How pre-shave oils work
- Thread starter Augustiner
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G
gone down south
I use just enough to barely coat the palm of one hand, that usually works out to 2 or 3 squirts from the bottle. Couldn't tell you why shave oil works for me, but it does. Might even by psychosomatic, but I definitely feel my shaves are better when I use some.
I have been using pre-shave oil for the last couple of years and have always believed it helped in some way, I just didn't know how. The first I used was AOS, but as has been pointed out, it is very thick. I now make my own pre-shave oil from castor oil and olive oil, sometimes adding some EO as well. I have also noticed that my face does not dry out as much in winter as it used too before I begin using the PSO.
Mike
Mike
Informative post. I'd read somewhere on the web to use grapeseed oil and so I'd been doing that but was probably using too much because it clogged up my panny electric, not massively but enough to see visible residue. Then when I was in London recently I bought an extremely inexpensive 18ml bottle of 4 Men Ultra Smooth Shaving Oil. It smells awesome and does a great job. They recommend about 3 and a half drops. Way less than I was using before. If you're in the UK, get yourself down to Wilkinsons cheapo emporium and try it. You won't be disappointed. It contains: Vitis Vinifera (Grapeseed), Melaleuca Anternifolia (Tea Tree), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender), Progostemon Cablin (Patchouli), Menthol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Geraniol (Geranium Oil Extraction), Limonene (gives a cirtrus fragrance) and Linalool (a colourless fragrant liquid found in many essential oils).
Now to be honest I'd never heard of half of these until I googled them and found out their names (listed in brackets). Now at least I know why this stuff smells so amazing!
Now to be honest I'd never heard of half of these until I googled them and found out their names (listed in brackets). Now at least I know why this stuff smells so amazing!
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Thanks for this post. I read this post today for the first time, I have been using the method described before however. I can confirm: it helps a lot.
+1 on placing this in the wiki!
+1 on placing this in the wiki!
... really great post and discussion, I have the T&H preshave oil and was going to shelve it due to my concerns about it either gumming up my brush or washing off with the lathering.
I am now moving the bottle to the shower and will use it there as part of my prep - thanks so much for such a articulate, logical and reasoned synopsis of pre-shave oils.
I hope T&H is the absorbing variety??
+ for sticky
I am now moving the bottle to the shower and will use it there as part of my prep - thanks so much for such a articulate, logical and reasoned synopsis of pre-shave oils.
I hope T&H is the absorbing variety??
+ for sticky
Interesting post, but I' m not sure I follow. Why would (hydrophobic) oil hold water in the skin? These are two very different liquids and the connection is not clear. Will the water "leak out" without an oil barrier? Maybe a simpler explanation is that oil itself makes skin supple, with or without water in the skin. My guess is that water is absorbed by the hairs, which then become softer and easier to cut. But it's only a guess.
Two other observations:
I personally have not have much success with pre-shave oils. They gunk up the razor and, worse, are hard to get off the skin afterwards. But I do like a fatty cream, and often add a squirt of avocado oil to my Trumpers cream, or load up my brush with Institut Karite soap, which has lots of shea butter (but is too stinky to use without adulteration).
I entirely agree that oil does not play a role in cutting itself. When I worked in a machine shop, we used buckets of oil, but my understanding is that this was to remove heat, and to facilitate chip evacuation.
With best wishes for the new year to all,
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W
wiglet100
Hi All,
This is my first post so please be kind
I have used various shaving oil for years, especially Somersets. I cannot see how I would go back to shaving cream now. I tried the Real Shaving Company one but couldn't get used to it. The best one so far is Somersets.
Its pretty expensive £3.50 for 12mls but you are only supposed to use 3 drops (yes just three!) so you should get a lot of shaves for your money.
My shaving regime is as follows:
I always shave before eating in the morning never after. Once you start eating it stimulates the blood around your mouth and you are more likely to cut yourself. The same reason applies to why you are more likely to cut yourself in the evening when you shave before going out.
I apply a scalding hot flannel on my face several times to open the pores then massage the oil in, rubbing as hard as I can.
Then I shave as normal. I have used a Gillette Contour Plus (2 blade cartridge) for about 15 years now. I have just bought a Gillette Mach3 but find it hard to cope with TBH.
Then once I'm done shaving, I splash my flannel with cold water and place on my face. This closes the pores and helps to stop bleeding if there is any!
Then I either apply an aftershave balm or I sometimes use ordinary moisturiser with aftershave it in, which is cheaper
Sometimes I don't get time to do this and my face is still smooth afterwards.
