Cold water shaving- it works

**mretzloff** · 09-17-2010, 02:43 AM

I will admit I have been skeptical of using cold water for shaving. I tried it this morning, and it really works

I skipped Kyle's prep and just splashed my face with some cold water. I had not irritation and my shave was closer. I must say, I will not be endorsing Kyle's prep anymore.

Logically, cold water shaving makes perfect sense because hot water irritates your skin and, contrary to popular belief, does not open your pores. If you nick yourself while cold water shaving you will barely bleed because there is not as much blood at the surface of your skin as there is when you use hot water. From a money perspective, it also saves money because you are not using hot water.

Give cold water shaving a try.

**mcandre** · 09-17-2010, 02:49 AM

Is there any point in creating warm lather if you are attempting a cold water shave?

**mretzloff** · 09-17-2010, 02:57 AM

Originally Posted by mcandre

Is there any point in creating warm lather if you are attempting a cold water shave?

Probably not. I soaked my brush in cold water. I may try a warm lather tomorrow to compare the quality of lather. I think warm water generates a better lather. Other than that, though, I will not use any water that is not cold.

**luvmysuper** · 09-17-2010, 03:00 AM

Glad to hear it worked out well for you my friend!

I think we sometimes have a tendency here to over think the whole prep thing.

I also think that a lot of folks misunderstand and use water WAY too hot for shaving and prep.

Though I do use hot water (by Hot I mean just to the right of luke warm. not scalding) I'm happy to hear when anyone makes a breakthrough.

I won't be joining you for a cold water shave off though!!

**Picaro** · 09-17-2010, 03:21 AM

I was taught, oh, sometime last century, that it is easier to get a smoother shave with cold water. That was back in my cartridge and gel days. I've not tried it with lather and DE.
Maybe when the summer kicks in properly , I'll give it a go with some Proraso.

Is it still as relaxing for you?

**mretzloff** · 09-17-2010, 03:29 AM

Originally Posted by luvmysuper

I also think that a lot of folks misunderstand and use water WAY too hot for shaving and prep.

Yes! I was one of those people (no kettle, just very hot tap water). I will try the lukewarm water shave too. I just figured I would jump to the opposite side of the spectrum first.

Originally Posted by Picaro

Is it still as relaxing for you?

It is very relaxing. I miss the hot towel, but I will happily exchange that for a better shave.

**Luc** · 09-17-2010, 03:45 AM

Good to know it works... I like heat but I might try this this summer!

**Saturn** · 09-17-2010, 03:52 AM

I tried out cold water shaving a couple of times and enjoyed it. I liked how it felt, mostly because it's fairly hot and humid where I live and it just feels so refreshing to splash cold water on the face! The actual effect of it on the skin is interesting, too. Hot water relaxes the skin, while cold water has the opposite effect of making the skin tighter.

I can't quite say whether one gives me better shaves than the other, though. I haven't done enough cold water shaves to really draw any conclusions.

**vern** · 09-17-2010, 04:22 AM

I have been a cold water shaver for about 20 years. I tried hot/warm shaving when I first started reading the forms, and went back. For me, cold water shaving started after I saw the movie Good Morning Vietnam with Robin Williams. There was a scene when he first arrived and was being oriented, that he was instructed to use cold water instead of hot. The reason was being in the tropics, that razor burn and irritation wouldn't be an issue in the heat and humidity. Living in the SW at the time this made sense and haven't really used hot since except for a brief experimentation as noted above.

**man00ver** · 09-17-2010, 08:51 AM

I have always used cold water to rinse the razor, having heard that it keeps the edge tight. Makes sense to me!

**kingfisher** · 09-17-2010, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by man00ver

I have always used cold water to rinse the razor, having heard that it keeps the edge tight. Makes sense to me!

Sorry to disappoint you, but that part is complete hooey.

I agree with the OP, to a certain extent, however. Hot water makes the skin swollen and more prone to irritation.

