Good Pre-shave oil for sensitive skin?

[Nicktheswede]

Certain areas of my face get very irritated from shaving. I have very sensitive skin and I have never used a pre-shave oil and I think my very sensitive areas of the face specifically mustache and neck area would be benefit from it.

Whats a good pre-shave oil especially for sensitive skin?

 

[Nicktheswede]

Also would I benefit from using an alum block and witchhazel post shaving if I still get some redness and irritation after shaving?

 

[ChrisG]

Castle Forbes is the only one worth a dam in my opinion.

 

[Wingnut]

Whats a good pre-shave oil especially for sensitive skin?

I can only speak from my own experience with PSO's, which is limited to Shave Secret. However, I love the way it makes my face feel, both during and after my shave: I'd give it a 9/10. It's only about $4 at WalMart, so if it doesn't work out for you you're not out a lot of cash.

Also would I benefit from using an alum block and witchhazel post shaving if I still get some redness and irritation after shaving?

A hearty yes too both of the above. Although I don't get irritation much at all in general, there were 2 patches on either side of my adam's apple that were irritated. I thought were just how my skin was supposed to be until I started an alum & witch hazel routine - now there is a visible difference. It's like they've just disappeared. Good luck and keep us posted on your journey.

 

[Mulie1]

I really like the Proraso Pre-Shave. I have a couple twisted grain spots just below my lower lip that require multiple angles of approach with a straight. The Pre-Shave gives a nice base layer and works well with the lather on top.

 

[Marco]

I really like the Proraso Pre-Shave. I have a couple twisted grain spots just below my lower lip that require multiple angles of approach with a straight. The Pre-Shave gives a nice base layer and works well with the lather on top.

+1

Proraso Pre-shave cream is a great help.
It softens the beard, protects the skin and allows the razor to glide easily over the face.
I get a much better shave with this pre-shave treatment.
Try it.

 

[Shaving_Grace]

I too have sensitive skin. The Shave Secret from Walmart has worked wonders if you can stand the heavy clove smell.

 

[JPM]

I like GFT Skin Food, although I have to second the Castle Forbes pre-shave as one of the best.

 

[brian1g]

I have used the aos oil and shave secret.

The shave secret is the better of the two for me. The aos seemed to clog my razor and blade pretty bad. Also left a ring of oil around the sink that was fairly hard to clean.

If you are thinking of using a pre-shave oil be sure to clean your brushes regularly. The oil "coated" the bristles on my boar and made making good lather near impossible.

 

[Mohillian]

I just started using Gentlemen's Refinery Pre-Shave Oil and I must say...it has done wonders for me and shaveing. I am sold on this product and will continue to use it

 

[NatJag]

I like GFT Skin Food, although I have to second the Castle Forbes pre-shave as one of the best.

Trumpers told me to avoid Limes if you have sensitive skin. So thats one you can knock off your list.

 

[sherlock]

+1 for T&H ultimate comfort but it's a bit pricey.Only other oil i used was King of Shaves which i thought pretty average and it also had menthol in it which can numb the skin making it easier to cut yourself.

 

[ProphetNoir]

Castle Forbes is the only one worth a dam in my opinion.

+1
CF Pre Shave is water based and unscented. It won't clog pores nor gunk up your brush.

 

[nEver-Ready]

Anybody ever try the pre-shave oil made/sold by Em's Place? (http://www.emsplace.com/shaving/wet_shaving.aspx#shaving) Just picked some up with an order of other stuff and was wondering what to expect. Have used the King of Shaves and it's okay and helps reduce drag and irritation for me.

 

[Jcof3474]

I have very sensitive skin and I stand by using a PSO. I went to straight olive oil for a while and that is very good, but here recently I picked up a bottle of oil called Almond Glow. I got it from my local organic store. Almond Glow (unscented) is just Peanut Oil, Olive Oil, Lanolin Oil, Almond Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E).
They have a couple of scented versions, but I went with the unscented and it is seriously great! It is really cheap compared to actual PSO's, to it is a good deal.

J.

