My skin now looks healthier

[Nicholas]

I changed my shaving routine a while ago. A couple of weeks after making these changes, I noticed that it somehow works better, my skin looked a bit more healthier, brighter. First of all, let me tell you that my skin is semi-sensitive, meaning I usually don't experience any irritation and most products work for me, but it is a bit oily and I use a cleansing product twice a day.

So, I started shaving with cold water, something radical for me. I was travelling a lot the last months, warm water was not always an option and I had to shave with whatever water I had access to, cold or warm. I've been using warm/hot water all these years and didn't want to hear anything about using cold water for my shaves. I now shave daily in the morning with two passes, one WTG and one XTG. ATG is out of question for me, it does not agree with my neck. At the end of my shave, I use plenty of cold water to remove any left over lather or hairs from my face and apply a good aloe vera based moisturizing balm that contains alcohol in very low percentage. And that's it. I stopped using Witch Hazel and any other lotion, I don't consider them "necessary" like I used to. What I'm going to do with all these lotions I have is something I don't really know. Of course, I use products that I know how to get the most out of them. I'm satisfied with what I have and I'm not into experimenting etc.

I'm not really sure what exactly changed my skin looks, but this routine seems to work really good.

 

[kingfisher]

Congratulations on finding a routine that works for your skin.

 

[Nicholas]

Congratulations on finding a routine that works for your skin.

Live and learn, Randall.

 

[Macduff]

Cold water works well for my skin too. I do a good amount of cold water shaves in the summer and sometimes in the winter if my skin is irritated. Seems to work very well. My theory is that it stands up the hairs better for cutting and also contracts the skin slightly so that the surface is smoother and easier to shave over. That said, i do find that it “feels” harder to cut through the stubble using cold water so to me it’s a bit of a tradeoff. Either way, i like both cold and hot water shaving for different reasons, but find that strictly based on end result, cold water seems to work better.

 

[naughtilus]

My experience exactly. I'm sure others will chime in with confirmations.

 

[FireDragon76]

Hot water is more likely to strip oils out of your skin, especially combined with soap, so that may be why some people find it better to use cold water if they have sensitive skin.

 

[OldSkoolMillennial]

Which aloe vera based moisturizing balm are you using?

 

[BigJ]

Congratulations! Figuring out what works for you is an accomplishment!

 

[Billy T.]

Cold water, 2 passes or a 3rd XTG-ATG hybrid. Seems to be working fine.

 

[Nicholas]

Which aloe vera based moisturizing balm are you using?

Korres Marigold & Ginseng. A really good greek product. I am about to finish the second bottle as we speak.

 

[OldSkoolMillennial]

Korres Marigold & Ginseng. A really good greek product. I am about to finish the second bottle as we speak.

Thanks. They appear to have a US site to order from.

 

[Sotiris_A]

Congrats and thanks for sharing your findings! Do you also use cold water for prep and if yes, do you find that you need more time to soften and hydrate the stubble?

Korres Marigold & Ginseng. A really good greek product. I am about to finish the second bottle as we speak.

+1 It's a great balm for those than can tolerate a bit of alcohol in the post-shave product.

 

[Billy T.]

Not a balm fan, but I should probably get my hands on some Korres. Any further information about it?

 

[Sotiris_A]

Not a balm fan, but I should probably get my hands on some Korres. Any further information about it?

It's quite affordable in the Greek market (~8euros for 200ml), the scent dissipates quickly so that it doesn't interfere with any fragrance you might be using and you only need a very small quantity per shave. Provided you don't use too much, it doesn't leave an oily skin after you apply it. It moisturizes well and takes care of any redness after the shave. I've only used the one that @Nicholas mentioned, but there are also 5 more scents available.

 

[Chandu]

So here is my warm water cold water theory and why it works for some. Now this is not anything to do with soap or creams which in my opinion lather better with warm water, especially the tallow soaps. This is about the skin.

Firstly, pores don't open and close. Good, that's out of the way.

Cold water does cause the skin to tighten and constrict vs warm water. My theory is for some people tighter skin makes irritation less likely. At a microscopic level the skin is tighter. If it were looser as in a warm water shave there may be enough skin movement/flexibility/pliability/whatever for the skin to be picked up and nicked microscopically (not enough to weep, just enough to sustain enough of a cut or scrape to need to heal from and maybe be a bit irritated from)

Some percentage of shavers have skin that benefits from cold water due to the above and that is my theory.

@Nicholas it sounds like our skin is similar at least as far as oiliness and that I don't regularly experience irritation. I do use witch hazel and I've shaved with cold water but have not let go of the witch hazel or shaved with cold water for any lengthy period of time. I tend to be cold all the time and a cold water shave is just not that inviting to me. I may have to give it a try though just in the spirit of exploration. I'll call it my "Shave like Shackleton experiment".

 

[santamariasteve]

A further advantage of cold water morning shaving is it wakes one up, in the same manner as one's favorite caffeinated beverage.

 

[sarimento1]

Another great example of YMMV!

 

[dmshaver]

Finding what works best sometimes seems like a moving target. Glad you've figured it out for you!

 

[Bogeyman]

A further advantage of cold water morning shaving is it wakes one up, in the same manner as one's favorite caffeinated beverage.

So does a groin kick, but I prefer hot water as it's a mark of First World living and I have shaved in the Third World with cold water. No thanks.

 

[santamariasteve]

So does a groin kick, but I prefer hot water as it's a mark of First World living and I have shaved in the Third World with cold water. No thanks.

Brother No Thanks,

I prefer cold water shaving to a groin kick. I find cold water better for comfort and closeness, and with fewer cuts and nicks. BTW we're not taking about "ice cube water." Cold water shaving for me is with neutral temperature tap water.