Why does my face feel smoother ten minutes after I've shaved?

[chris.hale]

As above really. I've been trying out some Astra SPs that came with my Weber and last night when I was done I didn't feel like I'd gotten a particularly good shave, yet ten minutes later it was great. So why is it that I still felt some residual stubble immediately after drying my face but a while later it was gone?

 

[mdunn]

I think it has to do with temperature... After a nice warm shave, your skin cools and the hair folicles retract a little

 

[fijiblue]

I've noticed the same phenomenon. I think temperature plays a factor as well as aftershave. Compared to none, witch hazel, alum, or alcohol seem to make a difference within that 10 minute window. I lack the scientific knowledge to give you a qualitative answer, but you're not alone!

 

[TnutsShave]

I think it has to do with temperature... After a nice warm shave, your skin cools and the hair folicles retract a little

I think think it may be due to water content in the folicle, more so than temperature, but it could be a combination of the two. When a hair folicle is wet, it "blooms" so to speak in that the overlapping sheets expand. When they dry out, they contract again. That is my understanding anyhow.

 

[Big_OC]

I've had the same question myself. Immediately after shaving it feels like a DFS but after applying alum, WH, & AS it turns into BBS.

 

[Go West Young Man]

I've always put it down to the hairs swelling and expanding from heat and water during the shave, then contracting back as they cool and dry.

 

[phillylion]

I've had the same question myself. Immediately after shaving it feels like a DFS but after applying alum, WH, & AS it turns into BBS.

+1

 

[smalltank]

lol..facial transformation...into utter smoothness

 

[Renato1]

Funny how you noticed it significantly with your Weber, I had the same feeling but moreso a few weeks back when I got my Weber and used a Gillette Super Thin blade - the hair didn't retreat. It turned out my Weber was pretty hopeless with the slippery creams I was using, but worked much better when I used shave soaps - then I couldn't tell much difference between it and my Merker 33C.

Generally, though, I get two types of shave - those where there is fine stubble which retreats in the manner you describe, and those where you can't detect that fine stubble during shaving. I get more of the latter using soaps than from slippery creams, but tend to also get more invisible nicks (i.e. the type that you feel from an Alum block, rather than see). I don't get any invisible nicks from the Weber.
Regards,
Renato

 

[BroJohn]

Chris --

When you wet your beard in preparation for shaving, the whiskers expand slightly. After shaving, the whiskers dry out and shrink back, both in girth and in length. So the very, very slight presence of whisker scruff at the end of the shave will actually disappear as the whiskers dry out. Given a good to great shave, this will leave you BBS for several hours.

Pretty neat, huh?

I wouldn't do additional passes to eliminate any residual micro-scruff. Given some additional time and practice, DFS/BBS shaves will become the norm.

-- John Gehman

 

[gus1942]

Good try guys, but here are some other reasons. Usually, we get a good cold rinse to achieve peripheral vasoconstriction of arteriolar network of the skin to prevent bleeding or weepers. The cold water stimulates the erector pili smooth muscles at the hair follicle causing the hair shaft and adjacent skin to stand up, causing one to, perhaps, feel a little stubble for a few minutes. After this physiological phenoman subsides, one will feel the BBS hopefully. The decreasing hydration of the hair shaft may also be a minor factor.

Gus

 

[Renato1]

Good try guys, but here are some other reasons. Usually, we get a good cold rinse to achieve peripheral vasoconstriction of arteriolar network of the skin to prevent bleeding or weepers. The cold water stimulates the erector pili smooth muscles at the hair follicle causing the hair shaft and adjacent skin to stand up, causing one to, perhaps, feel a little stubble for a few minutes. After this physiological phenoman subsides, one will feel the BBS hopefully. The decreasing hydration of the hair shaft may also be a minor factor.

Gus

What you say may be correct - I don't know because I've never tried it.

But I check what my razor is doing while shaving and while rinsing with hot water, and depending on razor, blade, soap or cream, sometimes stubble is there which I can't get rid off, which disappears 10 minutes or so after drying one's face.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Go West Young Man]

Good try guys, but here are some other reasons. Usually, we get a good cold rinse to achieve peripheral vasoconstriction of arteriolar network of the skin to prevent bleeding or weepers. The cold water stimulates the erector pili smooth muscles at the hair follicle causing the hair shaft and adjacent skin to stand up, causing one to, perhaps, feel a little stubble for a few minutes. After this physiological phenoman subsides, one will feel the BBS hopefully. The decreasing hydration of the hair shaft may also be a minor factor.

Gus

In my head, that sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher talking

 

[chris.hale]

Funny how you noticed it significantly with your Weber, I had the same feeling but moreso a few weeks back when I got my Weber and used a Gillette Super Thin blade - the hair didn't retreat. It turned out my Weber was pretty hopeless with the slippery creams I was using, but worked much better when I used shave soaps - then I couldn't tell much difference between it and my Merker 33C.

I find that my Weber shaves at least as efficiently as my Merkur HD, but is smoother. I use both soaps and creams, and have not noticed any real difference in shave performance between the two, but am starting to prefer soaps as the lather seems to be slicker and easier to rinse off.

It's good to know that I'm not the only one that's noticed this, and there have been some good suggestions as to what causes it. That's satisfied my curiosity!

 

[gus1942]

In my head, that sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher talking

Yes Chris, I admit it.

Gus

 

[ouch]

I think you scared your whiskers so much they went into hiding.