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- #41
have shaved with ice cold river water one morning whilst camping in northern Scotland .
And I can tell you it was a wake up call .
Hot or cold which way do you swing
- Thread starter lurchbrian
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have shaved with ice cold river water one morning whilst camping in northern Scotland .
And I can tell you it was a wake up call .
Hot water soak, hot shave, and cool rinse.
When I first started shaving with a DE I used hot water. I still enjoy a hot towel soak before shaving sometimes. But after reading here several years ago I started using cold water. Works way better for my face and I get far better shaves.
Definitely warm for me. I love hot lather. While I take a nice warm shower, I heat my ceramic lather bowl on an electric candle warmer (about 120 degrees F). I soak my brush in warm (but not hot water) during that time as well. I add a little hot water to my hot lather bowl and build my lather. I fill the sink with hot water to warm my razor. It is so good, both summer and winter.
so, here is the score so far...
I will say that I do love a hot shower followed by a hot lather and shave. Problem for me is that just moving from hot water to cold and changing nothing else literally solved all of my skin problems immediately. I don't know if it would work for everyone, and some people have tough skin so it doesn't really matter for them. For me though dry skin and the irritation near my neck...gone within 2 shaves using cold water on my face after a lukewarm shower. Ending hot showers changed my life. Dryness on my legs and forearms...gone, dryness on my face where i don't put balm (forehead, upper cheeks)... gone. Dry scalp...gone. Itchiness...gone. Ymmv. Obviously I would still take a hot shower if I was freezing, but I now reside in Florida. Cheers!
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Hahahaha. I certainly can't take credit for this discovery. I would have to give credit to my actual dermatologist and a crap load of references he had me look through. There is endless information on this subject. He basically told me that hot water removes all of your skins protective and rejuvenating oils and makes it harder to regenerate the layer lost when shaving or scrubbing. The same way it is easier to clean a greasy pan with hot water. Obviously others that have even more dry or sensitive skin than I may have to do more for normal skin, and this certainly isn't the end all be all, but I am finally excited to shower and shave. Cheers!
Just “warm” for my skin year round. Always end with a cold water rinse however!
Cold water shaver year round. In the summer months I add ice to my water.
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- #51
I try for hot in winter but you know... stuff cools down more than you want before you can get it on your face. In summer I go with cold straight out of the tap, but that's relative, where I live the summer cold water temperature is around 22c (about 72F). That would be considered tepid in some climates. So warmish winter, coolish summer.
Hot water for pre-shave and shave, and cold for removing the cream and face wash.
Cold now for me - much less irritation on my neck and closer shaves I have found
Although as was pointed out earlier I think warm water does clear soap/hair from the blade easier
But yeah cold tap water with ice occasionally added to the mix when its really warm or I have just come out of a warm bath
Although as was pointed out earlier I think warm water does clear soap/hair from the blade easier
But yeah cold tap water with ice occasionally added to the mix when its really warm or I have just come out of a warm bath
I get a closer shave with hot water, but when I'm in a hurry I'll use cold.
When I lived in New York, hot water was a treat.
Now I live in Florida, and cold water is a treat, so I shave with what comes out of the cold water tap, which is lukewarm.
Apparently it's no better in Malaysia; sounds like there's a correlation between lots of great golf courses and lukewarm cold water.
Now I live in Florida, and cold water is a treat, so I shave with what comes out of the cold water tap, which is lukewarm.
Apparently it's no better in Malaysia; sounds like there's a correlation between lots of great golf courses and lukewarm cold water.
Cold every time, it doesn't bother me and I've heard many times about the supposed benefits so why not. It's also slightly quicker not having to adjust/wait for the water to warm up.
Cold.
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