Some shavers love the feel of warm, fragrant lather on their skin…even in the summer months.
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Keeping Shave Cream Warmer, Longer
There are several products designed to give you that luxurious hot lather shave like you might get from an old school barber. One new product is the Gillette Heated Razor which turns the idea of hot lather on it’s head by heating the razor instead. More classically thought of are the Latherking (AKA Latherizer) or Lather Time hot lather machines that barbers use.
But those products are specialized and are not cheap. What if you can use much (all?) of your existing shave kit and tweak how they’re used to make your lather warmer–and stay warm longer?
Pre-heat all your shave elements, use a lathering shave cream or soap, with a badger hair shave brush and a lathering bowl or scuttle.
Although it might be possible to warm up a non-lathering shave product, you will get better, longer-lasting results with a good lathering shave cream or soap.
There are a lot of fine shaving brushes available that work really well at building lather. But in my experience badger hair brushes are particularly good at absorbing and retaining heat (although some of the newer synthetics are getting better at it too).
Even though you may be using a shave brush that retains heat, lather will keep warmer, longer, if you use a lathering bowl or scuttle. Pre-warming the bowl/scuttle in hot water will make it even more effective as you store the brush in it during the shave.
Here is a step-by-step, four element process to keep that lather toasty throughout the shave:
A Step-By-Step Guide On How To Keep Shaving Cream Warmer
- Soak Everything In Hot Water
Start your tap running with hot water (not scalding, mind you, but hotter than what you would normally use) but do not set the drain stopper just yet. Place your shaving implements into the sink: razor, brush, lather bowl or scuttle and the sealed container of cream or soap and let the water run for 10 seconds or so. Set the drain stopper and fill the sink. Then everything just sit there for about two minutes. This will “pre-heat” your gear to make maintaining temperature through the shave easier.
(If you are using a shaving soap, an alternative might be to “bloom” it. But you still want to pre-soak everything else.) - Build The Lather
Remove the soap/cream, brush, and bowl/scuttle from the sink. Drain excess water from the brush as you normally would (ever tried the “perfect” method?) then build and apply your lather as you normally would. If you are typically a “face latherer” you may get slightly less warming benefit than by lathering in a bowl/scuttle but it’s up to you.
In any case, after you finish lathering return your brush to the (warmed) bowl/scuttle while you shave.
- Remove The Razor From The Sink And Begin Shaving
Shave as you normally do, rinsing the razor frequently in the sink full of hot water.
- Repeat The Process For The Duration Of The Shave
Unless you’re in a hurry you will probably want to shave in passes or cycles, reducing the stubble in stages from different directions. But since you have pre-heated your gear and you are keeping the lather-filled brush in a warmed vessel you should now have luxuriously warmed, fragrant lather throughout your shave!
Conclusion
Keeping your shave cream warmer throughout the shave can really enhance the shaving experience. And it can probably be done with the shave products you already have on hand! It’s just a matter of pre-heating your shave kit and finding a way of maintaining the heat for a longer time. Give it a try and let me know how it works out for you
Do you have other suggestions on how to keep your lather warm? Leave a comment below so all may benefit!
Hey, Mark.
I have a couple questions about brushes. The advertised “Better Than Badger” shaving brush claims to be better than badger, Beaver and bear. Does this mean it will hold heat better? And, can you explain by a knot in a shaving brush? Does anyone tie a knot while manufacturing a brush?
Dartan
I don’t know, I don’t have an angel hair synthetic, but I have one on order to find out!
EDIT: To elaborate, I don’t have a Mr. Fine “Better than Badger” synth (but I’m getting one) with “Angel Hair” fibers, but I do have a Yaqi “Angel” brush (which looks different than the Fine brush). The Yaqi synth is an excellent performer but does not hold as well or better than a natural badger.
I have several bowls/scuttles for creams or “scooped out” croaps and the plastic travel scuttle from Phoenix works the best, feels like a hot lather machine except with REAL soap not out of a can cr*p.
I soak the scuttle inside and out with hot water several times first.
I have an Australian made large internal diameter shaving scuttle with a bigger capacity water tank and it works fantastic. well worth the buy for winter time shaves “but” when i shave in the shower i find no need for it due to the hot environment I’m in.
Great article! I’ve been threatening to buy a proper scuttle for years. Maybe I’ll finally do it now!
This is a nice approach and one I’ll certainly try. I’ve found the folloing helps give me a warm lather shave:
A marble shaving bowl. I bought one from Supply. I simply fill it with hot water then shower. when it’s time to shave, this ting has retained alt of heat. I also run my razor under hot water, then swirl in the sink to bring it to the proper temp. Works for me.
When I’m not using the marble bowl, I’ll certainly give your method a go.:) Thanks!:)
Thanks for the great advice. I let my bowl or scuttle hold hot tap water and soak my brush while washing my face and run the razor under running hot water right before I start shaving.
Great idea! But — shaving with warmed soap may feel better, does it actually result in a better face functionally? Is it smoother with better glide, lubrication, cushioning, or any post-shave benefit. I’m going to try my metal bowl which I feel might conduct and hold heat better than a ceramic or wooden bowl. Also, what is the benefit of heating the razor? Wouldn’t that just deform the edge? The whole idea of having a heated razor blade seems gimmicky. Am I wrong?
I have found warm lather provides a better shave as it keeps the pores open. As for a metal bowl, most are thin and lose heat fast. A scuttle which holds warm water around the bowl stays warm throughout. I use one from Crown King out of Phoenix. Hope this helps.
Tap water will not be hot enough to deform the blade edge besides, the warming effect will be from the head of the razor. Rinse the razor frequently in a sink full of hot water and it’s fine.
Meh! I thought coldwater shaving was the new black, personally i’ll never go back to hot water shaving again.
I HAD to cold water shave in the service before and will only do it if I have to again.
# ymmv ?
Cold canteen water in a metal canteen cup on a frozen mountain top in Bosnia was enough for me.
Amen to that, I was stuck doing a cold water shave at my daughter’s and son-in-laws house because the sink in the basement had no hot water…The dilettantes who praise cold water shaving have either:
1. Lost their minds.
2. Never been served in the military and been in the field and forced to shave with cold water
3. Are cloistered monks undergoing some obscure form of penance for their sins.
I find that D R Harris pucks work much better for me if I drop into the sink of hot water and then rub on face as if a stick. Using the puck is much cheaper per ounce than sticks.
You may be using the wrong stick. Try the Turkish stick Arko. The scent is just ok but the lather is out of this world!
Now that’s an idea that sounds like trying. Thanks.
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