Most people who book a hot towel shave for the first time don't know what to expect. Some are nervous about the straight razor. Some have had a bad experience with a rushed shave somewhere else. This is a plain account of what we do and why, so you can decide whether it's for you.

Pre-shave oil: why it comes first

Before anything touches your face, we apply a pre-shave oil. At Charcoal Unit we use the Bairro Alto Supply Pre-Shave Oil, a blend of jojoba and argan with a small amount of eucalyptus. The oil softens the hair shaft and creates a thin protective layer on the skin. Without it, the razor drags. With it, the blade glides. This step takes about two minutes and makes a measurable difference to the result.

The hot towel

A cotton towel is soaked in hot water, wrung out, and placed over the face for about 90 seconds. The heat opens the follicles and softens the hair further. We use a second towel if the first cools too quickly. Some clients fall asleep at this point, which we take as a good sign.

Badger brush and lather

We use an Edwin Jagger pure badger brush to build the lather directly on the face. The brush lifts the hair away from the skin as it works the soap in, which helps the razor cut at the base of the shaft rather than at the surface. We use a glycerin-based shaving soap from a small Portuguese supplier in Coimbra. The lather takes about two minutes to build properly.

The straight razor pass

We do a single pass with the straight razor, working with the grain of the hair. A second pass against the grain is possible for clients who want a very close result and whose skin tolerates it, but we always ask before doing it. The razor is a Dovo Bergischer Lowe, hollow-ground, stropped before every session. The angle is held at about 30 degrees. The barber's free hand stretches the skin taut ahead of the blade.

Cold towel and aftershave finish

After the razor, a cold towel closes the follicles. Then a light aftershave balm, not alcohol-based, to calm the skin. The whole session is 30 minutes. You leave with a shave that is closer than anything a cartridge razor achieves and skin that doesn't feel stripped.

The hot towel shave at Charcoal Unit is €28. Book it as a standalone or add it to a haircut session. Tomás does all shave appointments.