I'm looking for input from the Arctic lovers of cold water shaving. I think I'm going to give it a try for a while. My question is regarding soap for face washing and also lather making. Do you use cold water to wash your face prior to shaving? How about for making lather. My brain is telling me that soap needs hot water to get all the fats and oils a little softer. Am I just being soft in the head?
Troy, I use cold water prior, during and after my shave. I do keep a small bowl of hot water (we're in a drought) that I dip the tips of my brush in that has soap on it. Hope this helps. Kerry
First I whip up the lather using hot water. I do use hot water to rinse the razor between passes. After that it's all cold water. Face wash, rinse between passes and then the final rinse. Once I'm done shaving I do 3 or 4 CW rinses, concentrating on the area I'm most likely to have irritation - chin area for me. Give it more than one try. It does take some getting used to but now I enjoy the cool wake up feeling in the am.
First try was not bad...not great, but not bad. I'll try it again tomorrow. However, I think my lather was as good as I ever get it using cold water. I used my TGN synthetic brush and the Dusy Kabinett soap.
I use cold water for everything. I soak my brush in a cold water bowl as I'm prepping my shave area, and face. Before, during, after...cold water.
I'm 100% cold water. I do think it has a negative impact on lathering but not so much to abandon the positives. I don't know for sure though. Maybe February will be a hot water focus just to compare.
Wait, you guys mean room temp water or cold out of the faucet. My cold water this time of year can be "skip the ice There seems to be ice in the water already" cold.
I tried a couple of cold water shaves in the past 10 days. The first one was good - nice and invigorating with no irritation. The second cold water shave was more troublesome. The cream I was using (I used a soap the first time) wouldn't come off in the sink during swishes. I had to drain the cold water and refill with warm water in order to get the cream off. I can see why there are many cold water converts due to the bracing feel. I'm going to try another one soon and use a soap. It's been colder the past few days and the warm water shave always feels good.
After my shower, I use a cold water rinse to close the pores. Water temperature should not make a difference for making lather. Just as in washing your hands it's not the temperature that does the cleansing, it's the combo of soap, water and friction. I read an article about that a while back. For added slickness I add a little pre shave oil to my bowl- a few drops. Gives me a DFS every time. ... To be continued... Don
Cold water shaving isn't for everyone. When my mom lived in Colorado I shaved with cold while I visited her there whether it was freezing out or not. It's cut and dry, you either like it or hate it.
hmmmm, perhaps after i finished acquainting myself with this new deadly razor i got i might try to mix it up a bit with cold water.
I think 52° is a little cold for central Florida. It's probably mid 60's. I live in S Florida my water I'm sure is in the seventies. It's warmer than the water in my swimming pool. I use cold tap water to shave but I'm not jumping in the pool to shave this time of year. ... To be continued... Don
+1. Cold water start to finish. It takes a while to get the hang of emotionally, but the lather making will be just as good with cold water as it is with hot. Soap just needs water.
Man...there are so many reasons in this post alone to make me sick. Thousands of Williams soap and Merkur blades upon your house.
