Why not just shave with pre-shave soaps like The Cube or others that provide slickness?

[JKaboom]

I am sure this has been asked before but want to see. I don't know much about pre-shave products other than what my pre-shave routine is (Hot shower, scrub head and face with baby wash/soap).

My question is, I see on videos that people use pre-shave products like The Cube/The Cube 2.0/Proraso, etc. So I have a couple of questions:
1) Why not then just shave with that product if it provides a good slick surface especially if people used to (and probably still do) shave using ivory bar soap?
2) When I see that some people use a pre-shave product, it seems some are just using a shave cream/soap washing it off after dwelling then applying their desired shave product or is this my misunderstanding? Is this a correct understanding?

Sorry, relative newbie so....

 

[lasta]

YMMV lol.

1. Lather is a lubricant. IMO any lubricant can be made to work. When people make the switch from ready-use foams to brush lather, more time is spent on face thus hairs get more hydrated and easier to cut. Again, IMO, with enough prep, just about all shave lubricants work well enough.

2. That's what I do. Everything to make sure pre-shave prep/beard hydration is on par. I use canned foam as pre-shave (quicker than lathering), but Noxzema/others work fine too. If I shave using my first application of foam, it would be partially dry after 4 minutes. So wash off, apply my bowl lathered product etc.

IMO, with enough prep, canned foam works fine too. Bowl lathering is just a way for me to pass time while "hydrating".

 

[Alum Ladd]

YMMV lol.

1. Lather is a lubricant. IMO any lubricant can be made to work. When people make the switch from ready-use foams to brush lather, more time is spent on face thus hairs get more hydrated and easier to cut. Again, IMO, with enough prep, just about all shave lubricants work well enough.

2. That's what I do. Everything to make sure pre-shave prep/beard hydration is on par. I use canned foam as pre-shave (quicker than lathering), but Noxzema/others work fine too. If I shave using my first application of foam, it would be partially dry after 4 minutes. So wash off, apply my bowl lathered product etc.

IMO, with enough prep, canned foam works fine too. Bowl lathering is just a way for me to pass time while "hydrating".

So you use foam as preshave @lasta?

Cool. Gives the skin something do while lather is being prepped.

 

[lasta]

So you use foam as preshave @lasta?

Cool. Gives the skin something do while lather is being prepped.

Yep. I used to do Proraso preshave or Noxzema, but found foam faster to apply and dry slower. Constant water splashes work just as well, but I can't be bothered to multi-task while lathering!

 

[NorthernSoul]

I use the Cube (or Ice Cube) pretty frequently. It is basically a glycerin soap with other ingredients added for slickness. The idea is to have a specialized product for cleaning the face prior to shaving, softening the whiskers, softening the skin, etc. You want to get oil and dirt off the face before lathering up with your shaving cream or soap. Maybe if you always shower right before shaving, it's not as useful for you.

I have found optimal results with this sort of routine:

• Rinse with warm water
• Apply pre-shave soap (as a stick)
• Work-in pre-shave soap to the beard with fingers
• Let sit for at least a minute or two, while you do something else. This helps whiskers get hydrated.
• Rinse and apply pre-shave soap again
• Rinse about half of the pre-shave off, leaving face wet and slick
• Face lather or apply bowl lather using regular shave soap
• Shave as usual

So, while maybe you could shave with pre-shave soap alone, if you are going for optimal results, it works better to combine pre-shave with regular shaving soap.

 

[know1special]

Haven't tried those products but I have shaved with Cremo before (mostly when traveling) with okayish results. Their calling card is basically 'slickness is all you need'. Which may be true...to a degree.

The problem I've found with things that make my face 'hyper' slick is that my razor tends to glide right over whiskers that otherwise get cut when I lather from soap.

My beard is kinda light, kinda patchy and parts of it grow flat along my face rather than out.

For those reasons, I don't get my best shave from rubbing in slick creams or even bowl lathering a soap. Face lathering is the only thing that gets it done for this mug.

 

[Guido75]

I use Proraso Green preshave by wetting my face and then applying the preshave. I leave it in my skin while I am building my lather and lather straight in top - no rinsing off or anything. Keeps my skin refreshed between passes even though the preshave itself is mostly gone after the first pass.

I also am less diligent in rinsing between passes. I simply relather and move on with the shave.

I do want to try the Cube some dat because from what I have seen it also helps you build lather quicker when face lathering.

Cheers,

Guido

 

[BigJ]

Good discussion!

