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Grooming Dept pre-shave

A few weeks ago Grooming Dept re-stocked its pre-shave so i jumped on a tub of unscented. I was not a believer of pre-shave products and preferred to shower before a shave or sometimes wash my face with CeraVe cleanser- then get on with my shave as usual- I'm using high quality artisan soaps like Grooming Dept and B&M for the most part- these are super fatted with added oils/butters so my results are usually stellar in part because of the product used. Other soaps in my den that i enjoy using due to the scents- namely SV and MdC- these are not as easy to reach for with stacks of elite performing soaps in front of me. This pre-shave product changes all of that.
The product is unscented, though it has a slight almond-y scent that i don't notice once i apply it to my face. I'll pat one hand into the sink full of water i use to rinse my razor and keep massaging it into my beard until it becomes slick (just before bubbles begin to form). I may keep dipping my hand into water a few times and massage it in for a minute or two. Then i'll load my brush and proceed with my shave as normal. The lather quality is considerably better/creamier, and the feeling is more like the super fatted soaps- but that's not the best of it. Where it shines is residual slickness and post shave- the key features missing from some soaps. After the first pass I can detect the residual slickness so i don't rinse my face- just pat some more water on the skin and proceed with the second pass. Rinse it all off with ice cold water when done and i'm left with post shave conditioned skin. Without this pre-shave product, my skin would feel like rubbing water over a balloon.

I've used the pre-shave even with GD and B&M soaps and its hard to detect any differences because they already have excellent lather qualities- so, YMMV. Other soaps that can stand to use a little help in performance i believe the difference is considerable. A soap like MdC, for instance, you might use because of its bare bones ingredients list and highly intoxicating scents; and so adding this pre-shave product to their shave regiment sort of negates the reason to use that soap- something everyone needs to consider for themselves.

This is a pretty amazing pre-shave product and i'll use it regardless of the soap i plan to shave with- if anything, it benefits MdC and SV since i'll be burning through those soaps faster than i thought.
 
used it this morning with my wolfman VR2 and a feather blade with Holy Black gunpowder spice. 1st time with the preshave and the feather blade.....it was a ridiculously smooth shave with no blade feel or even the sound I usually get when shaving. Highly enjoyed it...whether it was the blade the preshave or both I got a great shave this morning.
 
As you all know, I am a huge grooming dept fan. I am finding it leaps and bounds above the other products I use. I do have a dumb question….
I got a jar of the gd pre shave and it has small granules in the mixture. It almost seems like soap. They look like small rice flecks. Is that how the other pre shaves are ? I have the lavender scent one.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
Yeah, I’m using the unscented and it has little bits in it too. I was guessing exfoliating bits but what do I know.

I still have to try their unscented soap I bought a few weeks ago. I’ll try it soon after we get home.,
 
Pre-Shave is essential for me when using the cheaper but nicely scented soaps and creams! I guess this is another to add to the list to try

The Grooming Dept preshave is good and works well with lower tier soaps. However, my preference is to use top-tier soaps that do not need the assistance of a pre-shave. By the time you add the cost of a preshave product, an inexpensive soap, and a postshave product, you could have purchased a better soap that provides it all.
 
The Grooming Dept preshave is good and works well with lower tier soaps. However, my preference is to use top-tier soaps that do not need the assistance of a pre-shave. By the time you add the cost of a preshave product, an inexpensive soap, and a postshave product, you could have purchased a better soap that provides it all.

While I totally agree- there are soaps I have where I LOVE the scent but their performance makes them more difficult for me to use with a stack of great soaps within reach. MdC and SV are exactly those soaps and this preshave was practically made for them.
 
While I totally agree- there are soaps I have where I LOVE the scent but their performance makes them more difficult for me to use with a stack of great soaps within reach. MdC and SV are exactly those soaps and this preshave was practically made for them.

I have not tried MdC. After examining the ingredient list, I decided to pass.

Many people love SV. I purchased a Beta 4.3 soap and matching aftershave. The scent of both is nice, but the performance of the soap rates around a B level on my evaluation scale. For the price that I paid, I expected an A level soap minimum. Thus, I was disappointed. If the soap had been priced under $20, I would have been OK with the value.
 
Yea out of stock (the unscented), for the better, otherwise I would have probably gotten it to try and see how it works since I already use pre shaves, ones that I like very much (Razor Emporium and PAA cube, unmentholated and when I feel like adding a menthol to the soap, mentholated, works quite nicely) but again wanting to try something different to see if I can still do better.
 
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Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
Yea out of stock (the unscented), for the better, otherwise I would have probably gotten it to try and see how it works since I already use pre shaves, ones that I like very much (Razor Emporium and PAA cube, unmentholated and when I feel like adding a menthol to the soap, mentholated, works quite nicely) but again wanting to try something different to see if I can still do better.
The PAA Cube and Tube 2.0 are first rate products as well. I put Baume.be in the same category for me.
 
A few weeks ago Grooming Dept re-stocked its pre-shave so i jumped on a tub of unscented. I was not a believer of pre-shave products and preferred to shower before a shave or sometimes wash my face with CeraVe cleanser- then get on with my shave as usual- I'm using high quality artisan soaps like Grooming Dept and B&M for the most part- these are super fatted with added oils/butters so my results are usually stellar in part because of the product used. Other soaps in my den that i enjoy using due to the scents- namely SV and MdC- these are not as easy to reach for with stacks of elite performing soaps in front of me. This pre-shave product changes all of that.
The product is unscented, though it has a slight almond-y scent that i don't notice once i apply it to my face. I'll pat one hand into the sink full of water i use to rinse my razor and keep massaging it into my beard until it becomes slick (just before bubbles begin to form). I may keep dipping my hand into water a few times and massage it in for a minute or two. Then i'll load my brush and proceed with my shave as normal. The lather quality is considerably better/creamier, and the feeling is more like the super fatted soaps- but that's not the best of it. Where it shines is residual slickness and post shave- the key features missing from some soaps. After the first pass I can detect the residual slickness so i don't rinse my face- just pat some more water on the skin and proceed with the second pass. Rinse it all off with ice cold water when done and i'm left with post shave conditioned skin. Without this pre-shave product, my skin would feel like rubbing water over a balloon.

I've used the pre-shave even with GD and B&M soaps and its hard to detect any differences because they already have excellent lather qualities- so, YMMV. Other soaps that can stand to use a little help in performance i believe the difference is considerable. A soap like MdC, for instance, you might use because of its bare bones ingredients list and highly intoxicating scents; and so adding this pre-shave product to their shave regiment sort of negates the reason to use that soap- something everyone needs to consider for themselves.

This is a pretty amazing pre-shave product and i'll use it regardless of the soap i plan to shave with- if anything, it benefits MdC and SV since i'll be burning through those soaps faster than i thought.
Translate B&M, MdC, and SV for me.
 
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