Follow related website bookmark from Reddit:
Cold water shave..?!
I have recently been converted to wet shaving with a safety razor (Edwin Jagger DE89). In the past I have used an electric trimmer and before that a Quattro-Ultra-Turbo-Fusion-Power-Titanium-Precision-Proglide-Mach-3000, supposedly "the best a man can get". Since switching from a cartridge to a DE my god has the change been noticeable; my face feels smoother, more hydrated and it smells nicer (that canned stuff is NASTY). But most of all *I'M ENJOYING SHAVING!* The methodical nature of it, actually taking time to focus on the art of the process is very relaxing and empowering in the morning. My usual prep consists of shaving post-shower, lots of warm water, then cleansing with a natural glycerine soap. I'd then make a lather of Proraso cream from the tube in a warm bowl with my badger hair brush that's been soaked in hot water. This has worked fine for me, so much better in fact than my 25 bladed Swiss Army razor before (slight hyperbole) but I was still getting some irritation and soreness around my neck. I read a comment the other day by Kalashnikov74 that brought cold water shaving to my attention. The articles can be read [here](http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=cold%20water%20shaving&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CEsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fartofmanliness.com%2F2010%2F03%2F24%2Fcold-water-shaving%2F&ei=urOWT_buG8eZhQeX4pCBDg&usg=AFQjCNFvdDXiZeHQ6ok3ZlN4oxJ_KRYHAQ) and [here](http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=cold%20water%20shaving&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CFEQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fstraightrazorplace.com%2Fshaving-straight-razor%2F49235-cold-water-shave-best-worst-ever.html&ei=urOWT_buG8eZhQeX4pCBDg&usg=AFQjCNH6noRufuhCvWsUTBCk_6gnsBOSFg). At first this brought back painful memories of a 14 year old portsmyth trying to shave in cold water with a disposable bic I stole from my Mum. Man that did not go well.. From then on it has been drummed into my head that hot water is needed to shave comfortably. This morning, however, I decided if it was good enough for my Great Granddad fighting the Germans in the freezing cold, it's good enough for me; I had a James Bond Shower (those who don't know [read this](http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=james%20bond%20shower&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDIQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fartofmanliness.com%2F2010%2F01%2F18%2Fthe-james-bond-shower-a-shot-of-cold-water-for-health-and-vitality%2F&ei=zbSWT_e5ONSGhQf126T7DQ&usg=AFQjCNEc3syxnIKxuhhA7qzGp-KabhKBRg)) then proceeded to follow my normal routine but with cold water instead of hot. The first thing I noticed was my lather wasn't has 'peaky' as normal so I added a little bit more water to my brush which corrected this. Lathering up was so much more invigorating, especially with the menthol and eucalyptus in the Proraso. It felt like Jack Frost had taken an igloo filled with mentos, mixed it with 40 gallons of the Arctic Ocean, drank it, then blew an icy breeze over my skin. There was a slight bit of friction on my first pass (WTG). I don't want to say pull as it didn't ever 'pull'. But the next couple of passes (XTG) went in my opinion more smoothly than if I were to shave with warm water. I then carried out my post shave routine of alum block, rince, pat dry, moisturiser, then a splash of Old Spice. The result was a closer shave than previously obtained with a lot less irritation. Also the feel of the cold on my face was very refreshing and never uncomfortable. Obviously with anything on here, YMMV, but I will say that you can never knock something until you try it! I will try it again and compare just to make sure I wasn't just having a "good day", this may however be my new routine. **TL;DR had a cold water shave and it was the most comfortable shave I've had yet.** Edit: Accidently a word more