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...Regarding the blooming, I've read mixed views on this as some say it does wear the life quicker and othersee suggest it's fine...
We always recommended that you have a shave immediately after taking a hot shower. This is because the steam and heat opens up the pores and softens the beard. When you have finished shaving you can then use cold or cooler water to close the pores again and shut everything back down, leaving you with a cool face.
I would have thought cold water lifts the hair more than warm. If you are cold, you get goosebumps which raise the hair up higher - I gather this effect allows more air to be trapped and warm the body. We've lost most of our body hair (cf many animals) via years of evolution, but that reaction remains the same.You aren't planning on leaving the soap as an inheritance are you? Blooming makes the soap easier to lather as well as releases the scent more easily.
Regarding cold water:
http://www.shaving-shack.com/blog/shaving-myth-5-do-you-need-to-use-hot-or-cold-water-when-shaving/
I agree with the aforementioned, although the pores don't really open per se. Hot water plus a good cleanser strips the dirt & grime easier than with cold water and helps lift the hairs making them easier to be "sliced".
I think the idea is softer hair makes is 'easier to lift hair' rather than the focus on temperature lifting the hair. I.e. softer hair will be more influenced by the lather.I would have thought cold water lifts the hair more than warm. If you are cold, you get goosebumps which raise the hair up higher - I gather this effect allows more air to be trapped and warm the body. We've lost most of our body hair (cf many animals) via years of evolution, but that reaction remains the same.
So, I would have thought the cold water raises your stubble up higher off the skin than warm water.
Your evolutionary outcomes may vary.
My foot was firmly in the hot water shave camp until I don't read a couple of interesting threads about cold water shaving and this particular link http://sharpologist.com/2012/03/cold-water-shaving-2.html
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This method has several benefits, not just for you, but for your gear as well. Take your razor. Nice, shiny, sturdy piece of metal. Feels nice when it's warm. So does the blade. But get this. The hot water used to rinse the blade causes the tiny metal molecules in the blade to expand, making the razor dull after only five shaves. Cold water, on the other hand, causes the molecules to contract, giving the blade a better edge and longer life. Just by using cold water, my current Wilkinson Sword blade is on it's eighth shave.
I'm not a metallurgist so whether that statement is factual or not I couldn't say, but the article redirects to another link http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/03/24/cold-water-shaving/From the link:
I would agree that the statement is BS. Metallurgy aside, molecules won't 'contract' when exposed to cold water. The overall structure may contract slightly but at the edge, where the width is a few microns, there's not going to be a great % difference, furthermore almost certainly not a notable one. The scope of maybe 20°C difference in a structure with a 1400+°C melting point is going to be truly negligible.I'm not a metallurgist so whether that statement is factual or not I couldn't say, but the article redirects to another link http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/03/24/cold-water-shaving/
Like most things, you can only call things from your own experience, and I've found cold water shaving to be refreshing and irritation free.
To tell you the truth I hadn't even considered it. The life span of a blade is of little significance to me.I would agree that the statement is BS. Metallurgy aside, molecules won't 'contract' when exposed to cold water. The overall structure may contract slightly but at the edge, where the width is a few microns, there's not going to be a great % difference, furthermore almost certainly not a notable one. The scope of maybe 20°C difference in a structure with a 1400+°C melting point is going to be truly negligible.
I like cold water shaving but won't allow myself to get bogged down with 'this contracts the metal edge giving a sharper, closer shave'.
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