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Beard Oil vs Pre-Shave Oil

Heya folks,

I just got a bottle of my first ever beard oil (Fawcett's Booze and Baccy) and I'm loving it. I decided to try using my beard oil as a pre-shave oil today (I've never used a pre-shave oil before). It ended up being the most enjoyable shave of my life. My straight razor cut through hair in an ATG stroke so smoothly it might as well have been BBS before starting.

So now I need to figure out what the consequences are. Is it 'bad' for the blade in any way? If I do nick myself, would it be bad for my body? Also, what's the difference between pre-shave oil and beard oil, anyway?
 
So, oils to use as shaving oils are less specific than the ones meant for beard oils. A shaving oil basically just needs to be a non-toxic non-irritating oil. Some have reported merely using straight olive oil for the job, even.

Beard oil is (or at least should be if well made) designed to replicate the skins natural oils in regards to ph balance and other factors, with the purpose of helping prevent dry itchy skin, and softening the whiskers, as well as aiding in the healthy looking kind of shine.

So I can easily see how a beard oil would work for a shave oil without any issue. The reverse is not the same case, however. As for consequences, the only one I can think of is if you use the beard oil for both purposes, you'll be using up your beard oil a lot faster. lol It won't hurt the blade or yourself, even if you nick yourself. Both are (or should be) formulated to be non-toxic in that way.
 
If you want a great and non expensive solution for both - you could use a coconut oil. It is hard in room temperature and melts in you palms/fingers. It is as well good to be used for all body after a shower.
 
So if I try the Floid Oil as a beard oil, it won't work?
I can't say one way or the other on that. There's not a lot of studies that have been done on beard oil in general, much less comparing other oils to beard oil. Or at least not ones that are readily available to read the results from. That being said, I can't imagine any pre shave doing as good of a job as a beard oil as one formulated to be a beard oil. They are both designed to do different things, and while there maybe some overlap in function, my best info I've found says that one can't fully replace the abilities of the other.
 
Any oil can work as a pre-shave oil, really. The goal of pre-shave oil is not to add slickness to your skin prior to shaving. The goal is to properly moisturize the skin to provide adequate elasticity. Any oil can do that, and beard oils are actually really good at it.
 
Beard oil is simply a leave-in conditioner that softens the hairs to prevent itch, so I cant see how it would give you a better shave. I would imagine that a beard oil would be better for you than preshave oil, simply because beard oil is meant to be left on the skin.
 
I see..

Thanks! So I think I may go with Proraso Beard Oil or the Osma. I will use it the days I'm not shaving, because my skin gets flaky around the mouth and chin and no moisturizer really helps me.

Jojoba is the main ingredient of a beard oil, right?
 
I see..

Thanks! So I think I may go with Proraso Beard Oil or the Osma. I will use it the days I'm not shaving, because my skin gets flaky around the mouth and chin and no moisturizer really helps me.

Jojoba is the main ingredient of a beard oil, right?
I've seen a fair number use that oil as a base. Since beard oils are trying to emulate the natural skin oils, one could very well help with the issue you are having then.
 
Thanks. Any beard oil top class?
So far I've used the Proraso, Beardology, and Grave Before Shave oils. I've not found one that felt superior to the others, just a matter of scent selection. A friend of mine is partial to the Mad Viking line of beard oils, which I have on the list to pick up once I finish off one of the current bottles I have.
 
So far I've used the Proraso, Beardology, and Grave Before Shave oils. I've not found one that felt superior to the others, just a matter of scent selection. A friend of mine is partial to the Mad Viking line of beard oils, which I have on the list to pick up once I finish off one of the current bottles I have.


In a 5-6 days of growth all kind of beard oils will help? Because I sometimes shave once a week.
 
In a 5-6 days of growth all kind of beard oils will help? Because I sometimes shave once a week.
I haven't heard any negative reviews really of any of the brands mentioned. Of course, just like any product, I can't say for sure you will find them all equal. I wouldn't expect you'd find any to be sub standard, though.
 
Beard oil is simply a leave-in conditioner that softens the hairs to prevent itch, so I cant see how it would give you a better shave. I would imagine that a beard oil would be better for you than preshave oil, simply because beard oil is meant to be left on the skin.

Common misconception. Beard oil is not primarily for the beard. It's for the skin underneath the beard. Your beard doesn't get itchy, the skin underneath gets itchy because the hair wicks the natural oils away from the skin, leaving it dry and flaky.
 
Common misconception. Beard oil is not primarily for the beard. It's for the skin underneath the beard. Your beard doesn't get itchy, the skin underneath gets itchy because the hair wicks the natural oils away from the skin, leaving it dry and flaky.


Totally agreed.
 
So if I try the Floid Oil as a beard oil, it won't work?
You want an product that both conditions the skin and the hair. Keeping skin heathy and hair in good condition. Jojoba, Argan, and Almond are some oils I use in mine

Any oil can work as a pre-shave oil, really. The goal of pre-shave oil is not to add slickness to your skin prior to shaving. The goal is to properly moisturize the skin to provide adequate elasticity. Any oil can do that, and beard oils are actually really good at it.
Not all oils are good for this, many can cause skin problems. Buying oil good for your skin type is worth a quick internet search to figure out type that match.

Beard oil is simply a leave-in conditioner that softens the hairs to prevent itch, so I cant see how it would give you a better shave. I would imagine that a beard oil would be better for you than preshave oil, simply because beard oil is meant to be left on the skin.
Common misconception. Beard oil is not primarily for the beard. It's for the skin underneath the beard. Your beard doesn't get itchy, the skin underneath gets itchy because the hair wicks the natural oils away from the skin, leaving it dry and flaky.
Just to re-iterate:
You want an product that both conditions the skin and the hair. Keeping skin heathy and hair in good condition. Jojoba, Argan, and Almond are some oils I use in mine
 
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