TIL a damp towel over the mirror saves my razors

At a barber meetup in Portland last month, an old timer showed me he drapes a warm wet towel over his mirror before stropping. The steam softens the edge just enough that I get 2 extra shaves per blade now. Anyone else tried this or is it just a Pacific Northwest thing?

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barbara4291mo ago

Steam softens the edge" is the part I gotta call out. Water vapor doesn't soften metal, not even a little. What it does is soften the hair and the skin, so the blade isn't fighting as hard. That's why you get extra shaves, not because the edge magically bends or something. The warm towel trick is real, but the reason is on your face, not the razor. Also, stropping still matters for alignment, but steam won't undo a dull edge. Don't start leaving wet towels on your blades, that'll just rust them faster.

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