The shave feels good and my face never feels dried out as it used to feel with conventional stick soaps.
It also isn't messy all over my clothes like lather can be.
Like lots of things in life, you should give it a go for at least a week so you can adjust to it.
Hope this helps
Cheerybye tata
Wiglet
This is my first post so please be kind
I have used various shaving oil for years, especially Somersets. I cannot see how I would go back to shaving cream now. I tried the Real Shaving Company one but couldn't get used to it. The best one so far is Somersets.
Its pretty expensive £3.50 for 12mls but you are only supposed to use 3 drops (yes just three!) so you should get a lot of shaves for your money.
My shaving regime is as follows:
I always shave before eating in the morning never after. Once you start eating it stimulates the blood around your mouth and you are more likely to cut yourself. The same reason applies to why you are more likely to cut yourself in the evening when you shave before going out.
I apply a scalding hot flannel on my face several times to open the pores then massage the oil in, rubbing as hard as I can.
Then I shave as normal. I have used a Gillette Contour Plus (2 blade cartridge) for about 15 years now. I have just bought a Gillette Mach3 but find it hard to cope with TBH.
Then once I'm done shaving, I splash my flannel with cold water and place on my face. This closes the pores and helps to stop bleeding if there is any!
Then I either apply an aftershave balm or I sometimes use ordinary moisturiser with aftershave it in, which is cheaper
Sometimes I don't get time to do this and my face is still smooth afterwards.
The shave feels good and my face never feels dried out as it used to feel with conventional stick soaps.
It also isn't messy all over my clothes like lather can be.
Like lots of things in life, you should give it a go for at least a week so you can adjust to it.
Hope this helps
Cheerybye tata
Wiglet
+ 1 great post i always use pre shave oil since i started using a DE i would rather use it in my shave routine than not right now
I am new to B&B. I was searching for reviews on pre-shave oils. Does anyone have experience with Clarins Shave Ease oil?
I tried Clarins oil a couple years ago and didn't like it. My skin became super sensitive to the point that I could not shave anymore. But, I am also very sensitive to oils. I also tried T&H oil, which was better but still not beneficial to my personal shave routine.
M
micbag
+ 1 great post i always use pre shave oil since i started using a DE i would rather use it in my shave routine than not right now
Hi,
New to this site. Learning a lot. I use a DE. I'm about to start using a pre-shave cream, but I do three passes with my DE. Should I apply pre-shave cream before each pass? Or just once in the beginning. Thanks.
I find that applying before every pass is better than skipping one or more passes. I have used the Proraso preshave cream, Musgo Real pre shave oil, Castle Forbes pre shave, Alt Innsbruck pre shave, and Dolerma and Primalan. They all work well. The key is to apply pre shaves thinly and work well into the skin. Applying too much interferes with the lather.
Does the use of a pre-shave oil affect blade life -- longer or shorter?
In theory, it should extend blade life if it works as it's supposed to (and described here). But as a practical matter, I assume it doesn't.
A few years ago, I was given an AOS shaving cream & pre-shave oil set for the holidays. The cream wasn't bad, but the pre-shave oil was awful--like motor oil.I used it about a dozen times, but it caused my skin to break out, and it actually caused my razor to dull much faster. (Back then, I was using an M3.)
But if a pre-shave oil properly gets absorbed into the skin, it should, in theory soften the whiskers and allow the blade to cut more them more readily, thus extending blade life.
Thoughts?
Great topic, very informative for noobies. I too am working through an AoS gift set with the aforementioned pre-shave oil; and agree - it's like rubbing 3-in-1 oil on my face. I just figured they were all like this; but now I'm going to look for other oils. Thanks!
Interesting stuff, thanks!
Now, here's a question.
What if I 'oiled' the edge of the razor (either Straight or DE) with some sort of preshave oil.
Would this do any good?
Now, here's a question.
What if I 'oiled' the edge of the razor (either Straight or DE) with some sort of preshave oil.
Would this do any good?
This is a great thread. I have some Shave Secret and didn't really know how it worked so I didn't find a benefit. The last couple days I used it with a very wet face and my shaves were excellent.
I use AoS unscented pre-shave oil and it does make a big difference. As part of my routine, I pour a small amount directly into my shaving soap container and whip it up with the brush. When I am in a hurry and skip this step I can feel the difference.
While I prefer the thickness of AOS oil (I use very little) there are definitely decent thinner oils out there. Pacific Shaving Company makes a nice thinner oil. It can be had at some Bed Bath and Beyond stores that carry personal grooming products.
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