Cold water shave - first try

R

Rascally

Joined
Friday August 2, 2013
Not sure why I did it this morning, but it's been on my mind for a while now. I had my first shot at shaving with cold water. I had a Shark blade with 2 shave behind it that I wasn't enjoying much & I used Body Shop Macca Root shave cream, face lathering with my MenU bristle brush.

The first splash on the face wasn't too bad, a bit like the rinse at the end of a shave, kind of invigorating, but the cold water doesn't exactly help soften the stubble does it? My un-sharp Shark strained through the stiff stubble making me wince, more from the expectation of pain than any real pain, but it wasn't comfortable. Then comes the between pass rinse, the now grey soap and stubble filled cold water.. yuck, second pass across the face then rinsing again, 3rd pass up the face.

Phew, fresh water for a final rinse and then..

What's this? no touch up required? Where are my patchy bits? Goodness me, this is a close shave!

I have to say I'm impressed, this is one of the best shaves I have in the past 6 months of DE shaving, I can only think of a couple of times that've rivaled this. But it's sooo unpleasent :icon_sad:

What am I to do? Continue cold or go for the more comfortable more luxurious feeling of a nice hot shave and be left with less smooth skin? hmm...
 
Rascally said:
Not sure why I did it this morning, but it's been on my mind for a while now. I had my first shot at shaving with cold water. I had a Shark blade with 2 shave behind it that I wasn't enjoying much & I used Body Shop Macca Root shave cream, face lathering with my MenU bristle brush.

The first splash on the face wasn't too bad, a bit like the rinse at the end of a shave, kind of invigorating, but the cold water doesn't exactly help soften the stubble does it? My un-sharp Shark strained through the stiff stubble making me wince, more from the expectation of pain than any real pain, but it wasn't comfortable. Then comes the between pass rinse, the now grey soap and stubble filled cold water.. yuck, second pass across the face then rinsing again, 3rd pass up the face.

Phew, fresh water for a final rinse and then..

What's this? no touch up required? Where are my patchy bits? Goodness me, this is a close shave!

I have to say I'm impressed, this is one of the best shaves I have in the past 6 months of DE shaving, I can only think of a couple of times that've rivaled this. But it's sooo unpleasent :icon_sad:

What am I to do? Continue cold or go for the more comfortable more luxurious feeling of a nice hot shave and be left with less smooth skin? hmm...
Click to expand...

A new blade when you're trying a new routine for starters, if you weren't enjoying it with two shaves behind it then it would have been better to bin it.

I normally go for cold water shaves during the summer and go for warmer water as it gets colder. Its just one of those things that works for me.
 
What temperature, do you suppose, is "cold"? I've long since decided to use water from the cold tap on a mid-August morning as my measurement of "cold". I have no idea how many degrees Centigrade nor do I care - an attitude that allows for fluctuation in winter time.

So you'v discovered the benefits of cold water shaving. Well done - but don't be a masochist/purist.

Cold water shaving does not mean that good prep is not required. Yo!u are allowed a hot shower! Sharp blades are good.

Keep it up with cold shaving for a few days and you will notice a marked improvement in your skin condition.
 
Very interesting Rascally.

I always use hot water before shaving because I think it speeds up the adsorption of water by the beard hair.

However, cold water will certainly change the way the hairs lie/stand and, from your observations, for the better.

Can't wait to try this, now. Tomorrow I'll wash with hot water as usual and then cool right down with several splashes of cold and see what happens.

If I'm feeling brave I might try the whole process with cold water only on Thursday.

Will report back.
 
I enjoy a cold water shave.

As mentioned above it's tap cold though although I do soak a flannel in a bowl of water in the Freezer for about 45 mins before the end of my shave - in a flat and the freezer is just the other side of the wall to the bathroom sink so it's quite convenient to do this for me. I use this after the cold rinse post shave and find it's very nice and cooling your face down.

I don't have a cold water shave all the time but I have found it can be surprisngly comfortable, although with Summer gone I'll probably return to warmer shaves.
 
Bechet45 said:
What temperature, do you suppose, is "cold"? I've long since decided to use water from the cold tap on a mid-August morning as my measurement of "cold". I have no idea how many degrees Centigrade nor do I care - an attitude that allows for fluctuation in winter time.

So you'v discovered the benefits of cold water shaving. Well done - but don't be a masochist/purist.

Cold water shaving does not mean that good prep is not required. Yo!u are allowed a hot shower! Sharp blades are good.

Keep it up with cold shaving for a few days and you will notice a marked improvement in your skin condition.
Click to expand...

I've no idea how cold cold is, just straight out of the cold tap, no hot water added. At this time of year that's fairly cold and probably only going to get colder.

I would normally have a hot shower first but I've just started a re-decoration program in the bathroom and there are not tiles on the wall, therefore showers are out for the time being. Of course a good wash with Hot water first may have helped ;-)

Sharp blades are good, maybe I should have used a new one but I felt there was life in this one yet, it just felt less sharp than the Astra SP I'd used previously. Perhaps I'll try it with an Astra tomorrow but judging from the results there was nothing wrong with the Shark, it just didn't feel smooth.

The results were good but the experience not enjoyable enough for me to convert on a permanent basis. I suspect I'll be using cold and hot water shaves as I feel appropriate.

