Excellent post, its amazing how quickly I started to cut corners and rush my prep. Thanks for taking the time to address this (even though you're probably like the rest of us and a little obsessed! lol) Time to grab a towel and hit the bathroom 
How-to: Pre-Shave Prep
- Thread starter Kyle
- Start date
btw, microwaving a couple of wet hand towels or wash cloths in a ziplock steam bag, which you can reuse over and over, can be useful in organizing the prep steps. The towels stay hot for a long time. A post-shave tip from the B&B community for those who prefer to shower before shaving: rubbing leftover lather into your face after shaving and leaving it on while you clean up, and then going through your regular post-shave steps of rinsing, etc., may help to sooth nicks and weepers.
Thank you sir for the great post and information.
I may have already posted this... I found that a high-quality Egyptian or Turkish cotton hand towel makes a big diff, holding the heat and steam much longer. I use a metal veg steamer in a pot on the stove and I slightly dampen the towel before rolling it up. I get a perfect steamed towel, not a drenched one. I found that doing Kyle's prep (and showering after my shave) made a HUGE difference. Best shave so far. Also, I follow up my shave (or the shower) with a hand towel in soaked ice water. Perfect post-shave treatment.
The pre-lather and the hot towel work wonders. Thanks for the science behind it!
Thanks ! good article.
A most excellent post. I'm on it...
I just tried this.
Wet face, proraso pre shave, lather, steaming towel, splash and re lather then shave.
It was a breeze. A bit rough still under the neck and I ran over a mole that I nicked yesterday. BUT,
in twenty years of shaving, this is the first time I've ever shaved without showering prior, and, the first time I"ve ever felt comfortable shaving on consecutive days without my neck looking like it's been taken to with a whipper snipper.
I love it!
Wet face, proraso pre shave, lather, steaming towel, splash and re lather then shave.
It was a breeze. A bit rough still under the neck and I ran over a mole that I nicked yesterday. BUT,
in twenty years of shaving, this is the first time I've ever shaved without showering prior, and, the first time I"ve ever felt comfortable shaving on consecutive days without my neck looking like it's been taken to with a whipper snipper.
I love it!
First go at this:
Brief warm water rinse
Face lathered T&H 1805
Rubbed lather in for 2 minutes with fingertips
Damp hot towel for 3 minutes. Towel got lukewarm after a couple of minutes, so I re-warmed it & rung it out again
Wiped off excess lather
Re-lathered & did WTG/XTG/ATG passes using DE89 + Personna Platinum Chrome
Alum
Shower
Proraso splash & Proraso AS lotion
I have to say, the results are excellent. A very even, close, near BBS everywhere. Just as good if not better than usual. It did add at least another 5 minutes on to my usual method, but even so, very encouraging.
Thanks Kyle.
Brief warm water rinse
Face lathered T&H 1805
Rubbed lather in for 2 minutes with fingertips
Damp hot towel for 3 minutes. Towel got lukewarm after a couple of minutes, so I re-warmed it & rung it out again
Wiped off excess lather
Re-lathered & did WTG/XTG/ATG passes using DE89 + Personna Platinum Chrome
Alum
Shower
Proraso splash & Proraso AS lotion
I have to say, the results are excellent. A very even, close, near BBS everywhere. Just as good if not better than usual. It did add at least another 5 minutes on to my usual method, but even so, very encouraging.
Thanks Kyle.
...and I have to say it worked for me too. Although I just held the facecloth on there until it had cooled enough (probably 2 minutes tops) but it was a fine shave.
...I refined it slightly today by doing the same prep after my shower but with a second application of the facecloth after the first had cooled.
Best shave of my life!
Best shave of my life!
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Yeah 3 minutes from hot & the face towel is pretty cool unless you reheat it.
As I stated earlier, I bought from BBB a thick, high-quality hand towel (not a wash cloth), either Turkish or Egyptian cotton. Totally worth it as it holds heat longer. It holds the heat for the full 4 minutes that the towel sits in my face. Also, time permitting, I follow up with a (cheaper) towel soaked in ice water, which I learned from a barber. WWOOOOWWWWWWW!! Nice finish!!
I'll be sure to try one. Thanks for the tip.
Another effortless near BBS using this method. This time using Cyril Salter fresh mint cream, DE89 + Personna platinum chrome.
I am a little confused on the products used. Is it preshave, lather shaving cream, hot towel. Then wipe it off and re lather shaving cream and shave? Or is it just shaving cream twice and no pre shave? Thanks.
See #332 above for a simple explanation.
