Cold Water Shaving Questions

[seanusa]

So I have come across a couple of threads on cold water shaving and looked through the Wiki for the exact methodology for prep, shave, and post but haven't found much. The threads mostly consisted of testimonials or nay sayers but not much on the ins and outs of how to actually do a cold water shave from start to finish. Maybe my searching skills have failed me but regardless I thought I would start this thread and see if I could compile some complete methodologies for the cold water shave. If this is a repeat thread please point me in the right direction, if not post away, I'd love to hear how you gents do it.
Thanks in advance!

 

[bosseb]

I first shower in normal temperature water and while doing that i soak my badger brush in as cold water I can get from the tap. I live in Sweden so it's quite cold !
While in the shower I prep my face using my favorite soaps (MR GLO or Savon de Marseilles). I load my brush after flicking out some water and facelather adding more coldest possible water if necessary. I do 2+ passes, one XTG and one ATG. Then comes the magic. I 'stretch the mix' by adding more cold water (not rinsing) and then I 'bronze' the few remaining whiskers. The trick here is to not rinse but use the remaining soap or add more soap and LOTS of cold water. I learned this while studying 'method shaving' by Charles Roberts. Check out http://www.hydrolast.com/MS_Video_Blog/MS_Video_Blog.html . Mr Roberts is known to be ridiculed and bashed at times even on B&B, but trust me his method (which I don't follow in every aspect) has helped me to achieve a true BBS on every shave, and I shave 6 -7 times a week.

Enjoy your cold shaves!

 

[Alphonse]

First, put your razor with the blade in it into the freezer next to the fan for at least a couple hours before you shave.

Then, prep however you like(I use hot water on my beard). Prep with ice water if you're hardcore.

And then, load your brush with ice cold water and build that lather. I use hot lather even when doing cold water shaves. Apply lather to your face.

And theeeennnn, pull that razor out of the freezer 20 seconds before you start the first pass. Personally, I shave in the sink right next to the freezer(currently doing a bath remod). At this point your fingers may be frozen to the razor, but that's ok because you don't want to drop it. I like to rinse my icy razor in cold water, of course, throughout the shave.

Finish up with an icy rinse. Then, and this is important.. you must use menthol aftershave that you've warmed in the microwave.

That is how you do it.

 

[Alphonse]

I must mention, the best way to finish ANY shave is with ~Virgin Island Bay Rum that's been chilled on the rocks. That's fire contained in ice.

 

[Jimbob]

I just rinse the razor under the cold tap

 

[ackvil]

My method is somewhat different from some of the other folks who cold water shave. I shave before I shower.

First, I wash my face with cold water. I then use my scuttle to prepare warm - not hot - lather. I then take cold water and wet my face. I then apply lather. In between each pass I apply some cold water to my face. If I am using Uberlather I take any remaining lather after my final pass and gently massage onto my face and neck. Wait 30 seconds and remove with cold water and a washcloth.

In the summer, the water in St. Petersburg, FL does not get very cool so I add some ice cubes to the water to get a cold water shave.

The "traditional" cold water shave is to omit the warm lather.

I do a cold water shave whenever the warm weather hits. When I travel I use a shave stick so no warm lather then.

 

[Reevers]

~Virgin Island Bay Rum that's been chilled on the rocks. That's fire contained in ice.

Clubman should use this as a tag line in the next poster!

 

[seanusa]

Thanks for the great info guys. I think I have enough info to at least begin my journey into cold water shaves, but I would encourage anyone that wants to continue to post methods here to do so. I will probably post a follow up after my first shave and maybe ask some additional questions.

 

[gus1942]

Repeat your research on B&B. Over the past 2 years there have been very detailed and informative discussions on the methodology of cold water shaving and the physiology of the hair follicle. CWS has always been a very contentious subject but many of us are CWS. I have posted many times on this subject over the past 18 mos. but will hold off for the present..Sounds like you are on the right track.

Gus

 

[gus1942]

First, put your razor with the blade in it into the freezer next to the fan for at least a couple hours before you shave.

Then, prep however you like(I use hot water on my beard). Prep with ice water if you're hardcore.

And then, load your brush with ice cold water and build that lather. I use hot lather even when doing cold water shaves. Apply lather to your face.

And theeeennnn, pull that razor out of the freezer 20 seconds before you start the first pass. Personally, I shave in the sink right next to the freezer(currently doing a bath remod). At this point your fingers may be frozen to the razor, but that's ok because you don't want to drop it. I like to rinse my icy razor in cold water, of course, throughout the shave.

Finish up with an icy rinse. Then, and this is important.. you must use menthol aftershave that you've warmed in the microwave.

That is how you do it.

That is funny.

 

[chilliman64]

for my CWS it usually means no pre-shave shower, cold water in the sink, build lather with cold water, lather up and shave WTG, rinse with cold water, re-lather and shave XTG, rinse with cold water then apply ASB etc. I don't normally do ATG when doing CWS.

sorry if you were expecting some secret ritual, it's just shaving using cold water instead of warm/hot - for me at least. generally when non-CWS I do shower pre-shave.

 

[Mick]

I shave with cold water in summer when it is hot outside and I shave with warm water and a scuttle when it is cold outside.

Other than using cold water during the shave everything else remains the same. Same prep, same 4 pass shave, same products.

 

[seanusa]

Repeat your research on B&B. Over the past 2 years there have been very detailed and informative discussions on the methodology of cold water shaving and the physiology of the hair follicle. CWS has always been a very contentious subject but many of us are CWS. I have posted many times on this subject over the past 18 mos. but will hold off for the present..Sounds like you are on the right track.

Gus

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...shaving-it-works?highlight=cold+water+shaving

Looked again and found this, must have missed it the first couple of times I searched

 

[California Cajun]

So I have come across a couple of threads on cold water shaving and looked through the Wiki for the exact methodology for prep, shave, and post but haven't found much. The threads mostly consisted of testimonials or nay sayers but not much on the ins and outs of how to actually do a cold water shave from start to finish. Maybe my searching skills have failed me but regardless I thought I would start this thread and see if I could compile some complete methodologies for the cold water shave. If this is a repeat thread please point me in the right direction, if not post away, I'd love to hear how you gents do it.
Thanks in advance!

Click the "Shaving Made Easy" link in my signature. It's a 1905 book that is just as relevant today as it was the day it was published. Pages 50-52 discuss the soap, and why hot water should not be used. Pages 53-55 discuss the lather. Those five pages should take care of any prep questions. The whole book is a short, fun read and I'd recommend it to anybody.

 

[seanusa]

Click the "Shaving Made Easy" link in my signature. It's a 1905 book that is just as relevant today as it was the day it was published. Pages 50-52 discuss the soap, and why hot water should not be used. Pages 53-55 discuss the lather. Those five pages should take care of any prep questions. The whole book is a short, fun read and I'd recommend it to anybody.

Thanks John, I just saved a PDF copy to my computer and plan on reading the whole thing.

Just finished the book and was a very informative read, I shall be trying a different technique from now on