Hot or Cold Water?

[Wgg2017]

This B&B thread with video and the movie Good Morning, Vietnam* got me thinking about hot vs cold water for shaves. I've always used hot water but I'm going to try cold water and see how it goes. Just curious how hot vs cold breaks down for current B&B members. And I'm only curious about what you use during the shave, not what you rinse your face with at the end.

*Near the the of the movie, one of the radio dj's is reading an ad for a razor. Part of the ad specifically mentions the use of cold water instead of hot to prevent irritation. Also, can anyone identify the DE razor Robin Williams was using during one of the scenes (he seemed to be losing a lot of blood!)?

 

[brucered]

Warm to hot.

The same temp as I wash my hands with.

 

[purecro]

Cold water. It has helped me with getting irritation down alot so I know it works well for me. Shaves are closer after your skin goes back to room temperature and it feels refreshing for me.

 

[Dave himself]

I'm definitely in the cold water camp. My shaves are cold water from start to finish. It seems to help with irritation, I don't know if there's any science behind it or not though.

 

[Cornish]

Switched from hot water > hot water and running razor under a cold tap > cold water only about a year ago. I just prefer the fresh feeling and it seems to reduce any post shave irritation for me.

 

[Goblin]

There are sound, science-based reasons why hot water is better for preparing for your beard so it's easier to shave. I have heard (but don't know if these particular numbers are accurate) that a solid hot-water prep can reduce the toughness of the hair by as much as 80%, by compromising the hard outer cuticle and allowing the hair to become saturated with water. Even if the numbers are subject to variation between individuals, the basic principle of hot water and something mildly alkaline (like soap) to soften the hair is sound and proven.

Back when I was learning to wet shave (which was about a decade after I should have learned - I just suffered terrible shaves for 10 years) insisting on a hot shower prior to any shave was the thing that made the biggest difference to my irritation. Finally, it felt like the razor was actually able to do some work and I could begin concentrating on the other aspects of my technique. I have always assumed that folks who claim the hot water prep makes no difference must just be blessed with reasonably fine hair to begin with, so whilst it must provide some benefit for them, it's sufficiently reduced so as not play a major role in the overall ease of their shave.

So, I regard hot water as essential for prep. For the actual shave itself, the water is usually blood temperature or lower, but I don't like holding a very cold razor against my face any more than a very hot razor - I save the truly cold water for the post-shave rinse. That means that for the whole process, I use all three temperatures of water!

 

[musicman1951]

On hot summer days I've shaved with cold water, but I usually shave with fairly warm water. I don't notice any difference in the results. I hate being cold and can't imagine shaving with cold water in our winters.

 

[DesertIguana]

Water is water, Hot is opening pores to infection, Cold keep pores closed, less infection. My Dermotolighs say final rinse in showed should be cold or tepid water, not scalding hot. Helps preserve skin.

 

[Slanterino]

Cold shower followed by cold water shave. Because I'm rambo in a way.

 

[BigJ]

Hot water for my prep. Cold water after my shave. (So I voted ‘neutral.’)

 

[The Blackadder]

 

[sternej]

Synchrony that this thread popped up in the feed. First time today I tried everything cold. Pre-rinse, made cold lather, cold razor, razor rinsing, Post, cold rinse, cold alum block, more cold water rinse and finished with PAA Frost Byte Star Jelly. I gotta say, it was the very best shave I've had in a month. Two Pass BBS. I think I may stay with cold water shaving forever. I'll re-eval in a week or so.

 

[VerbaVolant]

I am not an expert and this is my opinion.

There are sound, science-based reasons why hot water is harmful to your skin. Even if the numbers are subject to variation between individuals, the basic principle of hot water is that it will damage your skin.

I use warm water, if someone is curious, and will not advise anyone to use hot water to wash/prep their skin.
From educated people we learn a thing or two.

As to what helps soften the hair, it has been discussed here:

Observations on the Cutting of Beard Hair, J. Society of Cosmetic Chemists, 1976

Full pdf is online: Observations on the Cutting of Beard Hair Synopsis A device is described which permits measurement of the force required to CUT a BEARD HAIR FIBER under a variety of conditions. Studies with this device show that the force required to cut wet beard fibers with commercial...

www.badgerandblade.com

Excerpt from that study:

... Based on the f-t-c, beard hair fibers appear to have been completely hydrated by exposure to water at room temperature within about 2 to 3 min.

That simple.

 

[Joetomlin01]

Always cold water

 

[njpaddy]

The thought of shaving with cold water brings back not so fond memories of basic training at North Ft Polk, LA in the winter of '69/70. Shaving in the woods, using cold water from a stream in your helmet was not fun. After I began wetshaving, I had a fan/heater installed in our bathroom ceiling. Nirvana. I still regret selling that house. My wife keeps our apartment temp at 67, which is why I now only shave every 7-10 days.

 

[cryhavoc]

Always a cold water shave

 

[tehnothing]

Lukewarm for shower and shave. Cold shaves are refreshing sometimes.

 

[tube_guy]

I've tried cold water, but it's always resulted in my whiskers being much more difficult to cut. Hot water just works much better for me. I'm not sure if there's any heredity involved in this or not, but my dad was the same. Whenever he was forced to use cold water to shave he would always complain about it.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Warm water will help prepare for the shave since it hydrates the whiskers faster than cold water. Cold water will work, eventually, if you want to wait. Too hot can lead to irritation.

After you are ready to shave, you can use whatever temperature you prefer. For me, that is fairly warm in cold weather and lukewarm or room temperature in hot weather.

In the Vietnam movie, you have to keep in mind that was advice for a hot, humid, semi-tropical climate with soldiers doing a lot of physical activity.

 

[The Blackadder]

I am not an expert and this is my opinion.

There are sound, science-based reasons why hot water is harmful to your skin. Even if the numbers are subject to variation between individuals, the basic principle of hot water is that it will damage your skin.

I use warm water, if someone is curious, and will not advise anyone to use hot water to wash/prep their skin.
From educated people we learn a thing or two.

As to what helps soften the hair, it has been discussed here:

Observations on the Cutting of Beard Hair, J. Society of Cosmetic Chemists, 1976

Full pdf is online: Observations on the Cutting of Beard Hair Synopsis A device is described which permits measurement of the force required to CUT a BEARD HAIR FIBER under a variety of conditions. Studies with this device show that the force required to cut wet beard fibers with commercial...

www.badgerandblade.com

Excerpt from that study:


That simple.

So, if two minutes of room temp water is all you need to prep your beard, preshaves and oils are basically useless?