Probably not cold actually, but it made for a better title...

* For some of you from other climes: Colorado cold water is C.O.L.D even in the heat of summer

In my quest to get a better knowledge of shaving, I had a very old book on the topic recommended to me. Now up until reading the following excerpt, I'd always thought of shaving as a hot process... hot shower, hot water, hot soap, etc. But what's said below seems to indicate that hot is counterproductive. Yet everything else I see and read seems to include the hot aspect. I've tried "tepid" the last few shaves and while there are other variables at play, it seems to me that less than hot is less than satisfying. Am I missing something here or has the thinking on the matter changed since 1905?

A wrong idea prevails regarding the use of the soap. The popular impression is that the soap is used for the purpose of softening the beard, in which condition it is supposed to be most easily cut. This is a mistake. The soap is used, not to soften the beard, but to produce exactly the opposite effect—namely, to make the hair stiff and brittle, so that they will present a firm and resisting surface to the razor. A hair, as is well known, is a tube composed of a hard fibrous substance, growing from a bulb or root, which secretes an oily matter. This oil works its way up through the hair, and by permeating all parts, renders the hair soft and pliable. Now in this natural oily condition, it is very difficult to cut the hair with a razor, and it becomes even more difficult if the beard be made still softer by the application of hot water. Many do this, and it is no wonder they find shaving difficult. When this is done, the hairs become soft and limp, and the razor will either slip over them entirely, or else cut partly into them, bend them back and slice them lengthwise, all the while pulling and straining them at the roots, and making the process of shaving most painful. Now soap has the opposite effect. It contains either alkali, potash or soda, which when applied to the beard in the form of lather, unites with the oil of the hair, neutralizing it and removing it, and renders the hairs hard stiff and brittle—in which condition they may be easily and readily cut. For the sake of cleanliness, the face should, of course, be washed previous to shaving in order to remove any dirt or grit from the beard, which might dull the razor; but before applying the lather, the face should be well dried with a towel.

I wash with cold water, shave with cold water, and rinse with cold water.
Saves water and electricity.

My routine starts with a hot shower, but I use cold water for everything else (soap bloom, soaking my brush, rinsing my razor, etc). Less irritation and more refreshing, imo.

I swear by this, and I advance the alkali/cold theory to new shavers when possible. Cold water solved many of my issues.

I tried cold and it didn't work for me, the shaves were painful a and lots of irritation. In the summer I use warm and in the winter I use a tea kettle and scuttle for hot lather. I always do as cold a rinse as possible. Sometimes I even use ice after the shave.

Just experiment and see what works for you. Some people find cold shaves to be the best for them.

So I tried cold and I think I might be on to something! Definitely seemed to cut better. I'll give It a go a few times before deciding of course but the early returns are positive. Sure feels different though.

That's what I'm talking about...science! Hope it works out for you!

The cold rinse is a great way to reduce irritation, which breaks down to slowing/shrinking inflammation.

Been cold water shaving for two months now and love it closer shave no irritation and no longer get razor burn or bumps in the neck area which was always a problem for me. Another plus for me is it really wakes me up nicely in the morning along with my caffeine. Enjoy your shaves BigCabDaddy.

I've tried a cold water shave but not as good results as hot, I do rinse with cold to close the pours. I remember my mother heating water for my dad so he could have his morning shave when the heater wasn't working.

I've tried both, I didn't like the sensation of the cold water shave, it almost hurts when I shave. Hot feels good however, adds to the spa like treatment of wetshaving. It's all about what works best for you.

Hot shower, followed by a hot water shave and a cold water rinse.
That rinse MUST be cold. In the the winter, the city tap water is cold enough, but come the warmer weather of spring, so comes warmer "cold" from the tap. I keep a bottle of water in the fridge for those warmer months for my after shave rinse.

+1. Seemed to be a lot less irritation once I used cold water.

+1 for ice cold rinse, but only after a hot rinse to get all the soap and hair off, at least for me.

I've used all three water temps hot, tepid and cold with success. What you say makes sense to me about making the whiskers stiff as opposed to soft, but shaving in cold water is uncomfortable for me and since I don't have a problem with irritation or closeness using (water heater) hot water I'll continue to use it for shaving while rinsing in cold tap water. I usually apply my preshave lotion(CHL) and lather(Arko) over a damp face, but I think for my shave tomorrow morning I'm going to dry my face, after applying/rinsing the Kyle prep lather and before applying CHL and Arko and see how that works. Could you tell us the title of the book you read? It sounds like very interesting read.

Edit: I tried drying my face before applying CHL and lather for every pass. I felt it offered no benefit in either comfort or closeness for me, in fact it seemed to make my face less and less slick as the shave progressed which I didn't like.

I prep my face with hot water and shave with hot water for my first two passes...I rinse with cold water between passes...For my final pass I will have a cold water rinse and have a cold water shave. and then a cold water rinse..That is my constant regime...I always use a hot blade though...I never put a cold blade near my face even when cold water shaving...That is the dot of Yang within the Yin...Yin & Yang Balance...

Billy...

Ive had to use cold a few times due to the water heater goin down, (once in the middle of dec) i wasnt a huge fan....i really love a hot shower, then hot shave i get better results with this....i think it would be interesting to note skin and beard type along with temp preference....for me i have heavy thick beard growth and my skin is not very sensitive at all and hot works for me

I shave with hot and rinse with cold.

I have tried both Hot and Cold and found little, if any, difference in the quality of my shave. I have noticed a difference in the comfort of my shave; if it's sticky hot outside a cold shave works great and if it's shivering cold a hot one is great. When I used DE, SE and Cart razors that were not suitable for my face/beard I did find a cold rinse eased the irritation a bit and when I used a brush and mug I got better lathering from hot water. It's another YMMV thing that has been elevated beyond its worth in my opinion.

Hot shower; cold water shave and cold water final rinse.
I enjoy the feel of COLD steel on the face. Cold final rinse is both refreshing and invigorating.