Water temperature

[wulfgar1976]

Some people seem to swear by cold water shaving as they get closer shaves with less irritation. My experience is the exact opposite - not a very close shave at all and more irritation than usual with a weeper that I believe would have been avoided.

To experiment, I did the opposite the next day - using water as hot as I could comfortably bear it. The shave was very close and was similar to the best setup for me (shaving in a hot bath, which is not convenient for daily shaving). The tradition of using hot towels presumably didn't come out of nowhere (I use a flannel with hot water for similar effect).

What temperature do you prefer? Hot, cold, warm?

 

[rbscebu]

Many years ago, my then old barber, Con, told me that the hot towel treatment came from early cartoons on TV. His preferred temperature for hydrating whiskers before a shave is just warm, about 30°C.

I have always taken the advice that Con gave me regarding shaving. My prep consists of:

1. Splash face with warm water.
2. Apply a good (not oily) bath soap to your face and wash very well. Use your fingertips to work the soap right to the base of your whiskers. You are trying to remove all traces of oil from your whiskers and the skin around your whiskers.
3. Rinse very well with warm water to remove all traces of the bath soap and its residue. You want your face to be truly squeaky clean.
4. Keep your face wet by splashing with cool water while preparing your lather (cool or warm).
5. Apply the lather to your wet face.
6. Enjoy your shave.
7. If doing multiple passes, wet your face with warm or cool water before re-lathering each time.

My preferred bath soap for pre-shave prep is Pears Transparent (India or Saudi). This was the soap my mother would put out when we had guests but we were never allowed to use it. Maybe my mother should have changered her name to Hyacinth Bucket.

I have tried many other pre-shave preps but always returned to the above for the best result.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I care very little about the closeness of the shave; I use very cold water because I enjoy the way it feels.

 

[Butch Waxx]

Many years ago, my then old barber, Con, told me that the hot towel treatment came from early cartoons on TV. His preferred temperature for hydrating whiskers before a shave is just warm, about 30°C.

I have always taken the advice that Con gave me regarding shaving. My prep consists of:

1. Splash face with warm water.
2. Apply a good (not oily) bath soap to your face and wash very well. Use your fingertips to work the soap right to the base of your whiskers. You are trying to remove all traces of oil from your whiskers and the skin around your whiskers.
3. Rinse very well with warm water to remove all traces of the bath soap and its residue. You want your face to be truly squeaky clean.
4. Keep your face wet by splashing with cool water while preparing your lather (cool or warm).
5. Apply the lather to your wet face.
6. Enjoy your shave.
7. If doing multiple passes, wet your face with warm or cool water before re-lathering each time.

My preferred bath soap for pre-shave prep is Pears Transparent (India or Saudi). This was the soap my mother would put out when we had guests but we were never allowed to use it. Maybe my mother should have changered her name to Hyacinth Bucket.

I have tried many other pre-shave preps but always returned to the above for the best result.

Very sound advice from Con….

 

[DEgeezer]

I've tried cold water shaving, and it worked okay. But for me it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as nice warm lather.

 

[BigJ]

Interesting question!

For me, a warm water shave followed by a cold rinse is optimal. Comfort is the main issue not closeness.

YMMV for sure!

 

[Dapper Gent]

I've tried cold water and it didn't work for me. It was very uncomfortable and left me with a burn etc... I use a face cloth soaked in very warm/hot water, wring it out and hold it over my face for a while before lathering. I also rinse my razor in very warm water between passes as I find it cleans off the soap better. Cold water constricts skin and pores, whereas warm or hot will dilate the skin and pores and also soften the beard. When finished I wipe off my face with a warm cloth, and then end by splashing on room temperature witch hazel, and let it dry. This is what works for me.

 

[Happy Jack]

I prefer hot water (about 50-55°C, I'd guess) to splash on my face before lathering and I also soak my brush with hot water for bowl lathering. I use cold water to rinse when I've finished. Works great for me. I wouldn't want a cold, miserable shave.

 

[DEgeezer]

I prefer hot water (about 50-55°C, I'd guess) to splash on my face before lathering and I also soak my brush with hot water for bowl lathering. I use cold water to rinse when I've finished. Works great for me. I wouldn't want a cold, miserable shave.

