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How to soften the hair without a shower?

Well, the traditional barber approach is to use a warm, moist towel, placed around the face.

And it feels GREAT! :a29:

I can't agree more. My most luxurious shaves have been the times that I've been treated to a hot towel shave by a trained barber. Generally a application of machine hot lather, a hot moist towel then draped around my face, usually followed by another hot towel once the first has cooled. Then, another application of lather and a delicate shave with a shavette style razor. All while reclined in a barber's chair.

Heaven.
 
Couple of warm water splashes and face lather for a while with a soft brush (hard or unbroken brushes will give you a brush burn if you face lather for too long or too vigorously).

Thats more than enough for me to hydrate the whiskers and soften my skin.
 
[...]

Beard hair stiffness
Beard hair, when dry, shows a high stiffness, that is resistance to deformation in response to an applied force, such as a blade. Beard hair stiffness is less of a problem for electric shaving. The hair has been claimed to be equivalent to a copper wire of similar diameter, with respect to the forces needed to cut it . In comparison with the perifollicular skin, beard hair is reportedly more than 1000 times stiffer . The high stiffness of beard hair increases the force needed to cut it and may contribute to the forces applied during shaving. Hydration can reduce the stiffness of beard hair by 30–65% . The force needed to cut a beard hair is reduced by about 20% within the first minute of water contact. After four minutes, the cutting force is reduced by 40% and does not significantly decrease further with longer hydration .
[...]
Source:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ics.12328
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorStored=Siebenhaar,+F
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No matter winter or summer ,
I use cold-fridge cold- water and couple of glycerine drops ,
as a preshave treatment .
Cold water firms the skin , as the blood vessels are contracting and the hair muscles (arrector pili ) raise the stubble as a heat-generation respond.
Stubble becomes also “firmer” at it’s follicle and the
easier for the razor to cut through ,avoiding irritation .


Glycerine is a powerfull humectant .It draws water into the hair rapidly .

Lather is also cold or tepid .
Never warm.Heat slacks the skin of face and neck ,while relaxes the arrector pili muscles
and stubble drops loose and “relaxed”.

Result:
Glass -smooth face after every shave .
 
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So, here is a question among the weird ones. I always found that taking a long insanely hot shower gives me an excellent
shave straight after, the hair is soft and I suppose much easier to cut.

There are no weird questions.

How do you KNOW that your "insanely long hot shower" is what's giving you an excellent shave? I would think there's a certain point where your whiskers simply can't absorb any more water, even if they are at all. The outer sheath is keratin; the same substance in fingernails and horns. I think the actual effect water has on a whisker is probably very limited.

To me, a shower's purpose is to get clean. and that should be able to be achieved in about 8 to 10 minutes. If my wife was in there for more than that, I'd start knocking on the door trying to find out what was wrong. I shave right after the shower, and I've dialed in all the soap, blades, techniques and the "yada yadas" to get consistent results every time. My shaves average 20 minutes. A lot longer than the shower time.

I'm sorry if my post seems insulting to you. but I really think you're reverse engineering this issue to the point of absurdity. This shaving thing is as complicated as you want to make it. I hope you find a solution.
 
So, here is a question among the weird ones. I always found that taking a long insanely hot shower gives me an excellent
shave straight after, the hair is soft and I suppose much easier to cut.

So here is my question, is there an appliance that one can use to hang on the face to soften up the hair?
Like a plastic mask filled with hot water just for the lower part of the face.
I don’t like having a hot towel around my face looking like a mummy or showering for 1 hour in scolding hot water.

If not It’s a Kickstarter for sure.
You could try a face steamer, like what women use to clean out their pores. Youre still stuck with wearing a towel though, just on the back of your head to trap the steam, instead of wrapped around your face.
 
When I can’t shave after a shower, I wet my face, Apple my Proraso Preshave and then cover my beard area with a hand towel soaked in hot water and lightly wrung out. I apply the towel for a little over a minute and then I rewet the towel and apply a second time until t cools off. During the process the Preshave disappears and my skin is soft and ready for a shave. I’ve had some of my best shaves using this process.
 
Good hydration is achieved after approximately 2 min.

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I never use hot water as it can be quite damaging to skin. Warm water is all one needs. In my opinion.
 

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Facial prep before the shave is as "controversial" as is the art of shaving itself. YMMV says it all, but it is good to hear all the methods that are used by competent shavers. Learning is a lifelong process.
 
There ain’t no electrical gizmos unfortunatelt. But there are some good products you can leave on a damp face for a while, like a pre shave oil, Proraso pre shave cream or even Cremo cream from Target or Bed Bath & Beyond. The latter’s great cause it’s cheap, yet boosts your lather and glide like no other product!
 
That is exactly it. The time, as a parent to small drunken midgets It’s a luxury to remain in the shower for more than 10 minutes. Especially when It’s a shared bathroom. So I am still hunting for the perfect appliance since the towel procedure requires to lay down on the soffa and relax for 15 min, that is sort of out of the question. If it is the heat that smooths the hairs then one could imagine an appliance filled with hot water that covers half of your face. Like a shave mask..
 
If I don't shower before a shave I wash my face with very warm/hot water, leave it wet for a few minutes while I prep my gear, choose my soap, etc. Once that's all organized, I re-wet my face and apply my pre-shave (Proraso or Cube) and let that sit while I make my lather. I've never noticed a difference between that prep vs a shower first.
 
That is exactly it. The time, as a parent to small drunken midgets It’s a luxury to remain in the shower for more than 10 minutes. Especially when It’s a shared bathroom. So I am still hunting for the perfect appliance since the towel procedure requires to lay down on the soffa and relax for 15 min, that is sort of out of the question. If it is the heat that smooths the hairs then one could imagine an appliance filled with hot water that covers half of your face. Like a shave mask..
People have already shown you an answer, but you don't want to hear it for some reason. Apply a pre-shave product to your face with a brush and warm water. Leave it for two minutes while you brush your teeth or do something else. Then shave. What's wrong with that routine? You don't need a new gadget for this. You don't have to have a lie down. Or a towel. Or an hour in the shower, etc. Cheap products like Glyce or the PAA Cube will do what you want.
 
Proraso pre-shave, any flavor will do, the stuff is pure magic.
I wasn’t sure that the Proraso Preshave actually worked until I accidentally ran out. Now in the midst of the Great Southwest Deep Freeze I find my shipment stuck in a UPS warehouse since last Saturday.

I’ve had to shave a few times without the Proraso and my shave wasn’t the same. The Proraso added a layer of slickness that even my MWF can’t supply.

I look forward to getting my Proraso. This time I’m ordering a reserve.
 
I mean, you could just wash your face in the sink before shaving.

My momma use to give me a bit-o-wisdom back in my teenage years.
"Wash your face or I'm going to use steel wool to clean it!"
 
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