I have found little benefit from ‘pre-shave’ products. Thus, my approach is to wash my face with CeraVe, then start my lather using a quality soap. Works well for me!!

 

[SharpieB]

I have used Proraso preshave in the past and didn’t find it did very much to improve my shave. I still have a couple of jars I should revisit. Maybe on longer growth.

I haven’t tried the “Cube“ and will never use a Phoenix Artesian Accouterments (PAA) product due to their business practices in the past.

 

[Odysseus]

I use preshave - Proraso mostly - when I've irritated my face from the previous day's shave. This only happens if I'm trying a new razor, sometimes when I get out a new blade, or when my face just seems to be getting sensitive. It helps. Usually gone after the first pass, the preshave is a way to give my face a break on those days when it needs it.

I probably use it once or twice a month.

 

[jason2]

I use cremo and that's it. But I shower shave and it seems optimal for that.

 

[kaufdrop27]

I’ll grab and use hair conditioner if I’m not wanting to waste time lathering or using a brush. It works and it’s slick as can be.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I love Proraso green pre shave - as a refreshing post shave balm with a menthol hit. As a pre shave, like every other pre shave product I have tried, it offers no benefit for me so I do not use them. I don't think I would shave just using Proraso pre shave and no soap - hair conditioner would work better - as said above, it actually works pretty well.

 

[Eric_75]

I always shave before a shower. I just wash my face with Weleda Gentle Cleansing Foam or KCG Face Wash, rinse and lather up.

 

[musicman1951]

Every face/beard is different. You'll never know what works for you until you try it.

I shave after my shower and keep my face wet until the shaving soap hits it. That works for me. I've tried pre-shave products and they didn't provide a better shave, but for some people they definitely do. Some people shave with only a bar of hand soap. Experiment away and stick with what works for you.

 

[Frito Ray]

Once you’ve nailed down your technique, found the right razor+blade+cream for you, the benefit of preshaves will be greatly diminished.

I use Proraso white preshave, but only in the harshest winter months (January and February) when my skin is at its driest and it makes the shave much more comfortable. If I were to use it in the summer months, it would make the shave just marginally better.


If I were forced to use only bad blades, then preshaves would be a year round thing.

 

[tjsgarden]

My question is, I see on videos that people use pre-shave products like The Cube/The Cube 2.0/Proraso, etc. So I have a couple of questions:
1) Why not then just shave with that product if it provides a good slick surface

Why not just shave with pre-shave soaps like The Cube or others that provide slickness?​

I have wondered about this too.
Tomorrow I'll use the Cube for the first pass and see what happens. If that goes good, I'll use Proraso white for the second pass. I gotta use a fruity soap (Fruity February) so that will be for the final pass.

 

[purecro]

I will be curious to hear the feedback on this. I use a preshave myself, sometimes prorasso white, and it works for me so that makes it interesting to see the results.

 

[NachoMamma]

This isn't a recommended thing, but it's what works for me. 15 seconds of a pretty wet hot washcloth rubbed on my face. Then quickly apply light plain bar soap (think Irish Spring) lather just rubbed off of my hands, or dollar tree shaving creme. The shave creme might work a bit better, but only because I can see where I've done a pass better. Then I shave ATG from the neck up, 1 pass. Then I buff a bit without adding any more lube unless I found myself shaving with a super mild combo that wasn't cutting. Then I'll do a bit more buffing with soap/cream. Rinse with hot water and a washcloth, then cold water and a washcloth. That's it. That's my fancy "Ritual". Half of the time I just shave in the shower, in the dark, using just bar soap. I did this for 30 years with cartridges and it still works with a DE. Make a pass running the fingers of the other hand right behind the razor to see how that pass was, then repeat the same pass if needed. All straight up from neck AGT. I'm faster in the dark than sink/mirror because of my 30 years of practice. It takes about 2 minutes. The whole ritual thing would kill me. I'm trying to keep my shaving blind Ninja method perfected, but with a DE now. I do DFS shaves most of the time, maybe 25% are BBS. I'm not consistent because I'm a noob and still switching hardware every shave. My face hair is medium, not fine, not coarse. I can grow a nice mustache, but the rest is more like Shaggy of Scooby Doo.

 

[JCarr]

I used to use Cremo as a pre-shave, but recently switched to Lucky Tiger Liquid Cream Shave. I only apply it before lathering up. It helps mostly in the first WTG pass...there may be some residual slickness on the second pass...but after that...it's pretty much all about the lather.