Any pre-shave oils/gels that can be applied before shaving cream to increase slickness?

[Chaucer]

Thayers WH toner gives me a subtle but noticeable improvement.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

As an older fellow, I use pre-shave oil to moisturize and make my skin more pliable to help avoid cuts. I don't think it actually adds glide, but it allows the skin to stretch rather than cut if you are off a bit in your technique. I prefer my own concoction of 65% jojoba oil 35% grapeseed oil, a couple of drops of glycerin and a few drops of essential oil for scent. I wet my face with warm water, sprinkle a few drops onto my hand and massage it into my face. I then wait about 30-60 seconds before lathering my face.

 

[Four for Luck]

$.02
After I have rubbed my face with water as hot as I can stand I apply four drops of Art of Shaving preshave oil(I like unscented, which smells like essential oils), one to each quadrant of my face. Then I apply lather.

 

[hutchcal]

I'm a face latherer, have sensitive skin, and love the green Proraso pre barba. As mentioned above, it improves the glide w/o coating your hands/face in oil. I like the smell and it is "refreshing" on hot days.

 

[dotKomo]

Add some Cremo Shave Cream to your face, or add some to your lather. Slick stuff.

 

[ivan_101]

omega tube

 

[Bhugo]

I use Proraso Pre-Shave Cream. I use the sensitive skin formula and I like a lot. I particularly like that it easily rinses off my hands with water so they are not so slippery during the shave.

Another vote for the Proraso pre-shave (in my case, just the regular Green). Works great, smells great, and indeed nice that it rinses off the hands easily (unlike some oils). A+

Me too! Green pre shave for me. Very luxurious for sure. I also love that it rinses easily with water.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I tried Proraso pre shave and found it to offer no benefit, although I enjoyed the menthol cooling. On some occasions I wondered if it impeded the lather production and I ended up using it up as an all over body moisturiser. These days my soaps provide all I need from the shave; if they did not then I would change the water ratio or use a different soap.

 

[sarir97]

I’ve tried several preshave products, including Proraso Blue, Red, Stirling soap, and PAA Cube. Neither offered a noticeable improvement over a proper hot shower prep and face lathering.

While not intended as a pre-shave product, Clean&Clear’s Oil-Free daily pore cleanser has glycerin listed as its main ingredient (second to water) and truly lives up to its promise of leaving the skin soft & smooth. It’s been part of my nightly routine, but lately I’ve been using it instead in the morning while in the shower. Whether it adds anything to the subsequent shave, I don’t know. I just LOVE how my face feels.

 

[Whilliam]

Dozens of products out there, either designed specifically as pre-shaves, or that can be used as such. Hair conditioner seems to work, as does CeraVe moisturizing bar. Someone here mentioned that Turkish barbers use shave gel as a pre-shave. Seems to work, also.

Do any of them make all that much of a difference? Marginally, maybe. But it's fun to experiment. That said, I've yet to try products from Grooming Department and Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements (PAA)--both of which have big fans here.

 

[Eben Stone]

Genuinely curious: What soaps are you using that need extra slickness?

I use proraso red, it does absolutely nothing to increase slickness, but I seem to have slightly less irritation on my neck whenever I use it. I assume it's either softening the whiskers or toughening my skin, not increasing slickness, because I rinse it off before lathering.

 

[emwolf]

For slickness only I highly recommend this:

 

[ShaverAZ]

I had a jar of Proraso Green preshave, but didn't care for the chunky, messy texture. I refilled the empty jar with a blend of the Walmart house brand "Equate" Noxzema clone. I add enough distilled water to thin it to make it smooth, a few drops of Everclear and some 100% Hyaluronic Acid. It works well, and the Equate jar has enough to last for years.
Otherwise, try using distilled water to make your lather.
For adding slickness to your favorite soap, just add a dab of Cremo to your bowl while building a lather. It won't affect the texture or scent of the soap.

 

[cyberdog]

I bought a bakers dozen of Dove Men +Care Pre-Shave a few years ago, right after they discontinued it. I rub it in prior to lathering my soap, giving it some time to soften the whiskers, as well as lubricate the face, and it does make for a very comfortable, and easier glide of the razor.

I use the Dove to treat myself, or on Mondays, after not shaving over the weekend, and it does make a difference with more aggressive razors.

I've also tried Proraso Pre/Post (Sandalwood), as well as Shave-Secret, which for me don't seem to work quite as well as the Dove. Be warned, the Shave-Secret is an acquired scent, with sort of an 'herb' like scent to my nose. There are also online recipes for homebrew pre-shave oils, most using grape seed oil, combined with others. (Haven't tried them, but have seen them from time to time, just google for it).

 

[Phoenixkh]

I bought a bakers dozen of Dove Men +Care Pre-Shave a few years ago, right after they discontinued it. I rub it in prior to lathering my soap, giving it some time to soften the whiskers, as well as lubricate the face, and it does make for a very comfortable, and easier glide of the razor.

I use the Dove to treat myself, or on Mondays, after not shaving over the weekend, and it does make a difference with more aggressive razors.

I've also tried Proraso Pre/Post (Sandalwood), as well as Shave-Secret, which for me don't seem to work quite as well as the Dove. Be warned, the Shave-Secret is an acquired scent, with sort of an 'herb' like scent to my nose. There are also online recipes for homebrew pre-shave oils, most using grape seed oil, combined with others. (Haven't tried them, but have seen them from time to time, just google for it).

I combined several of those google DIY pre-shave oils recipes ... but for me, the oils available to me really clogged up my razor. The two pre-shaves I use have the same basic ingredients... but they do something to those oils to make them mix with the shaving lather somehow.

I guess it's pretty obvious that I'm not a chemist.... I ended up with a great skin treatment oil... my wife uses it for dry skin, but I certainly didn't work for shaving... at least, for me.

 

[taffy]

I use various pre shave oils and creams, if honest can't say one is better than the other, but I do think they all aid a shave.

 

[ShaverAZ]

I've got a jar of Proraso Greewn pre-shave. It works, but I don't care for the chunky, waxy texture. I got a big jar of the Walmart 'Equate' Noxzema clone. It is smoother & works better, is cheaper & there's enough to last for several years.

 

[Steve56]

Commercial pre-shaves are generally for the skin, not beard, and can be noticeably good for the skin.

The slickest soap I’ve encountered is MdC 4-oil Marseilles soap, which doesn’t lather, but you can easily shave with it. If my soap saver isn’t leveled, the bar of soap will slide off it into the sink, onto the floor…

 

[krusty]

Pure Argan oil. Rub it well into clean skin prior to shaving. Great for the skin and the post shave feel. I add a few drops of lime oil to it just to give it a slight scent that I like. Buy from a health food store.

 

[Filudo]

I use Noxema cream, let it sit for 5min, then apply lots of water (removes some, then face lather), I think it works well and I was a non believer before.