Dobbo25 said:
Rascally said:
Not sure why I did it this morning, but it's been on my mind for a while now. I had my first shot at shaving with cold water. I had a Shark blade with 2 shave behind it that I wasn't enjoying much & I used Body Shop Macca Root shave cream, face lathering with my MenU bristle brush.

The first splash on the face wasn't too bad, a bit like the rinse at the end of a shave, kind of invigorating, but the cold water doesn't exactly help soften the stubble does it? My un-sharp Shark strained through the stiff stubble making me wince, more from the expectation of pain than any real pain, but it wasn't comfortable. Then comes the between pass rinse, the now grey soap and stubble filled cold water.. yuck, second pass across the face then rinsing again, 3rd pass up the face.

Phew, fresh water for a final rinse and then..

What's this? no touch up required? Where are my patchy bits? Goodness me, this is a close shave!

I have to say I'm impressed, this is one of the best shaves I have in the past 6 months of DE shaving, I can only think of a couple of times that've rivaled this. But it's sooo unpleasent :icon_sad:

What am I to do? Continue cold or go for the more comfortable more luxurious feeling of a nice hot shave and be left with less smooth skin? hmm...
Click to expand...

A new blade when you're trying a new routine for starters, if you weren't enjoying it with two shaves behind it then it would have been better to bin it.

I normally go for cold water shaves during the summer and go for warmer water as it gets colder. Its just one of those things that works for me.
Click to expand...

You're probably right, a new blade would have been a good idea, but though I wasn't enjoying the Shark I new there wasn't anything really wrong with it and I'm reluctant to bin things, even cheap things, that still have life in them.

Seasonal cold water shaving might be a good idea..

Vetinari said:
Very interesting Rascally.

I always use hot water before shaving because I think it speeds up the adsorption of water by the beard hair.

However, cold water will certainly change the way the hairs lie/stand and, from your observations, for the better.

Can't wait to try this, now. Tomorrow I'll wash with hot water as usual and then cool right down with several splashes of cold and see what happens.

If I'm feeling brave I might try the whole process with cold water only on Thursday.

Will report back.
Click to expand...

Look forward to hearing your thoughts and how you get on with it. Don't see why you shouldn't have a nice warm water wash before hand though.
 
I cold shave quite a bit and love it, but I usually do it after a hot shower. At least that way the stubble has been washed and absorbed some water. A hot towel over the face first would do the trick too. I don't know why I don't cold shave more often as it always leaves my skin feeling so much better, cleaner and more stubble free.
 
I recall being fascinated a few years back when watching the film "Miller's Crossing" to hear one of the characters lecturing his driver to always rinse the soap from his razor using cold water whilst shaving as this gave the best result. At the time I wondered which writer or director had slipped this little gem into an exceedingly violent gangster film.

JohnnyO. \:icon_razz:
 
I have solely cold shaved since starting shaving apart from the intial three shaves at 15 which involved warm water. I have to admit cold shaves are the best option for me. Leaves my skin cool (duh), irritation free and taut. I find lathering to be as easy and the blade sings just as sweetly across my stubble.
 
JohnnyO said:
I recall being fascinated a few years back when watching the film "Miller's Crossing" to hear one of the characters lecturing his driver to always rinse the soap from his razor using cold water whilst shaving as this gave the best result. At the time I wondered which writer or director had slipped this little gem into an exceedingly violent gangster film.
Click to expand...

In Key Largo Edward G Robinson's character waspishly tells someone who is about to shave him: "not too close".

It was the first time I was aware that there was such a thing as 'too close'. (Obviously, not including instances involving skin removal.)
 
I have never went out my way to try it but have had some shite hot taps when travelling. I still like to start with reasonably warm and by the time I arse about and get my act together the water is warm but by no means hot and I find this works for me. If the water is too hot it seems to make poorer lather and too cold I shriek like a big girl.
 
Love cold water shaving, even more so in winter. More refreshing and seems to work better for me. I do have a hot shower first, generally, and use facial wash or soap (usually glycerin based) to prepare my stubble.

It's whatever works for you that really matters, so don't feel duty bound to follow any regime save the one the ticks your boxes.

Jon
 
Another cold water shaver here, I'm sure it helps me get a closer shave without the irritation that hot water seems to encourage.

I was thinking that as the cold water tightens up the skin it also makes it more touch sensitive, providing you with better feedback about your blade angle, and if your going with, across or against the grain.

Not suggesting trying to be a masochist, but pick a particularly cold day, open the window, fill the sink with cold water and use a menthol soap... it's an invigorating start to the day!
 
Hiya,

Ok, I'm once again trying to get my head around this cold water concept. Yeah, I understand it works well for lots of people, but that still doesn't explain why someone would choose cold water over hot. Does the cold water actually feel more enjoyable in your face? Heh, I just cannot believe that.....sorry. Do you guys just splash some cold water on your face and get to shaving, or are there cold water soaked towels and some time involved? Also, would you use cold water to soak your brush in?

See, the idea of having something cold on my face...........hey wait a minute here. Hmmmm, let's see what happens with this line of thought. Yeah, things are becoming clear.

Are most of you guys fans of menthol (the big M)? Yeah, this cold water shaving sounds like a twisted and perverted menth head kinda thing. I think I get it now...........y'all are a bunch of freaks!! Only thing that makes sense.
 
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