Cold water shaving, how the heck do they do it?

[zanxion]

I've been wet shaving my face for years, and tried yesterday cold water shaving for my first time. Big time fail! I got it so messed up as when I had my first go with a shavette and a beginners poor lather in a jar of Proraso.
I tried with Le Piere Lucien Barbershop, but no matter how hard and for how long I lathered it I got foam that turned in to a thin full of bubbles mass in no time. Stupid enough, I gave it a go with it and I ended with nicks all over.
How it is done? Is it that LPL is not for cold water shaving? Should I use a cream instead? It has been the worst shave I had since ages.

 

[Dave himself]

I've been cold water shaving for a while now. I first tried it because I saw it suggested to help with irritation, and for me it worked.

I've never used LPL but all my soaps and creams work equally well with warm or cold water.

As always YMMV.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I have tried hot, warm, and cold water for shaving and much prefer cold water, the colder the better. I found no difference in the lather but I use only vintage hard soap pucks and my water is fairly soft. I use the coldest water I can obtain from my domestic supply, we do not get especially harsh winters here in Wales but the domestic cold water can go down to 5°C. It is great for a shower too, I start warm and then gradually turn it down as low as I can.

 

[Wal59]

I quite often cold shave in summer. Highly recommended with a lime preshave and cologne. I do nothing differently regardless of the water temperature.

I read an article by Sharpoligist saying that water temperature makes no difference to the beard. Perhaps it depends on the soap/cream.

 

[MrSpeedy]

I usually cold water shave in the summer and have never noticed a difference in lather.

 

[Eric_75]

I've shaved with cold water many times. I've never had any issues with it.

YMMV.

 

[JCinPA]

Cold water is not your problem. Temperature has zero effect on lathering, although hard water may have some. You just need to learn how to lather that soap. It’s a process. Read this.

Foolproof Lather Discovery Process (TM) for any soap

I am a Lather Master! Not being braggadocious, just stating a fact. And you can be too! I'm here to teach you. No need for a Brotherhood of Lather Masters, every member of B&B should be a Lather Master. Unfortunately, with so many people who enjoy this activity so much, and the more OCD of us...

www.badgerandblade.com

Once you figure it out, you’ll get to your ideal lather quickly, but follow that process until you know how much product you need and how much water it will handle. With Proraso, that process won’t take long. Maybe a week of shaves, probably only 3, but then you’ll be an expert with it.

Your problem is you’re not using enough product and you’re using too much water. I guarantee it. Good luck, and let us know how it goes,

 

[JCinPA]

Later: sorry I see it’s LPL you’re using. It’s probably triple milled, drip some water on top of the puck of soap, go shower to hydrate your face, then try that lather method. It’s not widely used but is highly thought of and most reviews say it’s easy to lather.

Try my method and you’ll be right as rain in a few shaves. Maybe the first one.

 

[zanxion]

Later: sorry I see it’s LPL you’re using. It’s probably triple milled, drip some water on top of the puck of soap, go shower to hydrate your face, then try that lather method. It’s not widely used but is highly thought of and most reviews say it’s easy to lather.

Try my method and you’ll be right as rain in a few shaves. Maybe the first one.

I will definitely try it again. Actually I have been using your method since I first saw it back in 2021. But this time, with cold water I got really messed up with the poorest lather I ever made.
And a quick one. I use a bit of glycerine to improve the properties of the LPL. Could that be the culprit of the lathering failure, could it be that glycerine and cold water do not mix?

 

[JCinPA]

I suspect not. I generally don’t add glycerin to my lathers, but others here who are expert latherers seem to think it’s a good idea, so I suspect that won’t hurt. But if the soap is new to you, I’d stick with it plain until you understand it, then try adding glycerin to it after you get it working right.

If it’s the triple milled hard type soap (I think they have several bases, I’ve not used them, though) they generally take more product and less water than the traditional Italian Croaps or the modern artisan bases. I’ve seen crazy differences in how much product you need and how much water they can take.

Generally, though, the harder the soap the more you have to load, and the narrower the hydration window is. You can blow through it in a heartbeat. With something like PAA CK6 base, you need practically no product and can add water till the cows come home. My process isn’t really a “method” but an experimental process to get you to a method that works by understanding the product in how much it needs, how much water it needs, and finally, how much water can it take before breaking down. Use more product, a drier brush to load, and creep up on the water very slowly and I think you’ll have great lather in short order.

