Cold water rinse between passes

**Ricko78** · 03-14-2009, 08:08 AM

Today I tried a cold water rinse between passes rather than hot as usual. Don't know if I was just having a good one today but 3 passes later with the final pass ATG, I had no problems and i've ended up with the best shave I've yet had using a DE. No irritation at all even on the sensitive part of my neck. Don't know if if was the rinse or my (IMO) better attention to my technique than perhaps previously, but something that i'll definitely be doing again.

What about others?

**Ernie** · 03-14-2009, 09:03 AM

Once is luck, twice is skill. Try it out a few more times and see if the results remain.

**dpm802** · 03-14-2009, 09:24 AM

I don't rinse at all between passes ... and this is the first I've heard of anybody trying it.

My routine calls for a warm-water rinse after I'm done with the razor, to wash off any remaining lather. This is followed by a cold-water splash to close up the pores. I leave my face wet, put on ASL, let it air-dry, then finish it up with ASB.

Doing a cold-water rinse in the middle of the shave seems counter-intuitive. Since we do our prep-steps with water that is as hot as we can stand in order to OPEN the pores, why would we want to CLOSE them in the middle of shaving?

As Ernie suggested, try it a few more times to see if it is really working the way you think it is.

In the meantime, I will be sticking to my tried-and-true routine as described above.

**Ricko78** · 03-14-2009, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by dpm802

Doing a cold-water rinse in the middle of the shave seems counter-intuitive. Since we do our prep-steps with water that is as hot as we can stand in order to OPEN the pores, why would we want to CLOSE them in the middle of shaving?

Yes I agree with what you say about opening the pores and of course I do my initial prep etc with warm water. However, I do like to rinse between my passes as personally I find my face gets aggitated if I don't wash the cream off after each pass and I find it refreshing. I know it may seem strange to then use cold water which will close the pores but it seemed to work well today. Each to their own I guess. I'll try it again the next few times to see how it goes and find out of today was just a good one.

**ClubmanRob** · 03-14-2009, 10:39 AM

By closing your pores off with cold water, you're essentially "ending" your shave and starting over with a poor skin surface to work with. I don't see how it will work for getting a close shave, but I understand why it would feel comforting and reduce irritation.

**neilxvx** · 03-14-2009, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by ClubmanRob

By closing your pores off with cold water, you're essentially "ending" your shave and starting over with a poor skin surface to work with. I don't see how it will work for getting a close shave, but I understand why it would feel comforting and reduce irritation.

My thoughts as well. I don't see how shaving cream/soap could possibly be able to do their job without hot water?

**RoyalKooparillo** · 03-14-2009, 12:11 PM

Well, believe it or not, it works. In theory I agree with the pore-opening/closing argument, but in practice a cool water rinse between passes works just as well, if not better, for me than warm/hot water. Now I'm not talking ice-bath cold here, just cool from the tap. After a lot of experimentation, I've found that if the water is too hot it overly softens my skin, which causes me irritation by the end of the shave.

No doubt it feels weird if you're used to warm water rinses, but I can't argue with the results. If you haven't tried it, give it a shot. You might be surprised.

Oh, and I find that the extra hydration of rinsing between passes is MUCH better for my skin than not rinsing at all.

**Spatterdash** · 03-14-2009, 12:19 PM

I'll argue that I have tried both ways.
Last June, we found ourselves without hot water from the tap. I would warm some water on the stove, but I found myself rinsing between passes with cold tap water (it was summer, it felt good).
I found that as time went by, I started pulling more hairs with cold water than if I kept the skin and whiskers soft with hot water.
Blades last longer with hot water, too. They are able to cut more effectively if the whisker is still hydrated. It was my experience that my blades gave rougher shaves sooner if used with cold water, and my theory was that the edges were getting beaten up by the uncut hairs.

I will say that I agree that you need to keep the skin hydrated between passes, and rinses are, IMHO and the experience of many others, vital for a successful shave.

**Ru4scuba?** · 03-14-2009, 04:01 PM

Wow,

Quite interesting and counter to most of the advice on the forum. Well, like always whatever works for you, your face and your shaving!

I warm water rinse between passes and cold water rinse to finish, close the pores etc. Now that I've heard of your technique, I may give it a go to try it sometime, but I'm just now settling into my DE shaving routine...so trying such a drastic step might set me back.

