I came across a reference (on a non-shaving site) to using oil to shave with, not in addition to, but instead of lather. Has anyone tried this? What do you think?
Oil Instead of Lather?
- Thread starter Jack-in-the-Green
- Start date
Most folks that tried this have the scars to prove it. If you try it, just be careful and go slowly.
Oil is unnecessary and insufficient.
Yes I tried it and I found it to be a poor substitute to lather. I cannot recommend it. The stuff I used was called sommerset's shave oil.
I used it a bit in the days I shaved with a cart razor. It was about as good as the gloop from a can, so pretty useless really.
yes I tried this and have not been able to stop using it, its just over a month doing this routine now.
I use a mix of 1 part castor oil and 4 parts olive oil.
my pre shave prep involves shower and lots of hydrating the beard while in the shower.
step out dripping
two - three drops of oil and rub it in good, I spend about a minute doing this.
assemble the razor, splash some water on the face
shave away.
splash water on the face
one drop of oil and rub it in again
do my second pass.
rub alum block ( I get zero feedback nowadays)
clean up (this is a bit of a chore, oil does gunk up your razor and sink, I take a tissue and wipe everything)
splash face with water one last time.
That's it, I don't need any aftershave care.
If you decide to try it let us know how it works for you.
I use a mix of 1 part castor oil and 4 parts olive oil.
my pre shave prep involves shower and lots of hydrating the beard while in the shower.
step out dripping
two - three drops of oil and rub it in good, I spend about a minute doing this.
assemble the razor, splash some water on the face
shave away.
splash water on the face
one drop of oil and rub it in again
do my second pass.
rub alum block ( I get zero feedback nowadays)
clean up (this is a bit of a chore, oil does gunk up your razor and sink, I take a tissue and wipe everything)
splash face with water one last time.
That's it, I don't need any aftershave care.
If you decide to try it let us know how it works for you.
I occasionally use King of Shaves Kinexium oil for touch ups at the end of my passes. However, last night, before going out, I did a quick (3 minute) full WTG pass using the KOS oil in conjunction with my FaTip. Compared to normal lather, I got a much closer shave with the oil for that one pass & no irritation afterwards. I would happily leave for work with the standard of shave I achieved (borderline CCS/DFS), but it could have been improved with a follow up ATG pass, for a smooth as glass BBS. I don't think I am brave/stupid enough to attempt an ATG pass using the FaTip & shave oil though! I am now thinking about trying oil shaving with some milder razors, like my Red Tip, or Tradere OC, as I think I would be able to manage an ATG without scarring myself for life with these razors. Famous last words!
I must be in the monority (it seems). I acknowledge that any change or variable in your shave routine would always require adjustment. I actually still sing the virtues of shaving with oil.
In the past, I've used it as part of my regular routine - it definitely improved my shaves with cartridges and disposable razors. I still use baby oil or grapeseed oil to head shave and before I went exclusively to shaving soaps I used that to face shave also on those days when I couldnt be bothered to lather up. The problem with oil shaving is it can get messy - slippery razor grip; oil gets in your razors and takes more time to clean.
However imho, baby oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil are just as good, in fact even massage oil is good and does the job as good as dedicated shaving oils. Natural oils are even cheaper £/ml. If one still uses cartidges or disposables, I'd recommend use oils than soaps. But that's my two cents.
In the past, I've used it as part of my regular routine - it definitely improved my shaves with cartridges and disposable razors. I still use baby oil or grapeseed oil to head shave and before I went exclusively to shaving soaps I used that to face shave also on those days when I couldnt be bothered to lather up. The problem with oil shaving is it can get messy - slippery razor grip; oil gets in your razors and takes more time to clean.
However imho, baby oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil are just as good, in fact even massage oil is good and does the job as good as dedicated shaving oils. Natural oils are even cheaper £/ml. If one still uses cartidges or disposables, I'd recommend use oils than soaps. But that's my two cents.
Shave Secret is one such oil.
I have used it one time without any other lather. It did the job but it wasn't comfortable. It also clogged my razor, but that could be remedied by rinsing more often.
Perhaps it would have been better if I would have massaged it around more and/or had less of a beard to shave.
For me with a full beard, I didn't think it did a great job by itself.
I begin putting several drops in with Bigelow cream and that produced an amazingly slick lather.
I have used it one time without any other lather. It did the job but it wasn't comfortable. It also clogged my razor, but that could be remedied by rinsing more often.
Perhaps it would have been better if I would have massaged it around more and/or had less of a beard to shave.
For me with a full beard, I didn't think it did a great job by itself.
I begin putting several drops in with Bigelow cream and that produced an amazingly slick lather.
I've tried KOS AlphaOil Menthol and Shave Secret. I'll agree that both gave a reasonable though slightly uncomfortable shave. I still use Shave Secret on occasion in addition to lather if I feel the need for some extra protection (if I had a bad shave the day before, wind/sun burn, etc) but not by itself. The KOS AlphaOil got extremely gummy/tacky after about 2-years in the drawer, so I threw it out. The Shave Secret didn't degrade like this over the same period of time.
Similar threads
