Did you ever see a movie where a man is being shaved at a barber shop, and the barber wraps his face in a hot towel before starting the shave?

That’s not done just because it looks cool in the movies, or so the shavee can’t see the hit man who’s coming in the barbershop to ‘whack’ him.

Attention to preparation before wet shaving pays off great dividends in the comfort and quality of the shave.

As we’ve seen, hot water is the basis of wet shaving. Why is this?

A hair (whisker) shaft is made mostly of protein. The inner portion of the shaft is called the cortex. The outer layer, which concerns us shavers, is the cuticle.

The cuticle can be thought of as a fish’s scales, or maybe a stack of styrofoam cups. Each hard ‘plate’ covers part of its neighbor, protecting the soft cortex and giving the whisker its strength or armor.

As heat and moisture are applied to the whisker, the protein chains that hold the ‘scales’ in the cuticle together are broken. Water gets into the shaft of the whisker, swelling it and breaking the bonds of the cuticle further.

The result is a saturated, swollen, soft and damaged whisker that is ready to be mown down by our razor!

If you don’t mind taking a couple extra minutes to prep your beard for a great shave, here’s how it’s best done:

• Don’t wash your face beforehand (unless you’re covered in engine grease or something).
• Apply hot water to the beard.
• Using your shaving brush, coat the beard with the soap or cream of your choice. Rub it in well with your fingers.
• Apply a hot, not enough to burn, but noticeably hot, wet washcloth or hand towel to the beard area. Let this sit for a couple of minutes.
• When removing the towel, wipe off the soap residue. Along with this will come the facial oil that’s combined with the warm moisture and soap to soften the whiskers.

You are now ready to lather up using circular motions with your shaving brush and your favorite soap or cream.

Last step: enjoy the smoothest, closest, most comfortable shave you’ve ever had.

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee enjoys a wet shave while on the Presidential campaign trail. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

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Bay Lime Shaving Cream