The Case for Cold Water Shaving

Anyone see this at The Art of Manliness?

I think I might give this a try and see what happens- as long as I don't jump out of my skin!

I've shaved with cold water when I had to and it didn't cause me any major issues, but I certainly won't go out of my way to do it again.

I have yet to try cold water, but along the same lines I have used Bayrum and it works rather well. The routine goes something like this...

Using warm water.

1. Make lather
2. Apply Bayrum
3. Rub lather in with fingers (sort of like a facial massage)
4. Wipe off lather
5. Re-lather with brush and go about your shaving routine as normal

Using this method and warm wather I find it to be the best of both worlds. I don't have to deal with the tenderness that hot water brings and I don't have to endure cold water. (which I find highly uncomfortable) It also leaves my face feeling greeeeat.

If you're thinking about giving cold water a shot maybe you could compare the two. I'd like to know if the results are similar.

-Kevin

I will give that a shot and post my results!

I shaved with cold water for 6 days straight while we were without power after Hurricane Ike. I used a lot of CO Bigelow and AV that week for the double cooling sensation. Since it was late summer it wasn't too bad, but I wouldn't do it on a regular basis.

What I also find interesting is that I have heard that some soaps do better lathering at cooler temps. I think I have heard that MWF seems to sepearte out the Lanolin if you soak with warm water. Just yesterday, I noticed that my williams seemed to do better after sitting a while....

I enjoy shaving with cold water. I do it more often in spring and summer, but it's nice any time of year.

I did cold rinses all last summer. If you decide that you're doing it voluntarily it can be quite pleasant.

- Chris

There's nothing wrong with cold water shaves, but for me there is nothing appealing about them. If I have to, for whatever the reason, I'll do one, but I don't like it at all.

I find a shave very relaxing, and using cold water does not lend itself to the same relaxing feeling.

I have not shaved with cold water since my last steel pot shave. Not sure I want to revive the memory.

Tried the cold water today...

Lather from Williams seemed to build faster. As far as the actual shave went, seemed to require more "work" to move the SR through the hair. Did not seem any closer, and the cold was not too uncomfortable. My skin did seem to feel softer afterwards. I think I will give this a try for a week, as well as with a DE and see what happens.

I have shaved with cold water while I was in the army. I will even admit to having dry shaved a couple of times. While neither did me any true harm, I do not care to do either again.

Burt

i cold water shaved and it was easily my worst shave yet...the alum block afterward was almost unbearable and I felt constant tugging the entire shave.

I shave with nothing but cold water. I've found I can get consistently closer shaves with none of the irritation I experienced with a hot/warm shave. I won't be going back to hot. The theory behind it is sound - the cold water keeps your skin taught and contracts blood vessels which helps the hair stand up, whereas a hot shave will make blood vessels expand and make your skin a little puffy and more prone to irritation. Also it keeps the hair tougher so you can slice it easier - warm water tends to make it more pliable and prone to tugging. Not for everyone, but I've found cold shaving to be far superior

Nine months straight of cold water shaves and I couldn't be happier. If you read through the various cold water shaving threads you'll find a lot of guys getting less irritation and better shaves using cold/cool water instead of hot.

I don't foresee ever using hot water again as I don't see any benefit from it.

I am not on the western front, and I have a hot water heater (plus a fireplace if the hot water heater goes tango uniform). Caveman invented fire for a reason.

I am a recent convert. When I fiddled with cold water last winter I saw a slight improvement, but discounted the idea as cruel and unusual. This time of year the cold water is refreshing. I have some soaps that actually lather easier/better in a cold water scuttle. Unmistakably, there is less irritation with Feather blades, or any blade for that matter. In this weather, the advantages outweigh the discomfort. Well, I have acclimated, so there is no real discomfort.

I was a huge skeptic, but I get better shaves using cold water. YMMV.

YetiDave said:

I shave with nothing but cold water. ..

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I've found that a razor makes the beard-reduction part a bit less painful....

kingfisher said:

I've found that a razor makes the beard-reduction part a bit less painful....

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Smart arse

Cold water gives a better shave. The argument here is that a soft beard is hard to shave, while a stiff beard is easier to cut. Hot water makes your beard soft; cold water keeps the whiskers stiff. Thus, cold water renders a better shave.

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True? I don't know. But this conflicts with everything I've learned on this site about pre-shave prep.

According to Kyle's Prep: Applying warm/hot water both damages the cuticle (hard outer layer of the hair) and hydrates the whiskers. I've always read that warm water softens the beard and makes the whiskers easier to cut. The above article says that stiff whiskers are easier to cut.

So which is it?