hot vs cold

[KW Driver]

Doesn’t make much difference to me on the shaving, beyond comfort, because I don’t like being cold. The shower temps sure do. I’ll do warm shaves until the summer temps get too high, then go cool showers and cool shaves, so that I don’t sweat out of the shower, then a cold tap final rinse year round.

some guys with sensative skin say cold water shaves reduces irritation, but there’s no reason to suffer through a cold shower to my mind.

 

[Atlantic59]

I use the "hot washcloth" method of hydrating, and thought that the hotter the water, the better, and use the hottest I can endure.

If I didn't have hot water available, can I ever get the same effect with a room temperature washcloth, used for longer?

I always thought the hot washcloth analogy was with cooking spaghetti, and that wouldn't work very well with cold water.

Your hair naturally repels moisture for awhile. There's a layer of sebum (skin oil) covering each strand. Hot water removes this oil layer faster than cold water, allowing the oil to penetrate the hair. The oil can be removed in other ways, though, like soap or shampoo.

If you washed your face vigorously with mild soap, rinsed off, then lathered your shave cream over it, the whiskers would get saturated with water in three to five minutes. You could use a washcloth if you wanted.

This is where face lathering can save you time. By the time you have washed your face and got the shave lather built on your face, your whiskers are already softened a lot.

 

[Tom Gabison]

I alternate based on how hot it is outside. Either way hydration is the key as many said above.

 

[ukobke]

Hot.

 

[Fred D]

Just do whatever works best for you, there is no wrong or right way as long as it works, and that goes for the "three pass shave" also. I use cold water, and only do two passes with a sharp blade on a more aggressive setting on my razor. This works very well for me, and remember with shaving, YMMV.

 

[Tallships]

Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y, Saturday was a trip to the Barber Shop a few times a month, Dad treated himself to a shave. The barber wrapped dads face with a steamed towel and used a hot lather treatment to shave him. As I got older and had my own barber shop shave, the process was the same and when asked, the barber said heat was the key to a close shave. all the barbers I went to said the same thing, heat was the key.
These days when I shave I make my lather with a warm brush, do the hot washcloth beard soak and by the time I get the soaped brush to my face, the lather is cold. So I guess I get a hot cold shave. But I do get a BBS most of the time.

 

[Tardelli82]

I have found with cold water I am less prone to irritation. That said my technique has improved quite a bit since the last warm water shave. I was guilty of using too much pressure on the blade and too many passes. May give it a go again to see how it feels.

 

[steveclarkus]

I like my water like my beer - warm.

 

[Fred D]

I like my water like my beer - warm.

I like warm beer and cold coffee, go figure.

 

[guitarslinger]

My hair shaves much more easily with hot water.

 

[Fred D]

Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y, Saturday was a trip to the Barber Shop a few times a month, Dad treated himself to a shave. The barber wrapped dads face with a steamed towel and used a hot lather treatment to shave him. As I got older and had my own barber shop shave, the process was the same and when asked, the barber said heat was the key to a close shave. all the barbers I went to said the same thing, heat was the key.
These days when I shave I make my lather with a warm brush, do the hot washcloth beard soak and by the time I get the soaped brush to my face, the lather is cold. So I guess I get a hot cold shave. But I do get a BBS most of the time.

I grew up in the same place, and remember the barber shop I went to when I was young on Brighton Beach Avenue.

 

[steveclarkus]

I like warm beer and cold coffee, go figure.

I lived in Syracuse, NY five years. Learned to hate cold although cold coffee is indeed a lovely thing.

 

[Elvis Outlander]

Nice thread. I had no idea "cold" was even a viable option.

 

[Duke of Buckingham]

I switched over to cold showers a couple of years ago - you are not in there long enough to get truly cold. They are best after a run; I guess it's like a sauna. (Unlike regular bar soap, Bronner's liquid soap doesn't leave a scummy residue in the cold.)

After that, cold water shaving. I had to move to a smoother razor and sharper blade, because there's a lot of tugging otherwise. That said, it's pretty much impossible to cut yourself. And there's less irritation, too.