prep longevity

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:28 pm

so guys, when i shower, how long after i leave the shower will my beard stay preped?

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 9:37 pm

I believe there are two (related) parts to it: some of the skin oil is dissolved and washed away, and the hair becomes warm & waterlogged, and therefore softer. I always prefer to lather my face the moment I step out of the shower - if I have to leave the bathroom for a bit I'd rather walk around with lather on my face than have to start again.

Unfortunately, because I do things this way, I don't have a solid answer to your question.

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 10:18 pm

just wondering if there's time to dry oneself off prior to lathering up

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 11:02 pm

Gil, I do, and always have. Personally I'm not okay with standing there naked and dripping wet and trying to shave. Just seems crude to me....in any case, I don't like it. I always dry off, do talc, and at least put on some boxers before actually commencing the shave. My whiskers still feel fairly soft at this point....and I'm going to re-wet and lather them up anyway. Whatever works for you and that you're comfortable with.
Regards,
Gordon

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 12:02 am

Oh, I always dry myself, except for the face.

It's not that fragile/short-lived.

It also makes a difference where you are. In very dry climates everything dries out faster.

JarmoP · Post by **JarmoP** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 4:06 am

Sure time enough to dry oneself after the shower.

It is more to do with building a solid lather. I spend quite a lot of time lathering. I face lather from soap loaded brush: Smashed a bit like Mantic does in his face lather video, dip to sink, continue, apply paint brush style, again smashed etc dipping to sink and finish paint brush style the lather that is hopefully thick, small bubbles only and have a quite solid coating of stuff on my face.

Perhaps you could try this test: Wash your face with a normal bathing soap and then rinse and towel dry. Then build a good lather on your dry face, face lathering something like i just described above. To see if the process of softening whiskers with a lots of warm water before, is really unnecessary for you?

I myself don't rinse my face between passes and my whiskers are average or even a bit tougher than average.

Jarmo

Gene · Post by **Gene** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 4:55 am

I wondered about this myself. My current method is almost the same...I dry off, wrap the towel around my waist and get started.

In the '70's when I was DE shaving I actually shaved before I showered. Between that and poor prep it's no wonder I didn't like it, and had poor results!

a-cut-above · Post by **a-cut-above** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 6:09 am

I shave after my shower. I towel off and wipe dripping water off my chin but don't towel my face dry like the rest of me. Then I wet my face before lathering. I used to wet my face before each pass, but like Jarmo, I found it wasn't necessary. Rarely, if I don't shave right away, my whiskers are a little drier but still softer than before the shower, so I wet a little more than ususal (low humidity/dry air here in Central CA).

Blue As A Jewel · Post by **Blue As A Jewel** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 7:09 am

notthesharpest wrote:Oh, I always dry myself, except for the face.

It's not that fragile/short-lived.

Ditto. Just splash some additional warm water on my face prior to lathering.

Lathering is started on my hand, then before the lather is actually ready I spread some on my face and let it do its thing while I continue lathering on my hand for another minute or so then lather on face for another minute <-> minute and a half...

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 7:16 am

I dry off and dress up to a t-shirt, then splash hot water on the beard and the Stephen's that I am using as a PS because I've got so much of it and because it works for me. Then I get the scuttle hot and make the lather before I rinse the beard with a hot wet wash towel, then I shave. I don't rinse or add water between passes, I've never thought it made any difference at that point the whiskers are as soaked as they're ever going to be.

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 9:04 am

brothers wrote:I dry off and dress up to a t-shirt, then splash hot water on the beard and the Stephen's that I am using as a PS because I've got so much of it and because it works for me. Then I get the scuttle hot and make the lather before I rinse the beard with a hot wet wash towel, then I shave. I don't rinse or add water between passes, I've never thought it made any difference at that point the whiskers are as soaked as they're ever going to be.

Quite right that the whiskers are not going to get any more water-logged at that point. I do wet my face again, because I count on that little bit of water to improve my second-pass lather. Both of us are right - we just have different habits.

95% · Post by **95%** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 9:27 am

Gordon, I'm curious why you apply talc immediately after you've stepped out of the shower and toweled down. The bathroom environment is still humid. Talc is the last thing I do before dressing.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 9:43 am

notthesharpest wrote:
brothers wrote:I dry off and dress up to a t-shirt, then splash hot water on the beard and the Stephen's that I am using as a PS because I've got so much of it and because it works for me. Then I get the scuttle hot and make the lather before I rinse the beard with a hot wet wash towel, then I shave. I don't rinse or add water between passes, I've never thought it made any difference at that point the whiskers are as soaked as they're ever going to be.
Quite right that the whiskers are not going to get any more water-logged at that point. I do wet my face again, because I count on that little bit of water to improve my second-pass lather. Both of us are right - we just have different habits.

Quite right. Moisture for lathering purposes. I add it, but with the brush rather than a splash. Same difference!

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 8:41 pm

Porter, I've dried off thoroughly, and even stepped into the bedroom briefly. Some of the humidity has already escaped from the bathroom, and that's okay. I step back in, comb my hair, apply deodorant and talc and then start the shave process. At that point, other than my hair, I'm totally dry and comfortable.
Regards,
Gordon

95% · Post by **95%** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 9:10 pm

Gordon, your routine wouldn't work for me, since I'm not totally dry until the shave is done. The environment in which I shower and shave is a wet one, and it's not photogenic. (Like you, however, I don a pair of briefs immediately after showering. I don't want to feel like Homer Simpson looking into the mirror while I shave. We may be hairless apes, but we strive to be better than that.)

Only when the whole business is done and I'm completely dry do I apply the deodorant, talc, and cologne. But long live diversity. What's important is that each man have a rational routine that gives him good results.

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 9:33 pm

for some reason i always get a better shave after a shower. no matter how long i prep with a wet hot towel it is not as good as a shower.

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 10:42 pm

Gil, To be perfectly honest, I can get pretty much as good a shave without the shower, but it's an ingrained part of my morning routine; shower then shave. Psychologically it's more satisfying simply because I'm so used to it.
Regards,
Gordon

MR.Z · Post by **MR.Z** » Thu Jun 10, 2010 10:39 am

I tend to shower at night. Sometimes I shave after showering and I am good for the next day, but I mostly shave in the morning with hot towels. I notice no difference.

ferroburak · Post by **ferroburak** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 1:58 pm

Imho newbies should only shave after a hot bath.

ThePossum · Post by **ThePossum** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 2:15 pm

Me, I dry off, comb my hair (not much there to comb!

), get into a pair of briefs and then get on with the shave. I will usually splash some hot water from the sink onto my face to get it wet before I make my lather but that's it.

I have even had to answer a phone call just after getting dried off and went back to the shave after a few minutes and with a dry face. The hot water from the sink seems to work getting the face back into prepped shape.