What's new

Cold Water Shave

Hi all,

Been honing my technique with a DE but still get redness around the neck 80 per cent plus of the time. I am wondering whether cold water shaves may be the way forward?

Any advice much appreciated.
 

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
It could be. Lot's of folks think the temperature of the water affects the quality of the shave, but it really does not. Hot water, cold water, you'll get the same shave. And hot water can add to whatever other factors may be causing irritation.

Try it and see what happens.
 
Give it a try for a week or so and find out. As luscious as warm/hot water shaves can be, the heat, in my opinion, makes the skin hyper sensitive, which isn't necessarily a good thing for driving a razor blade across it. Good prep helps too. I use regular old shampoo, and it softens the beard quite nicely. For me cold shaves have all but eliminated irritation. Anymore what I do get is more because a push my blade one shave too many.
 
Hot water is more likely to dry out your skin and can lead to irritation (source). My advice is to avoid extremes. I prefer slightly cool, not cold, water for the bulk of my shave, but give myself a splash of colder water at the end to help close the skin's pores. Lukewarm water is fairly 'neutral' for the skin as well, if you prefer a little 'warmth' with your shave.
 
Hot lather with cold water during and after works well for me. But I've never noticed a major difference between the 2. I would recommend making a pass with, across and against the grain in that order. Just my humble opinion. Hope this helps.
 
I use cold water daily unless the outside temperature is below zero. I never get irritation and it really wakes you up first thing in a morning. Give it a go and if you don’t like it switch back to warm. Nothing ventured nothing gained.🌨
 
Hot water is more likely to dry out your skin and can lead to irritation (source). My advice is to avoid extremes. I prefer slightly cool, not cold, water for the bulk of my shave, but give myself a splash of colder water at the end to help close the skin's pores. Lukewarm water is fairly 'neutral' for the skin as well, if you prefer a little 'warmth' with your shave.

Fully agree with the above. In the past, I used to use very hot water for my prep. I noticed a significant improvement in my skin when dialing back in temperature just a little. I do enjoy an ice cold shave once in a while but I stay clear of very high water temperature.. :velva2:
 
I do feel like it can help out with some very minor irritation, but bad technique will yield irritation regardless of water temperature used. With that said, once I started cold water shaving I've never looked back. I do find my problem areas improved a bit over time.

It took me SO long to tone down neck irritation, and I still get some with DE. Really pay attention to pressure, and map out growth pattern. You'll get there in due time.

The only shaver that will consistently yield me ZERO neck irritation consistently and with daily shaving is a straight razor. Luck of the draw I guess.
 
... but the bad technique will yield irritation regardless of the water temperature used.

This is what is most likely causing the issue. Not always, but I bet 75% of the time when learning new razors this is it. As far as cold water shaves go, I do it in the summertime. It helps to cool the face nicely. The rest of the time it's more luke warm, not hot.
 
Give it a try for a week or so and find out. As luscious as warm/hot water shaves can be, the heat, in my opinion, makes the skin hyper sensitive, which isn't necessarily a good thing for driving a razor blade across it. Good prep helps too. I use regular old shampoo, and it softens the beard quite nicely. For me cold shaves have all but eliminated irritation. Anymore what I do get is more because a push my blade one shave too many.

Completely agree with you about warm/hot water. I find it amusing when I read posts from others claiming it makes no difference. Cold water shaves absolutely has a positive impact on my shaves. I am no scientist or dermatologists but warm/hot water does increase irritation for me.
 
many thanks all, I 'believe' that my technique is generally ok (I am sure there is room for improvement but I feel I now only apply light pressure plus have an angle that sits in the range of tolerance) so I hope that the cold water shave may help with the redness.

I will try it this evening!
 
I use cold water year round to the extent that I even keep my scuttle in the fridge. It not only produces a smoother shave but it's refreshing. My understanding is that cold water tightens the skin and makes the hair stand up.
 
Worth trying a cold water shave! Some here really like that approach.

For me, a cold water rinse is great after I finish my last pass! :thumbup1: :thumbup1:
 
Top Bottom