Assuming you have the option of using either one, is it better to shave with hot or cold water?
Know that warm water opens your pores and cold water closes them. So when washing your face, it’s good to rinse your face with warm water to open the pores, wash your face and then rinse with cold water to then close the pores again.
Our ancestors shaved. Running water didn’t become a thing until the 1700s in London and later throughout the rest of Europe. Not hot water. Just running water. If you wanted hot water, you’d have to heat it up somehow each time you needed it.
By the 1850s, only about 50% of houses in the rest of Europe had running water.
Fast forward to the mid 20th century. In 1940, nearly half of US houses still had no hot piped water, a bathtub or shower or even a flushing toilet for that matter.
So if you go back over 100 years to the advent of the safety razor, many men were undoubtedly using cold water to shave because that’s what they had easy access to.
The Young Man’s Guide
Before we talk about what’s better, a historical perspective is in order. In his 1833 classic The Young Man’s Guide, author William A. Alcott opined that cold water was the way to go. To wit:
SIR JOHN SINCLAIR asked a friend whether he meant to have a son of his (then a little boy) taught Latin? ‘No,’ said he, ‘but I mean to do something a great deal better for him.’ ‘What is that?’ said Sir John. ‘Why,’ said the other, ‘I mean to teach him to shave with cold water, and without a glass.’ My readers may smile, but I can assure them that Sir John is not alone. There are many others who have adopted this practice, and found it highly beneficial. One individual, who had tried it for years, has the following spirited remarks on the subject.
Source: http://livros01.livrosgratis.com.br/my000025.pdf
His words suggest that hot water was the norm for shaving at the time. This would perhaps be backed up by the use of the aforementioned hot towels at barber shops of the time and even to this day.
Then again perhaps barbers do this because that’s what they think their customers expect.
What’s more appealing: a nice hot steaming towel or a cold one.
Alcott went on to refer to the inconvenience of actually acquiring hot water to shave during that time period:
‘Only think of the inconvenience attending the common practice! There must be hot water; to have this there must be a fire, and, in some cases, a fire for that purpose alone; to have these, there must be a servant, or you must light a fire yourself.
Source: http://livros01.livrosgratis.com.br/my000025.pdf
So if you can’t find hot water from a servant, you needed to produce hot water yourself. #19thCenturyProblems.
With the history lesson out of the way, when you shave, what is better to use? Warm water or cold water?
Hot: Shaving With Hot Water
Using hot or very warm water to shave does a few things. Water that is warm or better in temperature softens the skin and hair. Steam from the heated water does the same.
But is this good?
Again, barbers have used steaming hot towels on a man’s face prior to shaving for this very reason for over a century.
Some men however feel that they’d prefer to shave hair that is stiff not soft.
Other men like the softening of their skin and whiskers before they shave, hence the use of hot water.
Cold: Shaving With Cold Water
Our ancestors did it. The inconvenience of having to heat water every morning to shave with would have turned many of our lazier ancestors off. Who wants to spend time heating water each morning with a fire you also had to make so you could shave?
Remember, people didn’t take baths or showers every day so they weren’t already making hot water for that purpose. To a large extent, hot running water was a luxury for most and involved work to actually get access to it.
But what if the inconvenience wasn’t a factor and a man simply could choose between hot and cold water to shave?
Here are some thoughts from a medical professional:
Dr. Rocio Rivera, head of scientific communications for L’Oréal Paris, notes that when you use cold water it can act like an astringent and may cause your skin to retract temporarily. This is good if you have puffy-looking skin that could use some tightening, especially around your under-eye area. Splashing cold water on your face can not only wake you up but can also feel refreshing on your skin.
Source: https://www.lorealparisusa.com/beauty-magazine/skin-care/skin-care-essentials/cold-vs-hot-water-the-secret-for-your-best-skin.aspx
Hot and Cold: Shaving After or During A Hot Shower
Here’s where you get the best of both worlds. When you shave after or during a hot shower, the warm water and steam softens your skin and opens your pores.
Then when you shave, you can use cold water because your hair has already been softened.
Or you can still use warm or hotter water. Your choice.
So What’s Better? Hot or Cold Water?
Take your pick.
There doesn’t seem to be any definitive proof that hot or cold water is better to shave with. In that regard, try them both and see what you prefer, if either.
Since most people crave a “nice, hot shower” and heat is generally associated with pleasure – hot bath, a whirlpool, hot oil massage – perhaps something in the middle of hot and cold is ideal.
The American Academy of Dermatology suggests that moderately warm water is your best bet when it comes to your face.
And one final thought from William A. Alcott on the subject of hot vs cold water for shaving, with my bolding for emphasis:
I cannot indeed say with a recent writer (I think in the Journal of Health) that cold water is a great deal better than warm; but I can and do say that it makes little if any difference with me which I use; though on going out into the cold air immediately afterward, the skin is more likely to chap after the use of warm water than cold.
Source: http://livros01.livrosgratis.com.br/my000025.pdf
Conclusion: Is It Better To Shave With Hot Or Cold Water?
- There doesn’t appear to be any definitive proof that hot or cold water is better for shaving although warm water does tend to be considered more comfortable for humans in general.
- Try both warm and cold water and see if you have a preference or notice a difference.
- Warm water opens the pores on our face and cold water closes them again.
- Warm water tends to soften beard hairs before shaving as does steam from a hot shower.
- Cold water may act as an astringent which helps when you have puffy skin.
Do you use hot or cold water to shave and why? What’s your experience with each?