**thirdeye** · 03-14-2009, 04:08 PM

While cold water may feel good and close the pores, it also stiffens the whiskers of your beard. Part of the idea behind hot showers, hot towels and hot rinses is to soften and keep soft the whiskers so they are shaved easier.

**craig87c** · 03-14-2009, 04:31 PM

I used to do this when I used cartidge razors; the cold water rinse helped to stop the bleeding. Plus taking a shower after I shaved helped to stem the bleeding also!

**Topgumby** · 03-14-2009, 04:33 PM

It's interesting to me that the recently posted 1950's article on the science of shaving advocates cold rinses as well, after an initial hot rinse to hydrate the beard.

I'll give it a shot.

**pal** · 03-14-2009, 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by Topgumby

It's interesting to me that the recently posted 1950's article on the science of shaving advocates cold rinses as well, after an initial hot rinse to hydrate the beard.

I'll give it a shot.

How true, IMHO, once the beard is hydrated with hot water, cold water will not cause it to dehydrate. Instead it causes the pores to contract and the hair to stiffen and stand up for an easier shave.

Jarmo P · 03-15-2009, 05:53 AM

I don't rinse at all between passes ... and this is the first I've heard of anybody trying it.

Me neither. I have recently found that rinsing between passes is not necessary for me. When I did rinse, my lather did not last for 3 passes. Now I just usually relather my face and dip the brush once into the sink to have the lather moist enough.

To me rinsing my face would make the lather too runny, unless of course wiping with a towel before relathering.

**Zach V.** · 03-15-2009, 06:00 AM

Originally Posted by pal

How true, IMHO, once the beard is hydrated with hot water, cold water will not cause it to dehydrate. Instead it causes the pores to contract and the hair to stiffen and stand up for an easier shave.

I tend to agree with that. I definitely think that warm/hot water would hasten the softening and absorption process INITIALLY, but I don't think that adding cold water afterward between passes could cause the hairs to dehydrate. It could cause the pores to close some, but if that means more comfort, by all means, do it.

Above all else, a big YMMV is in order for this topic. I prefer the more standard deal of hot water, then cold to finish- but I think the main reason why is that I just merely like to save the soothing effect of the cold water until the end of the shave- NOT because I think it makes the actual quality of the shave any better- to me, that issue is just all about water absorption and the lubrication from the cream, at least, in the context as it relates to this topic.

To each their own!

**thirdeye** · 03-15-2009, 06:19 AM

Originally Posted by pal

How true, IMHO, once the beard is hydrated with hot water, cold water will not cause it to dehydrate. Instead it causes the pores to contract and the hair to stiffen and stand up for an easier shave.

Well I'll be......even and old fart like me can learn something every day...interesting...I was thinking softening not hydrating...although hot water, heat would hydrate...

**porman** · 03-15-2009, 06:22 AM

Originally Posted by dpm802

I leave my face wet, put on ASL, let it air-dry, then finish it up with ASB.

What's the difference between leaving your face wet and applying ASL, to drying your face before applying ASL?

**gunsdontkillppl** · 03-15-2009, 02:02 PM

I always have a hot shower before i shave and then use cold water rinses between passes. I find it works great and since I started shaving in this way I've had completely irritation free shaves. When I started it did feel wierd and a bit wrong but it works, dont knock it till you've tryed it.

**Trius** · 03-15-2009, 02:13 PM

I always rinse between passes, with hot water. Reading the OP, my first thought was that closing the pores might cause the whiskers to be a bit more erect due to pores closing up a bit. So, yeah, it doesn't surprise me a whole lot.

BUT ... isn't that (getting the beard to stand up) one of the roles of shave cream/soap?

From a 1927 ad for Palmolive cream, touting its "5 exclusive features":

4. Strong bubbles hold the hairs erect for cutting.

As Palmolive is my go-to cream and gives me great shaves, I believe this.

**ClubmanRob** · 03-15-2009, 05:28 PM

I tried the cold water rinse between passes today just for the hell of it. I ended up with a lot more irritation and redness than usual.

It may be OK for some, but it works out horribly for me. I actually felt like it dehydrated my skin very badly. Soaping up for the second lather, it was really hard to keep the lather on my face. Switching to cream, the cream just oozed off my face, almost like my skin had been Scotchguarded.