hot or cold water

Seriously, I have tried cold water shaving and I have also tried iced coffee but neither has any appeal.

 

i use warm water most of the time.cold water in the hot months.always a cold rinse after the final pass when the soap residue is gone.if i shave without a shower i wash face with soap and water first.
hot face cloths are nice on a cold day but i don't do that often.just for fun and not a necessity.i use alum rarely as well.

 

I've tried both hot and cold without noticing a difference in the result, so, I use hot. We know friction is behind hand washing, not water temperature. Warm or hot water just feels better to me.

 

Hot for me. It softens up the beard, that results in a smoother shave. Cold water shaves are painful for me. I understand that the hot water can take out some of the natural oils, but scraping a sharp blade, over your skin will strip more, warm water, or cold. That is why I use aftershaves with glycerin in them.

 

Hot shower hot shave cold rinse. ‘Nuf said.

 

Temperature does not change the result, as long as you give it enough time to soak in. Warmer water will soak in slightly faster though.

http://journal.scconline.org/abstracts/cc1976/cc027n12/p00579-p00592.html

 

When encountering folks new to Wet Shaving I like to let them know they will be exposed to "Advice, Opinions, Even Actual Information." The Science seems to agree that Wet Shaving is superior to dry. Beyond that I suspect the variations in beard hair type come into play.

I'd like to see the full article @Frijolero, but the PDF won't open.

 

Only available to members. I'd like to read it too, just not enough to cough up the $155 annual membership fee.

 

Personally I prefer a nice hot tap water washcloth beard soak, this has always made my beard softer to get a closer shave. I do have oily skin and hot showers don't remove the natural oils but washing with soap does. Not criticizing the cold water shaver, each of us have our own method and choices in shaving. Then again I live in Maine ware winter temps are not warm.

 

Mostly hot. I’m in the south, sometimes in August I’ll use cool water.

 

Summer:
Cold Shower, lather face with bar soap and leave on while washing hair and body. Rinse then go to the sink for a cold water shave with cold water rinse.
Winter:
Warm-ish (not too hot) Shower, lather face with bar soap and leave on while washing hair and body.
Rinse then go to the sink for a warm water shave and cold water rinse.

Both preps give me the same results due to the amount of time the stubble is buried in bar soap lather during the shower (5-10 mins) plus another minute or so rinsing under the stream from the shower head. Plenty of hydration and softening with either temp of shower.

Warm water (and lather) shaves are somewhat more luxurious in the winter and some soaps/creams lather a little easier with warmer water.
Cold water shaves with mentholated soaps/creams (like Proraso Green Line) are much more refreshing in the summer and the cold water really does reduce redness and "razor burn" effects if you've been a little over zealous with passes or pressure.

The all-cold water shaves give me a tighter post shave face feel than the warm water method, but I use cold for a final rinse with either temp anyway.
Leaving soapy lather on my beard during the shower is the key. I prefer it to extended versions of face lathering with a brush as my skin doesn't go for that. A little just to get it built and worked in a bit, but none of this 5+ minutes of scrubbing for me. I usually bowl lather anyway.

I get great results with these preps, regardless of the water temps.

 

For what it’s worth, I have used both hot and cold water. I don’t notice anything particularly different with either method, so it’s really just down to personal preference IMO. People swear by both. Hot water just feels nicer for most people, and I think that’s mostly the reason barbers use warm towels as a preshave. No one really wants a freezing cold towel slapped on their face.


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I can't use cold water to shave, I have tried. I have really oily skin so I feel like the warm water in the shower helps clean the oil off and allows water to soak in and soften the hair.

 

I shower and shave with luke warm water in the winter and cooler months. During the warmer months I shower and shave with very slightly cool water. I always finish my shave with a cold water rinse, followed by witch hazel, and either AS splash or a balm. I used to be a seasonal cold water shaver, but I think slightly warmer water gives me a better shave, plus it feels better to my face.

 

I always use hot water, as hot as my faucet will make it. It feels good and cleaner to me. Why freeze your face with cold water? Makes no sense to me. The whiskers get softened more too I would guess.

 

Well, well. Somewhere between then and now this changed. Paid subscription is now only needed for recent issues. The full article is here:
https://library.scconline.org/v027n12/

 

I'm a contrarian: hot water on cold days, cold water on hot days.