Rinse between passes?

James Z said:

I rinse between passes. Wipe with hands (face wet / not dripping). At this time I check for stubble then re-lather.

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Same here

Isn't it called "wet shaving" for a reason?

If my lather was whipped up well, having a wet face before lathering for each pass seems to be what works best for me.

I don't build lather so it looks nice in photos (though, like the rest of the folks here, I am damned proud of myself when it looks good); but rather to give cushion and slipperiness, etc. The only way water on my face is going to mess that up is my lather was too watered down before I started applying it to my face.

Needless to say, I rinse between passes.

I don't rinse my face between passes. I will re-apply lather and dip my brush tips in water if the lather needs additional hydration. I find that the remaining water from rinsing can really affect my 2nd/3rd pass lather.

DoctorShavegood said:

Darn, I thought this thread was about cleavage.

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That would be covered in the motor-boating thread in The Great Outdoors! forum

I rinse between passes with cold water. But if you don't rinse, and have good results, then stick with your own method.

I don't rinse but I do apply a small amount of water to my face between passes...it does help the hydration and slickness factor.

kinda, more like a splash not rinse thoroughly ... i think it helps hydration and definitely the blade glides better..

Mike H said:

I load my brush on the dry side, at first I did not rinse, since there really was nothing to rinse off, but I found that re-wetting my face before subsequent lathers made for a better shave.

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This. It took a little while to know the perfect lather consistency for each of my 5 soaps, but now I load them just dry of it. That way I get just the hydration for my lather when I put it on my face. I bowl lather most of the time, so this method is completely void when I'm face lathering. Also, in the winter I use a scuttle filled on the hot side. It naturally dehydrates the water so I tend to leave my face a little wetter than usual or add a little water in between passes.

I do not rinse between passes, nor had I ever thought about it before. I might give it a try after reading this, though.

I always rinse after the first pass which makes the lather a little thinner but slipperier. I never rinse before the third pass which makes it much thicker but I spread it on much thinner like I'm painting a wall. I just get less irritation that way when going for a bbs. Especially when using an aggressive razor like the Muhle R41, if I rinse before the 3rd, I find I have much more chance of irritation.

I rinse my face and leave it totally wet between passes. Dry lather is my enemy. I don't want it like water of course, but it needs some water.