The really hard soaps tend to need longer loading, less water and don’t generally have very wide hydration windows and most respond well to blooming a little before the shave. If you get thin, bubbly, dissipating lather it surely needs more product and less water.

By the way, I start with that process with every new soap base, precisely because they all behave so differently. I just tried Ethos for the first time recently, and had perfect lather on shave #3 and now can do it immediately. Other soaps took me a week, one took two weeks of daily shave.

So it’s a process to use every time you’re trying something new, not just when you get in trouble. If you take the time to understand your product, no matter what it is, you’ll get better lather. If you don’t go through my discovery process, you may get acceptable lather but not be getting the most it can give you.

Even @Marco our most esteemed soap expert, was having that issue with Saponificio Veresino. He was underwhelmed, not at all impressed. Once he dialed it in, it became his favorite soap! I always start with the discovery process. I tagged him because if someone here is familiar with that soap, it’s usually him! I think he’s tried about everything. And if he has, you’ll get a complete rundown on the company history as a bonus!

 

[Quaznoid]

I shave with cold water in the summer. My bath soaps provide excellent lather in every temperature

 

[musicman1951]

I shave with cold water on hot days and don't notice any difference. I usually use warm water for the lather and then switch to cold when I pick up the razor. I really don't notice a difference in the results or skin, but some do. Another one of those you won't know until you try.

 

[lilbump406]

I place hot water on top of my soap to get to bloom a little (2-3 minutes). Then I drain the hot water away and from there it's all cold water. My brush also sits in cold water.

 

[Fourbtgait]

I use whatever temperature water comes out of the faucet when I shave. Wake up in morning and my preference is wash face with cold water. Sometimes it’s cold, warm by time I lather, hot when rinsing the razor. A good blade doesn’t care.

 

[Saloogie]

I have terrible memories of cold shaving (and cold showers) while in the Army. It's not something I want do again. Hot water shaves are firmly embedded in my brain since then.

But if I'm honest, all we had were disposable razors and a can of Barbasol and zero prep of any kind. So maybe it's not as bad as I remember if I had the right tools and accoutrements. But I'm in no rush to find out!

 

[AshleyC]

I have terrible memories of cold shaving (and cold showers) while in the Army. It's not something I want do again. Hot water shaves are firmly embedded in my brain since then.

But if I'm honest, all we had were disposable razors and a can of Barbasol and zero prep of any kind. So maybe it's not as bad as I remember if I had the right tools and accoutrements. But I'm in no rush to find out!

Ah yes...the field shave. A disposable cartridge razor and the canteen cup with water in it. And canned foam or gel.

And just try to unclog all that stubble that collects under the blades by swirling the razor around in the canteen cup. Can't do it, and hitting the sides of the cup will often knock the cartridge off the handle.

If only I had know about Techs and Super Speeds back then...

 

[creamgravy]

Cold water is not your problem. Temperature has zero effect on lathering

There are a few exceptions! Erasmic soap doesn't interact with cold water and needs heat for any reaction to take place. Maybe it's the propylene glycol and glycerin?

I cold water shave, so never use it

 

[zanxion]

I found accidentally somewhere else somebody having difficulty to make a good lather out of Mitchell's Wool Fat Soap. It made me think that LPL Oud & Santal and Mitchell's Wool Fat Soap both are tallow based. For sure animal fat becomes thicker with cold. I gave it another try with some non tallow based artisan soap (Savon Mystere) and following the golden rules of the guide of the Lather Maestro @JCinPA , I got me excellent results. Nice thick foam, that stayed like this for three leisurely done passes, with cold water in a 38 deg C afternoon.
I just love it!

 

[EclipseRedRing]

There are a few exceptions! Erasmic soap doesn't interact with cold water and needs heat for any reaction to take place. Maybe it's the propylene glycol and glycerin?

I cold water shave, so never use it

I have used this Erasmic stick many times with cold water and have not observed any problem with lathering, on the contrary it is excellent, I only wish I had more of them. I have no idea of the ingredients and it is likely that later versions were reformulated

 

[Saloogie]

Ah yes...the field shave. A disposable cartridge razor and the canteen cup with water in it. And canned foam or gel.

And just try to unclog all that stubble that collects under the blades by swirling the razor around in the canteen cup. Can't do it, and hitting the sides of the cup will often knock the cartridge off the handle.

If only I had know about Techs and Super Speeds back then..

Ahhh yes, good times!