Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/680247
The Art of Manliness Continued JOBS for TEAMS | 24 www.jobsfor teams.com consuming and labor intensive. You had to gather wood, start a fire, and wait for the water to boil. Fast- forward to today and all you have to do is turn on a faucet. But even then, it can take a bit of time for the water to warm up. So on those days when you're running late and every second counts, using cold water can shave some time off your routine. Allows you to shave when hot water isn't available. I think we've all had those mo- ments when hot water just isn't on tap: the heater breaks, your wife uses up all the hot water while shower- ing, you're fighting in the mountains of Afghanistan, or you're traveling abroad and staying in a place without such luxuries. But when you have to be cleaned up and ready for work, inspections, or a date with an exotic local woman, you can't skip out on shaving simply because you don't have hot water. Cold water gives a better shave. The argument here is that a soft beard is hard to shave, while a stiff beard is easier to cut. Hot water makes your beard soft; cold water keeps the whiskers stiff. Thus, cold water renders a better shave. Cold water leaves the skin looking healthier. We've written about this in our post about the James Bond Shower. Hot water tends to dry out skin. If you want a nice looking mug, use cold water. My Experience Shaving With Cold Water I had to shave with cold water several times when I lived in Mexico. Sometimes I ran out of gas before the end of the month and was forced to bathe and shave with cold water (not fun in the winter time). That was over 5 years ago and ever since I got back to the States, I've been a strict hot water shaver. But after reading the old advice given above, I decided to experiment with a cold water shave. After getting over the shock of using ice cold lather as opposed to a nice, warm, soothing one, I have to say the cold water shave wasn't that bad. The experience wasn't too much different from hot water shaving and was more invigorating, waking me up. I did notice that my razor tugged on my whiskers a bit more than when I shave with hot water. But ac- cording to Shaving Made Easy that's to be expected. Hot water softens whiskers, causing the blade to slip over them instead of cutting them. With cold water, my whiskers re- mained stiff, thus allowing the blade to cut every single one. It's like the poor man's Lectric Shave. The end result was a surprisingly close shave with just one pass, and my skin felt great. My face often feels puffy, irritated, and dry after shaving with hot water. Not so with the cold. Will I convert completely to cold water shaving? Maybe. Old habits die hard, but the benefits might entice me to cross over. At the least, I know it's a viable option when hot water just isn't available.>