Icky Pre-Shave Oil or ........

[jgkeegan]

I have always liked pre-shaves.

A friend whose opinion I think very highly of who argues that the oil-based pre-shaves will screw up your brushes by clogging the pores.

I don't know if I accept that or not. If shampoo removes oil from the hair on your head, why does it not remove it from the hairs on your brush?

I'm interested in your thoughts.

 

[Loric]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but hair does not have pours. Your body produces oil to keep your (or badger, dog, cat, mouse etc) hair healthy. While I could see a problem with to much oil, I dont see how it can hurt a brush. If you are worried, just make sure you clean them off from time to time and I dont think you will have any trouble. Though this is hardly scientific, just my gut reaction.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Your brush not having a living scalp attached to it, I don't see how it can have any oils to lose in the first place.

 

[jgkeegan]

Your brush not having a living scalp attached to it, I don't see how it can have any oils to lose in the first place.

I must have expressed myself badly. I thought I posted about pre-shave oils possibly clogging the hairs of a shaving brush.

I believe Loric commented that he didn't think that hairs had pores, which is something I had not previously heard.

 

[beginish]

AFAIK, hairs don't have pores. The concern may be that a lot of oil-based pre-shave could accumulate on the brush, but just how much pre-shave would you have to put on to get that. Let alone the fact that soaps disrupt oils and separate them from each other. If it ever became an issue, just give the brush a shampoo. It works on my own hair.

 

[Scott0079]

I've got to agree with Loric that badger hair doesn't have pores, I would say however that if the oil builds up on the hairs themselves it will affect water absorption/retention in a negative manner. You'd have to shampoo between each shave which seems far to labor intensive to be worth it.

 

[jgkeegan]

AFAIK, hairs don't have pores. The concern may be that a lot of oil-based pre-shave could accumulate on the brush, but just how much pre-shave would you have to put on to get that. Let alone the fact that soaps disrupt oils and separate them from each other. If it ever became an issue, just give the brush a shampoo. It works on my own hair.

That's pretty much what I said in the post to begin that thread, But I wanted to hear what others thought.

B&Bs best feature is the way people exchange views.

 

[jgkeegan]

I've got to agree with Loric that badger hair doesn't have pores, I would say however that if the oil builds up on the hairs themselves it will affect water absorption/retention in a negative manner. You'd have to shampoo between each shave which seems far to labor intensive to be worth it.

and that's exactly what my friend said (and I paraphrased him badly) in teh thread to begin this.

So, is the issue basically one of cleaning your brush?

 

[_MementoMori_]

Hair has follicles. I believe that follicles can be just as subject to build-up of foreign materials as pores. That is why "clarifying" shampoos exist - to remove excessive build-up from styling products, etc.

I think there may be something to what James is saying. Who can say, though. I'm truly just as clueless as the rest of you on this.

 

[BladeDE40]

Usually you only use a few drops most of which get absorbed by the skin I don't think much ends up in the brush. A lot of soaps and creams also have some type of oil in them as well, so if your brush is ok with those a few drops of shave oil shouldn't cause much of a problem.

 

[Scott0079]

and that's exactly what my friend said (and I paraphrased him badly) in teh thread to begin this.

So, is the issue basically one of cleaning your brush?

Yeah, cleaning should be the only issue.

 

[Loric]

Hair has follicles. I believe that follicles can be just as subject to build-up of foreign materials as pores. That is why "clarifying" shampoos exist - to remove excessive build-up from styling products, etc.

I think there may be something to what James is saying. Who can say, though. I'm truly just as clueless as the rest of you on this.

Hair does have follicles, however when you take the hair off a badger, put it in a knot and clip the base off, the follicles are removed two or three times over.

 

[_MementoMori_]

I see. You're right. Apparently, I was thinking of hair scales/cuticles.

 

[bbarton713]

I have always liked pre-shaves.

A friend whose opinion I think very highly of who argues that the oil-based pre-shaves will screw up your brushes by clogging the pores.

I don't know if I accept that or not. If shampoo removes oil from the hair on your head, why does it not remove it from the hairs on your brush?

I'm interested in your thoughts.

I just think of all the soaps and creams and how they have lanolin, or glycerin, shea butter, or some sort of oily substance and I believe that is the main ingredient in most pre-shaves.

If your brush takes on that matted oily-hair look we've all see when someone has gone a couple/few days between shampoos I guess giving it a good shampoo will do the trick, eh?

I think it is important to use common sense with this type of thing before it enters the realm of voodoo magic or urban legend.

I read somewhere on the internet that a guy dropped his badger brush down a sewer and it was eaten by a big alligator. Now, the alligator's spawn climb up the drains of wet-shavers and devour the brushes while they sleep. No, really, it's true I saw it on the internet!

 

[instpasr]

If you give your skin enough time to absorb the oil before applying lather it shouldn't be a problem. If you rush it the oil may tend to kill your lather. I think of the brush like my other shaving implements in that it needs cleaning at regular intervals too. Shampoo works great.

 

[Mike Schutz]

I've been using pre-shave oil for 20 years and have never had a problem with my brushes, boar or badger, cheap or expensive. Used properly, the oil preps the skin and does nothing to affect the brush or the lather. Although most don't use it, many do with no problems. Whatever works best for you.

 

[Picaro]

The substance that removes oil from our hair is soap. Soap will disperse the oil from our skin and our brushes so that it rinses away. Our brushes are exposed to far more soap than oil.