I don’t face prep anymore.

[EclipseRedRing]

I tried the Proraso pre shave cream and enjoyed the menthol cooling effect but it did not do anything to actually improve the shave; in some cases I felt it made it harder to get a decent lather. I ended up using the Proraso pre shave as an all over body moisturiser and now I simply wet my face, load the brush, and face lather until I am satisfied with the lather, plus a couple of extra minutes because I enjoy it so much. I am finding I get better results with a slightly wetter lather than I have been using previously. I think a post shave moisturiser, possibly including hyaluronic acid, is more beneficial than any pre shave routine to me.

 

[KrstGor]

Weird? Right? No shower. No pre-shave. I splash on water, lather up and go.

I’m getting better, closer shaves. My skin looks and feels great. Plus can shave when it’s convenient rather than just after showering.

it’s odd. Granted I’m not chasing BBS. But it’s interesting nonetheless.

Your post made me curious, so today I just decided to give it a shot. I had a 3-day growth.

No prep whatsoever. Went to the bathroom, splashed my face with warm water just a couple of times, squeezed a tiny bit of TOBS St. James cream on my palm and rubbed it on my face, let say I "massaged" it into my face for maybe half a minute. I didn't even soak the brush in the hot water, smth. I always do, just let the tap water run over the brush for a moment. I didn't face lather either, which is another thing I always do. Built some quick lather in the bowl and painted it over my face.

Feather AC SS with a fresh Pro Super blade (2nd shave with this blade).

The overall feel was noticeably worse than when shaving properly hydrated and prepped beard, no comparison. I went for a 3-pass WTG/XTG/ATG. I'd rate this shave above SAS and below DFS. Managed to get cheeks BBS, stubble can be felt all over my lower neck (which I normally manage to eliminate completely) and I didn't even try to do a fool's pass, smth. I regularly do with my SRs.

So, thanks, but no thank you. I'll stick to my LONG shower and proper face-prep.

 

[ackvil]

Everyone has to find what works for them. When I first started shaving I would wash my face, wet my face, and lather up. That worked fine for me. When I joined B&B I read some of the prep others did and tried them all. For me, it was no difference.

So now my prep is rather simple. Was my face with Neutrogena Liquid face soap. Wet my face and apply lather. No elaborate prep, shower, or anything more.

 

[emwolf]

I am still unsure if all the prep makes much difference.....

it's fun!

 

[BigJ]

Great post!

Results are what count IMO! If you don’t need much prep, then why bother?

 

[FreeBlues]

Gonna try no prep for my next shave(s). I like the theory, let's see if it works for me.

 

[MntnMan62]

The only pre-shave prep I've ever done has been pre-shave oil. But recently I decided to see what happens if I don't do the pre-shave oil. And I found that I could not tell the difference between when I use the pre-shave oil and when I don't. Therefore I've eliminated it from my ritual. I always take a shower before shaving but don't consider that "prep" since I have to shave every day anyway. I agree that a hot shower before the shave is beneficial but I still don't consider it prep. So, no more pre-shave prep for me.

 

[iShave415]

Without prepping I will ***** and whine daily in this thread "What did you use today? +Rate the shave 1-10 (10 best)"
The rating will be 2 out of 10 every time. My skin is too sensitive..haha

 

[DougK]

I just wash my face, leave it wet, then lather up and go. If I do too much prep, my skin gets really irritated and I wind up with nicks and cuts.

 

[Tirvine]

My preshave routine is drinking hot coffee before heading up to shave.

;0)

 

[santamariasteve]

This is a very interesting topic. Let's examine it piece by piece.

What is the purpose of a preshave prep routine? The only purpose I can identify is "to soften the whiskers."

And how is softening the whiskers done? Only two ways, AFAIK. Water hydration. And heat. But primarily it is water hydration. I could put a blow drier on my dry face for several minutes, and I don't think it would soften my whiskers much, if at all.

Heat plays a minor role in prepping the whiskers, maybe 5 to 10%. Where heat is important, however, is warm water is more effective when whipping up the lather, than is cold water.

My jury is still out in deliberation, but maybe the best plan for prep and shaving is this: Wash face with soap and either cold or warm water; make lather with a brush and warm water; and then shave with cool water.

 

[DougK]

This is a very interesting topic. Let's examine it piece by piece.

What is the purpose of a preshave prep routine? The only purpose I can identify is "to soften the whiskers."

And how is softening the whiskers done? Only two ways, AFAIK. Water hydration. And heat. But primarily it is water hydration. I could put a blow drier on my dry face for several minutes, and I don't think it would soften my whiskers much, if at all.

Heat plays a minor role in prepping the whiskers, maybe 5 to 10%. Where heat is important, however, is warm water is more effective when whipping up the lather, than is cold water.

My jury is still out in deliberation, but maybe the best plan for prep and shaving is this: Wash face with soap and either cold or warm water; make lather with a brush and warm water; and then shave with cool water.

That's pretty much what I do, although it's warmish water throughout until the final rinse, which is cold water.

 

[Boogley12]

I find that shave prep, especially hot pre shave shower makes my already soft skin (note I’m not saying sensitive skin) ever softer and more elastic if that’s the right word.

The whiskers clearly are easier to cut but my extra hydrated skin is far more likely to nicks and cuts than without prep

Contrary to most advice but it’s real to me.

Quick splash with warm water and a real good soap rocks my boat every time

 

[santamariasteve]

Similarly, I find a warm water shave leaves my face more prone to nicks and weepers than does a cool water shave.

I like cool water shaves, except it's more difficult to lather the soap.

 

[guitarslinger]

RE: prep.

I find "washing" one's face prior to the shaving routine strips away precious oils that facilitate a smoother shave.

The shave soap itself does plenty of washing. No need to wash my face before hand. FWIW, I clean the rest of my face, post shave, with the loaded brush. shaving soap everywhere.

 

[Roterodamum]

Very interesting all of this. I always shave right after showering but over the last week, I had some shaves that were done for the sole purpose of testing new gear . These were done without showering beforehand and for some reason, they were a lot nicer. My face felt far less 'puffy' and I had no nick or cuts even with Feather blades (!). I ma going to explore this 'no prep' routine further..

 

[PintoPlain]

RE: prep.

I find "washing" one's face prior to the shaving routine strips away precious oils that facilitate a smoother shave.

I find the opposite. For me removing the oils from my face facilitates the whiskers absorbing more water, thus softening them and making them easier to cut. Looks like a case of YMMV.

 

[Roterodamum]

Tonight I just splashed some water on my face only to wet it some. Then I put some shaving cream on my fingers and rubbed it in my face. After that I loaded my brush with some of the same cream and face lathered away for a good 2 to 3 minutes. I had a very comfortable shave. This is definitely a YMMV thing but my shaves are without a doubt better than with my usual method of showering and shaving right after it. It also liberating because I know I don't need to take a shower first in order to get a good shave. This is interesting stuff to say the least!

 

[Tappio]

Light face prep definitely helps me! I keep it simple, I just face lather on my soap of the day and let it sit on there for five or ten minutes while I watch tv or do some stuff in the house. Every few minutes I take my damp brush and brush it around my face to keep it wet. Then I proceed with my shave, switching to bowl lathering.

 

[fathandle]

I am curious what barbers do now when shaving someone's face. Used to be they would put a wet hot towel on their face and let it set a few minutes. Think- gangster in the chair with towel over his face and gets blasted by rival gang. Loved those movies. hehe