hot wet towel

other than a hot wet towel, how else can one soften facial hair? i only ask because in march of 2000 i bought the gillette mach 3 system razor but didnt shave while taking a shower and instead decided to shave about 30 minutes after showering. the problem that i encountered was when shaving against the grain! my facial hair was tough and i mean tough! it felt hard like nails for some reason!!!!!!! thats why im asking what other than a hot wet towel can be put on tough facial hair????? gillette exfoliation cream/gel to soften hair??? someone told me to put a hot towel for like 3 minutes and this will soften the hairs but by how much? will a hot towel for 3 minutes really soften my facial hair that much that i can shave against the grain with no irritation???? when shaving against the hair like 30 minutes after showering my whiskers feel like tough galvanized steel!!!! what am i doing wrong here????? since what year has this forum been online? 1999 or 2000???? can any of u guys please help me out here??? rsvp. thank you.

I personally feel that a lot of variables are at play while shaving. Prepping is the most important step to a close and nice shave but still largely ignored by many.

I don't have a very rough beard but have a sensitive skin easily prone to bumps. I have noticed that if I don't prep properly or don't use a fresh blade and try to go against-the-grain, I get irritation and bumps.

It depends on the season too. Winters are bad for skin and one needs to keep oneself hydrated and Moisturized to be able to enjoy morning shaves. I am struggling these days.

Hot towel alone isn't going to be of much help unless your regime comprises of a warm water exfoliating face wash (2-3 mins), Preshave oil or gel, sharp blades (DE) and a good quality soap n brush to finally go for a kill.

But I guess you already know it all after being in wet shaving for so many years.

May be you need to work on your technique imo just to get the results you are looking for.



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Shave quicker after showering. I get my best shaves immediately after the shower.

Prep is everything! Hot towel and preshave oil works well for me but not as well as shaving after a showe.

I find that Noxzema Classic Clean deep cleansing cream, rubbed into wet face skin 2-3 minutes before shaving, softens my beard hair a little bit. A tub of it is not expensive.

I always try to shave right after showering, that being said sometimes you can't shower ie camping etc. so I wash my face and use the hot wet washcloth method and it works pretty well

Welcome to DFS, donald bathe! I believe the current version of DFS came online in 2015. There was(I believe) a previous damnfineshave.com. andrewjs18 would know all of the details.

I'm curious, donald bathe, if you are using a shaving brush and shaving soap/cream or a canned shave cream like Barbasol? Barbers tend to work up a lather on the face followed by a hot towel over the lather for a few minutes. The combination of the lather and the hot towel is supposed to soften the whiskers.

There are some excellent suggestions above! I have to go along with the most common suggestion of shaving immediately following a shower. That's what I almost always do: shave right after a shower.

I'm in the same boat when it comes to copper wire hair...TRUST ME lol....and have been DE shaving for only a year and a few months (consistently)

My process as of late is still in its experimental stages but the results are looking up for sure and its quite extensive

1) During a hot/warm shower, I use a face wash with a shaving brush (usually synthetic) and enjoy a good session of lathering with it.

2) While still in the shower, I apply a pre-shave. I currently use/have Proraso Red and White, as well as Mickey Lee Soapworks Preshave Butter <----- Good stuff

3) Carry on with the regular shower, so that the combination of warmth and Preshave has time to really get stuck in to the hairs.

4) After the shower, I 'lightly' load my brush and face lather.

5) Set up the razor, load the brush some more to the desired amount for a shave, and if need be, sort out anything else. This allows time for the soap to also, add it's own beneficial properties to the skin.

6) Rinse off my face, then go into a face lather with the brush that was just reloaded. That well nourished, slick skin is now there for your first pass, rather than your second one.

NOTE: I've also switched up the level of aggression for my shaves. For me, a razor with very good tolerances is key. With my Karve (w/plate B) or my Rex (on 1) I've been able to shave diagonally against the grain........effortlessly. This was an absolute 'HELL NO" before but I think a combination of good prep, efficiency due to tight tolerances, as well as less blade feel, are helping the situation greatly.

Did you go straight to shaving against the grain without first going with and across the grain? I can't tell from your post but if you did I'd try doing a WTG and XTG passes first to remove as much beard as you can before doing ATG. If you did those passes first and you still had problems I'd say your razor isn't sharp enough to deal with your beard. Maybe migrating to DE razor with a good sharp blade might help.

Did you go straight to shaving against the grain without first going with and across the grain?  I can't tell from your post but if you did I'd try doing a WTG and XTG passes first to remove  as much beard as you can before doing ATG.  If you did those passes first and you still had problems I'd say your razor isn't sharp enough to deal with your beard.  Maybe migrating to DE razor with a good sharp blade might help.

I'm going to notch it down as me getting better with technique as well.
I do start with a WTG & XTG pass first and the 'Karve' is the DE of choice for this example.