 

[saltypete]

+1 for T&H ultimate comfort but it's a bit pricey.Only other oil i used was King of Shaves which i thought pretty average and it also had menthol in it which can numb the skin making it easier to cut yourself.

I love T&H preshave and King of Shaves has worked well for me too. Having said that, Proraso Pre/Post is a good alternative.

Pete

 

[andrewinman]

Em's place PSO is ok...while I like T&H and TGR's PSO alot better.

I have used Trumpers CSF awhile back for a preshave and I remember it did help quite a bit.
Have not tried Castle Forbes.

But currently the only one I use is Noxema but I keep it off my upper cheeks

 

[nEver-Ready]

Em's place PSO is ok...while I like T&H and TGR's PSO alot better.

I have used Trumpers CSF awhile back for a preshave and I remember it did help quite a bit.
Have not tried Castle Forbes.

But currently the only one I use is Noxema but I keep it off my upper cheeks

Andrew, thanks for the read on the Em's place PSO. From your current set up, looks like we share some similar econo-likes (VDH Boar, VDH soap, Nivea ES ASB). I was wondering if the Noxema you are referring to is the old-fashioned menthol cream stuff in the blue tub or some other Noxema product. Thanks.

 

[kingfisher]

I use 1-2 drops of King of Shaves, massaged into the skin well before the shave. I rinse my face several times before applying lather.

I haven't had any problems with my boar brushes and this method. I think most of the oil is absobed into the skin prior to lathering.

 

[ceebee]

Certain areas of my face get very irritated from shaving. I have very sensitive skin and I have never used a pre-shave oil and I think my very sensitive areas of the face specifically mustache and neck area would be benefit from it. Whats a good pre-shave oil especially for sensitive skin?

A pre-shave oil would be a very good adjunct to relieve and prevent further irritation in sensitive beard areas. You don’t need very much of a pre-shave oil to experience its benefits. After a good soap & water prep, you would apply 5-10 drops of the oil into the still wet skin, and rub it in well with circular motion of your fingertips. Then it’s time to apply the lather. When using a pre-shave oil, it is better to use the lather-in-the-bowl technique, and then paint the pre-made lather onto the beard area. The reason for this is that if you develop the lather on your face with a brush, you will emulsify the oil which you just applied and that will largely negate any beneficial effects in terms of razor glide and keeping in moisture. The other advantage of this painting technique is that you minimize gunking up the bristles of your brush with oil residues.

As for choice of oils, they break down into 2 groups: a) the true oils, and b) the water soluble formulations. In the true oil category, Shave Secret and King of Shaves are inexpensive and readily available at places like Walmart. You can try one of them and see how you like it, and then try a more pricey product if you like. For me, I enjoy the scent of the lather that I am using, and don’t like to mess that up with the the clove, menthol, etc. fragrances of the store products. The solution I found is to use the base oil without any fragrance. Many of the true oil pre-shaves employ grapeseed oil as the base. It is light, has no odor (unlike olive oil, etc.), and grapeseed oil is readily absorbed by the epidermal layer of skin. You can buy high grade 100% grapeseed oil at your supermarket for pennies per ounce. Put some in a dropper squeeze bottle and the remainder in the fridge for long term storage so it wont go rancid. If you want to knock yourself out (I do), you can add a few drops of an essential oil of your preference to the grapeseed oil. For example, I add lime essential oil to the grapeseed oil (~ 5 drops per ounce) and I use that pre-shave when I am using Castle Forbes lime shave cream.

The water soluble pre-shave formulations are largely composed of glycerin which is a great skin moisturizer. However, because of its water solubility, it is easy to lose its moisturizing effect when you brush the lather on, even when you are careful to try and “paint” it. The Castle Forbes pre-shave falls into this category, with its principal ingredients being glycerin and aloe vera, supplemented with silicones like dimethicone. Castle Forbes recommends that you DRY your face after the soap and water prep, and then apply their pre-shave. I would agree. Using CF pre-shave on a wet face allows the glycerin and aloe to run all over and become diluted and much less effective.

I would recommend starting with an oil-based pre-shave. If you have sensitive skin, unadulterated grapeseed oil sans menthol, fragrances, etc. would be the way to go.