My routine exactly!

 

[Ravenonrock]

Hot.

 

[sarimento1]

back in my early days, i lusted for really hot lather and would use an immersion heater; nowadays, with glycerin soap prep, i've settled on just warm water.

 

[NorthernSoul]

I like to use comfortably warm water for shaving, not too hot, though. Rinse with cool water, not too cold.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I have warm water in the sink for face rinsing and hydrating lather, and hot water in a mug for rinsing my razor. I won't rinse my razor in the same water I rinse my face with.

I will use cold water occasionally, but not in the conventional way. I run the cold tap slowly, just to keep the razor wet and cold, and do a final pass without lather. I tend to only do this when nothing less than perfection is acceptable for a shave (special events), or skill test shaves (full shave done without lather) if I think my technique is getting wonky and needs recalibrating.

 

[Shaveprentice]

I splash warm water on my face to hydrate my whiskers, rinse in between passes with warm water, final rinse with warm water, then cool to cold water final final rinse. This has been working consistently really well for me. I have tried a lot of variations like hot water, cold water, etc. that don't seem to improve my shave much or at all and are not as comfortable. I enjoy having just a regular smooth comfortable shave with no irritation and warm water seems to work best for me.

 

[cryhavoc]

I'm a cold water shaver, I found it gives me a better shave and no irritation. I enjoy the cold water, nice and cooling when its hot weather and very invigorating in the Winter.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I lived without running water... and certainly no hot water for a couple years in my youth... I like warm showers... warm shaves... I did try that "this will change your life" cold shave YouTube video that was released recently. I noticed it was a topic here in hmmm let me check..... 2007.

There is nothing new under the sun.

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

Some people seem to swear by cold water shaving as they get closer shaves with less irritation. My experience is the exact opposite - not a very close shave at all and more irritation than usual with a weeper that I believe would have been avoided.

To experiment, I did the opposite the next day - using water as hot as I could comfortably bear it. The shave was very close and was similar to the best setup for me (shaving in a hot bath, which is not convenient for daily shaving). The tradition of using hot towels presumably didn't come out of nowhere (I use a flannel with hot water for similar effect).

What temperature do you prefer? Hot, cold, warm?

I like my water so hot you can cook things in it! But suffice to say, a hot face wash, and some hot lather, are the way to go. However, yes, I have tried the rinse razor in cold water, then begin shaving with a cold razor routine before. I believe it worked for me, it seemed to feel good, but of course, I was working with a brand new Feather blade at the time. But at the end of the day, I was going through more water to do it.

I self moderate my water consumption for reasons I won't discuss. But I simply can't be wasting water, to change the water temperature from hot to cold. And for a good hot shave, nothing annoys me more, then a cold lather on the face. Which is the whole reason that, I ordered that scuttle, from Captains Choice recently. I want something to keep my lather warm.

So, in the end, use whatever works best for you. But a nice hot shave, and saving water works for me. YMMV

 

[Happy Jack]

back in my early days, i lusted for really hot lather and would use an immersion heater; nowadays, with glycerin soap prep, i've settled on just warm water.

View attachment 1442434


View attachment 1442435

122.5°F = 50°C - just how I like it, too.

 

[sarimento1]

122.5°F = 50°C - just how I like it, too.

that's lather temp; much hotter and the lather would start to degrade

 

[Ron R]

It's not natural to have extreme hot water to prepare your face for washing & lathering from my limited research (doctors recommendations not to use hot water)and when I first started traditional wet shaving I thought a hot towel to the face was nice way to start the shave. Then I started cold water rinsing after each pass when I read a lot of folks use cold water method after each pass and found it much nicer & enjoyable for my skin with less irritation. I get stellar shaves by this routine and will not change from the old ways of using hot water to prep.
I do like warm lather applied to my face and that is so easy for me to do with my ceramic bowl and that part will not change.
After final pickup pass I like to rinse with warm water to clean most shave soap residual of my face(Shave soap is more alkaline than your skin on the PH scale) and then finish with a cold water rinse to calm the skin, towel pat dry face and then finally finish with some witch hazel and aftershave with a dollop off balm. Seems to work for me and that won't change until there's change warranted. That has been my routine for years as a daily shaver, my skin looks very well and healthy.