes on a medium setting. It worked well, I could have coped with a bit hotter but it was good.

 

[The Knize]

I have an electric water kettle. All metal, lifts off from base, holds 1.7 liters I think. It will take that amount of water to boiling in five minutes supposedly. If it is not that fst it is very close to that fast. Got it at Target for $22 on sale, as I recall. Best wet shaving investment I ever made. Hot water at my house is not nearly hot enough for my purposes and it is safer and easier on eneryg use, etc., to get the hot water at a moderate temperature. The water in the kettle stays very hot for a long time even though the kettle kicks off after it boils. (Had a Rival or Protor Silex 1 liter Hot Pot before that, which various folks have recommended. I found that one unsatisfactory. It is corded, which way more annoying than one might think. A gap developed between the plastic and the metal element along the bottom, which leaked boiling hot water all over the counter. Not very durable in general and kind of cheap looking. The metal kettle has essentially a seamless bottom. The Hot Pot wide opening, really made for hearing up canned spagetti and the like, not simply water and water is all you need for shaving, made for a messy and hard to direct pour. 1 liter is cutting it close on the amount of water one wants to have and filling the Hot Pot to the brim to get a full liter made it very awkward. Do yourself a favor if you get some kind of on counter water heater and get a real electric water kettle for a few more bucks. These are amazingly fast and good appliances, by the way. Based on my experience with it as a shaving tool, we got one for the kitchen. Lots easier and faster than bothering with a kettle on top of the stove. Make me more likely to drink tea or make coffee, too, which is all good!)

I also have a small plastic cooler, a six-pack size I would say. When I go into shave, I fill the kettle from the jacuzzi-size tub facet, which is extremely fast, put it on its base and press the little lever to start it up. I have a stack of medium size towels nearby and, frankly a drying stand that sits in the tub. I often spray some witch hazel I put in a spray bottle down the length of the dry towel (I love witch hazel and a witch hazel hot towel facial is a very old school baber shop thing to have), I fould the towels in half length-wise, roll them up, and put them in the cooler, so each is "exposed." Two towels is usually enough, you might want three.

Very shortly the water should be very hot if not boiling. I our water on top of the towels. You learn to gauge how much. I want the towels plenty damp, but not dripping, and this controls the temperature, too. If the towels are absolutely dripping, they may be too hot and difficult to handle. I then close the lid of the cooler, and whip up some lather in a smaller bowel, pre-heated with water from the kettle, which when I am down I put in a larger bowel of hot water. Kind of a home-made scuttle. But it seems very easy to deal with, etc.

I then take a shower. If I am being real good, I slaver on some kind of cream like Lucky Tiger menthol vanishing cream, or Corn Huskers, or even some kind of pre-have oil, and lather up. I grab a hot towel, and lean back in a very light weight and fairly compact open mess lawn chair my wife got me, I handy item to have around I have found. When the towel gets cool, I relather, and shave. Again, if I am being real good, after the shave I slaver on some cream or whatever, and do another hot towel, and maybe another after that if I am being luxurious, maybe after a big witch hazel splash on my face and/or on the towel.

With practice you should be able get towels already to go when you want them at absolutely the perfect temperature and perfect dampness. If you need to bring their temperature up a bit, pour on some more water. it will still be very hot in the kettle. Same thing if you want to reuse a towel. (Too hot, of course, open the towel up and wave it around a bit. They do cool down fast outside of the cooler. I am intrigued at the idea of doing something to help keep the temperature up when the towel is on the face. The cooler does an amazing job of holding the temperature.)

Even if regular tap hot water were hot enough to do towels, I would find it annoying to do it that way. First, I do not want to take the time right in the middle of a relaxing shave to prepare an individual towel. I want it ready to thrown on my fact when I am ready. Second, my hands really get dried out being under a lot of hot water for all that time.

I really find the hot towels one of the nicest parts of shaving. Very relaxing. I think very good for softening the beard and good for facial skin generally, but where you shave and where you don't. Helps with puffy eyes and such.

None of this takes long or is a lot of trouble by the way. After I am done, I rinse the cooler out with the rest of the kettle water. Don't want any mold or anything growing in there. Also I leave the top of the cooler open so it will dry out. I thrown the towels on the drying rack that is in the large tub. I admit that that last part is not so satisfactory. it is not all that aesthetic having a drying rack in the tub, but it is convenient. I do not necessarily use fresh towels every time. I am only using these towels on my face after I have had a shower and washed my hair, and there is nothing else I am using that makes them dirty. On the other hand I doubt that I use any towel more than twice.

I came very close to buying a towel warmer, but this seems to work pretty well, a towel warmer seemed to take up a lot of space, and m method seemed faster. A towel warmer with lots of towels seems like a nice luxury though.

Hope this helps.

 

[burnwood]

regular old hot water from the tap works best for me.

 

[duotone]

Cheers STROTHER for the great reply!

I only use one towel at present, but I wouldn't mind using 2!

But yes it is an issue drying it, i usually wring it out then put it on a radiator.

Would love a towel warmer too like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY46z9I90p0

Have you tried any facial steam machine?

 

[Jatte]

theres a review of a popular facial steam machine here, apparently theryr not that great

 

[The Knize]

Cheers STROTHER for the great reply!

I only use one towel at present, but I wouldn't mind using 2!

But yes it is an issue drying it, i usually wring it out then put it on a radiator.

Would love a towel warmer too like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY46z9I90p0

Have you tried any facial steam machine?

Thanks. I guess I have put some thought and research into it!

That is some towel steamer that barber has! Looks kind of scary. The towel warmers I was thinking off look to be like a small microwave and hold a bunch of towels on racks. Must take some time to heat up in the morning though. Also must take up some space.

I tried using a rice cooker at first. Works pretty well. A little small. But the towels got insanely hot. That barber in the video was better at dealing with that than I was. But also, I think things ready to go when I want it. Not relaxing for me to have to deal with getting a towel down to a temperature where I can put it on my face. Also why I like to have multiple towels ready to go. Prep them all at once and it does not take any more time to do.

Haven't tried a face steamer, either the cheaper kind where you bend over forward and put your face in a plastic mask-like thing nor more professional kind that directs steam down at your face. Seems like the towels would do as well or better, particularly if one figured out something to put on top that would retain heat better. The bend forward position does not seem comfortable to be. I like leaning back in a chair with gravity holding the towel down on my face. Seems relaxing.