I do a lukewarm to tepid water shave (halfway between both extremes) and for me it works well.

**Wingnut** · 09-17-2010, 11:02 AM

Preach on, Brother! I had been shaving with warm water all of my shaving life (30+ years), and recently gave cold water shaving a try. The result: closer, less irritating shaves and - during the hot & humid NC summers - a bit of cool refreshment for my face as well.

During the dead of winter (if there is such a thing down here...) I might go back to using tepid water, but never back to that face-scalding heat that I used to use. It's better for the environment, cheaper, and the results speak for themselves.

I know that YMMV is a truism for most things shaving, but here's an experiment that won't cost you a cent, and might dramatically improve the quality of your shave.

Give it a try and let us all know what you think.

**jkh** · 09-17-2010, 11:08 AM

A question for the cold water shavers - do you shower before your shave?

A cold water shave sounds fine, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I start taking cold showers for the sake of a better shave

I rely on my hot shower to wake me up enough to wield sharp objects.

**Wingnut** · 09-17-2010, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by jkh

A question for the cold water shavers - do you shower before your shave?

A cold water shave sounds fine, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I start taking cold showers for the sake of a better shave

I rely on my hot shower to wake me up enough to wield sharp objects.

I'm with you there, JKH. Not nearly man enough to shower with cold water here!

**cegadede** · 09-17-2010, 12:47 PM

I tried cold water shaving one day this week.

IT RUINED MY FACE.

Back to hot water for me...

**mretzloff** · 09-17-2010, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by jkh

A question for the cold water shavers - do you shower before your shave?

A cold water shave sounds fine, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I start taking cold showers for the sake of a better shave

I rely on my hot shower to wake me up enough to wield sharp objects.

I shower at night and shave in the morning, so no. Taking a hot shower should not affect a cold water shave because as soon as you turn the water off, your body cools down tremendously because the water evaporates off of it (I remembered something from science class

). You could also splash your face with cold water, like I did.

**M80** · 09-17-2010, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by jkh

A question for the cold water shavers - do you shower before your shave?

A cold water shave sounds fine, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I start taking cold showers for the sake of a better shave

I rely on my hot shower to wake me up enough to wield sharp objects.

I was wondering this as well. I did a bit of research about cold and hot water and moisture and hair. I found the most discussions about this subject on forums about long hair. The general consensus was that a cold water final rinse before you exit the shower is best. Apparently, cold water helps close the hair cuticle to seal in moisture. It made sense to me so I have adapted that to my routine. I take a normal shower and after washing my face, put conditioner on my face for the duration of my shower. At the end of the shower I adjust the water temp, rinse off the conditioner with tepid water, adjust the water again and do one final rinse on my face with cold water, before shutting the shower. I think this method gets me the most benefit from the hot water and cold water.
YMMV

**closer** · 09-17-2010, 06:17 PM

Question for the cold water shavers - when you say "cold" water, exactly how cold is it? Is it the coldest water your tap can draw? Or do you actually mean somewhat lukewarm, mixing in some hot water with it? I've been using lukewarm water for the last several weeks, throughout summer, and have had no noticeable difference compared to using hot water. I've never used scalding hot water though. Once its winter again, I'll probably get back to "hotter" water.

**Ride4TheBrand** · 09-17-2010, 06:27 PM

Originally Posted by closer

Question for the cold water shavers - when you say "cold" water, exactly how cold is it?

Cold = absence of heat.

I'll give this a go and see what it's all about.

**duderdo** · 09-17-2010, 07:09 PM

Just did my second cold water shave tonight. I thought my first must have been a fluke, but with only splashing my face for a minute or so, letting the shaving cream (brush soaked in cold water) sit on my face for about 30 seconds, I had one of the best shaves of my life. As the OP said, it makes sense to prevent your face from swelling up, making it hot, and scraping a razor over it.

Hot is out, no matter how cold it gets over here. Try it, it's free.