Hot Towel Over Lather Prep In Addition to Showering?

My normal pre shave prep does not include a hot towel. Instead of a hot towel, I always shower before my shave where I apply 3P after I exfoliate my face/neck at the very beginning of my shower and let that sit for at least 10 minutes before I rinse it off right before I face lather. Recently I have been reading some pre shave preps that recommend lathering up and then applying a hot towel over the lather and letting the hot towel sit for at least 3 minutes. I do like the idea of applying a hot towel over lather as this is what a lot of barbers do, however, are they doing this because the client can't take a shower to prep their beard? Would it be overkill to add the step of lather/hot towel when I have already applied 3P while taking at least a 5 minute long shower and having the 3P on for an additional 5 minutes after stepping out of the shower? For those of you who do habitually use the hot towel method, any way that you have made this process hands-free such as clipping the towel behind your neck or some similar fashion? Would be nice to be doing other things instead of applying pressure to the towel with both of your hands.

A shortcut is to apply the lather and simply let it sit for a few minutes on your face and then dampen the brush with a few drops of hot water and 'liven' up the lather another time. This gives me the same results as a hot towel if not better.

your routine is more than sufficient IMO.
if you still need to soften your skin, use a pre-shave oil. This one is the perfect one for me

http://www.saponificiovaresino.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=76

Nothing is overkill if it is what you enjoy doing. However, a hot shower before your shave is enough face prep for any beard. I actually shave while in the shower. Nothing like warm water, steam and lather simultaneously to soften up a beard.

What you're doing is probably enough, but I enjoy adding a little extra to it by doing the lather and towel IN the shower. I keep a tube of C. O. Bigelow in my shower, and after washing I apply a bit of lather by hand and cover with a hot towel. I shave my head, so it's really easy for my to wrap the towel around my head hands free, but I bet that by doing the towel in the shower on your face it might be easier to find a hands free way, since you don't have to worry about the water dripping down your back or anything. Could you perhaps fold it into a triangle and tie it in the back, bandanna style?

OkieStubble said:

Nothing is overkill if it is what you enjoy doing. However, a hot shower before your shave is enough face prep for any beard. I actually shave while in the shower. Nothing like warm water, steam and lather simultaneously to soften up a beard.

Click to expand...

i used to shave in the shower exclusively while I used to shave with a cart but haven't done this since shaving with a DE mainly due to two things. One, I would waste a TON of water in the process. I'm still relatively new to wet shaving and it takes me typically 15 minutes for a three pass shave from lathering to when I finish my third pass. Two, I'm not sure how I feel with the thought of dropping my Merkur 34C as I have some very important real estate that the blade could nick on the way down to the shower floor!
When I used a cart, it would take me maybe 3 minutes from start to finish and I would sometimes drop the razor but that was never any big deal due to the lightness and mildness of the blades.

OP, your prep routine sounds 100% sufficient. If you would like to do the hot towel, simply for pleasure, it would definitely be a nice addition. But I don't think you'll be missing anything without it, from a shave/performance perspective.

Enquerencia said:

What you're doing is probably enough, but I enjoy adding a little extra to it by doing the lather and towel IN the shower. I keep a tube of C. O. Bigelow in my shower, and after washing I apply a bit of lather by hand and cover with a hot towel. I shave my head, so it's really easy for my to wrap the towel around my head hands free, but I bet that by doing the towel in the shower on your face it might be easier to find a hands free way, since you don't have to worry about the water dripping down your back or anything. Could you perhaps fold it into a triangle and tie it in the back, bandanna style?

Click to expand...

This is a possibility BUT I don't know if the towel in this fashion would be pressed against my neck where, like many others, my trouble spot lies.
now that I'm thinking about it, I may have to take two hand towels, one for my face and one for my neck so they are working independently and then use one of those larger binder clips that you find at an office store. That could work! Thoughts?

I think your current prep is enough. I dare say the hot towel treatment in your specific case could be done more for just enjoyment and relaxation - when you want to spend more time prepping, but in terms of results, i would say that this would likely not soften the whiskers any more then they would be post your current prep. Just my 2 cents.

I good hot steamy shower that includes washing your face with soap is excellent face prep for most faces, however, every face is different, so discover what works for you.

I use a hot wash cloth one more time to dampen my face before starting to lather up. YMMV

I think shaving ex foliates sufficiently. Some folk think shave before shower as body oil assists the shave. I think mostly as Big Jim above. . . Hot cloth on my face . . . but after I apply lather . . . the soap helps soften the beard.

I like to shower after shaving. The shower gets rid of everything I put on my face that might react badly.

Alacrity59 said:

I think shaving ex foliates sufficiently. Some folk think shave before shower as body oil assists the shave. I think mostly as Big Jim above. . . Hot cloth on my face . . . but after I apply lather . . . the soap helps soften the beard.

I like to shower after shaving. The shower gets rid of everything I put on my face that might react badly.

Click to expand...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that there's added benefits in exfoliating before shaving...lifts the hair up off the skin, sloughs off the dead skin cells so that your blade can cut cleaner, etc. I understand that shaving is the ultimate exfoliator seeing that you're taking off a very thin layer of skin every time you shave, however, this exfolation happens during shaving, not before.

Many_Vices said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that there's added benefits in exfoliating before shaving...lifts the hair up off the skin, sloughs off the dead skin cells so that your blade can cut cleaner, etc. I understand that shaving is the ultimate exfoliator seeing that you're taking off a very thin layer of skin every time you shave, however, this exfolation happens during shaving, not before.

Click to expand...

Yes, but there is the risk of overdoing that pre-shave exfoliation. Then even a normal shave can end up in irritation. Different people have different skin and hair, so the right prep has some YMMV to it.

Myself I prefer to shower after my shave. No hot towel either, but I face-lather for 5-7 minutes. That preps my skin and hair well, and seems to free up a fair number of trapped hairs. If I notice signs of developing ingrowns —.itching for example — I might add a practice face-lather about 12 hours after shaving.

The best way to find the right recipe for you is to experiment. Avoid changing more than one thing at a time, though: if you change your prep, stick with a setup you know well for the rest of your shave.

After I fill my scuttle. I fill the sink with hot water (we have an instant hot system in out house) that is very hot. I drop in a wash cloth. I shower then apply Prorasopre-shave. I rinse the cloth (it is very hot) then apply it to my face. From there it is later and shave followed by a cold wash cloth.

Many_Vices said:

i used to shave in the shower exclusively while I used to shave with a cart but haven't done this since shaving with a DE mainly due to two things. One, I would waste a TON of water in the process. I'm still relatively new to wet shaving and it takes me typically 15 minutes for a three pass shave from lathering to when I finish my third pass. Two, I'm not sure how I feel with the thought of dropping my Merkur 34C as I have some very important real estate that the blade could nick on the way down to the shower floor!
When I used a cart, it would take me maybe 3 minutes from start to finish and I would sometimes drop the razor but that was never any big deal due to the lightness and mildness of the blades.

Click to expand...

Always wear pants while shaving.

Hot towel feels nice, especially during the colder months, but it's not essential IMO. During winter, I use warm leather instead.