Wet shave
Shaving with lather and a blade, often a straight razor, after softening the beard with a hot towel.
Also: straight-razor shave, hot-towel shave
A wet shave uses warm water, a lather of soap or cream, and a blade. In a traditional barbershop shave the barber wraps the face in a hot towel, lathers with a brush, shaves with a straight razor, and finishes with a cool towel and a splash. Istanbul's barbers, London's old St James's shops and Indian roadside barbers all keep the practice. Modern safety razors made home wet shaving common from the early 1900s.