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On water temperature

So, I like to have a nice warm/hot lather experience when shaving, so I'm experimenting with techniques and wondering what other heat aficionados do to get their stuff hot.

I went online and found out that 125 degrees Fahrenheit (51.7 C) is the scalding temperature for humans, and since I've also read that brushes shouldn't bee exposed to scalding hot water, I decided that the optimum temperature to shoot for is 100-120 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8-48.9 C).

I am currently using our electric tea kettle (an earlier model of this, I believe). After I make tea in the morning, I fill it back up and let it boil again. Then I take it down to my den in the basement, which is quite cold in the winter (don't know why—the furnace is down there, but they never put in a heating exhaust anywhere in the basement), so I figure it will cool quite quickly.

This morning, I decided to be scientific about it, so I dug out my instant-read kitchen thermometer to track. Obviously, once the water boiled, it read over 200 degrees F (93.3 C). I didn't wait to see what the maximum reading would be (obviously, it's going to be somewhere around 212 F (100 C), way over the scalding point at 125 F/51.7 C).

So I took the kettle down to the cold den and filled up the following items: My Art of Shaving scuttle, which I put inside my shaving basin (basically a cheap, large plastic pho bowl that I got at the Vietnamese supermarket nearby),* my brand new Art of shaving pewter/ceramic combination mug,** my large blue shaving mug (essentially a large coffee mug, which I think I got from eBay 10-15 years ago). The 1.5 liters from the kettle was pretty much enough to fill up all these items.

I used the thermometer to test the temperature, and indeed, it was falling pretty quickly. I dunked my razor and brush in the mug and hopped in the shower. By the time I was done showering, all the water had gone down below 125 F/51.7 C. Surprisingly, it was the large plastic pho bowl that had held the temperature the best while I was showering. I thought that the smaller ceramic vessels—both because of material and because of the much smaller surface touching the ambient air—would have been better at retaining heat.

I proceeded to shave, hoping that the water would hold at 100 F/37.8 C, but by the time I got halfway through, it was down to 98-99 F (36.7-37.2 C), and falling.

I have order this Proctor-Silex hotpot from Amazon, hoping that using it will be better at holding the temp at 100-120 F while I'm showering and maybe helping it stay above 100 F to the end of my shave. The only problem is that I don't really have a place to put it. I know I shouldn't set it up in the bathroom itself. But I need to set up a table or something in the narrow passage outside my shave den to put it on and then run an extension cord to a power point.

Anyone else dealt with this problem? How have you handled it?
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Notes:

*I use the basin instead of my bathroom lavatory/basin/sink—which is right there, of course—because I prefer cleaning hair and soap scum out of a bowl rather than out of my sink. I can clean it in the kitchen basin, where I don't have to worry as much about clogging the drain with hair (which has happened to me), or I can just put it in the dish washer.

**I've had this thing for a couple of days and I quite like it. My only criticisms are that (1) my shaving brush handles aren't quite long enough for me to lather up without getting my fingers into the mug (not a huge problem), and (2) there's no room between the pewter base and the ceramic insert to put hot water in.
 
I have a tankless hot water heater and keep it set to 118° so this is what I get directly out of the hot water tap once the temp has stabilized in the pipes. Out of the shower the sink water comes out of the hot tap spot on for me (still 118º).

In winter I enjoy a warm water/lather shave and in summer a cool water/later shave.

Now that it is winter it is "warm shaving season" for me

I have several scuttles of varying sizes from a small brush scuttle all the way up to a monster large knot brush size.

I place my scuttle, razor, and brush in the sink while I fill the basin (pre-heat the ceramic scuttle, warm the razor, and soak the badger brush). when the scuttle is filled I let it sit in the water for a short time to make sure the ceramic has warmed through. when I am ready to start making later I take the scuttle out of the filled basin, put my finger over the reservoir hole (so I don't pour the water out), empty the lather bowl of water and start making lather.

The scuttle keeps the lather warm and enjoyable for a full 5 pass shave

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A warm shower is a great prep to shaving. I don't measure the temperature of the water I shave with, but I will say that I have found "hot" water to soften whiskers best, but the drawback is that I find "hot" water evaporates faster leaving a dryer than normal shave. I hate cold water for anything. I find that warm water works the best. It tends to soften whiskers as well as not evaporating so fast leaving shaving cream more hydrated. I really can't specify the exact temperatures as I'm not so anal or OCD as to need a measuring instrument (thermometer) involved in my shaving ritual. I simply go by feel. Follow up with a luke warm water rinse.
 
i use an immersible hot water heater element while in the shower to heat up water in the scuttle or just in a spare mug, for dipping.
when i can, i like lather around 120 deg.

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I have a tankless hot water heater and keep it set to 118° so this is what I get directly out of the hot water tap once the temp has stabilized in the pipes. Out of the shower the sink water comes out of the hot tap spot on for me (still 118º).

I suppose I could use tap water too, but I guess that's not geeky enough for me. I'm hoping the Proctor-Silex hot pot helps me maintain an even temperature instead of one that drops from boiling to 98 over the course of my morning ritual.
 
I suppose I could use tap water too, but I guess that's not geeky enough for me. I'm hoping the Proctor-Silex hot pot helps me maintain an even temperature instead of one that drops from boiling to 98 over the course of my morning ritual.

You can always get yourself a Bonavita temp controlled kettle if you need the temp to stay +/- 2º

They work real well for making coffee when you are not shaving :001_smile

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You can always get yourself a Bonavita temp controlled kettle if you need the temp to stay +/- 2º

They work real well for making coffee when you are not shaving :001_smile


My wife and I are both coffee enthusiasts. I'm sure that one would get confiscated as soon as it cross the threshold.
 
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