Pre Shave Oil (or, never get complacent)

[scottish steve]

Hi guys
Last week I was scanning a few documents and I noticed a consistent redness around my lower left neck in many photographs, which the scanner insisted on picking up. Was shocked and mortified, given how much time and efort I've put into this shaving malarky. I thought I had it sussed! Admittedly, the scanner was extremely unforgiving and the original photos from the worst sources (Post Office passport machines etc) but still, there it was. So I gave my skin a rest for a couple of days and then fell back on the old pre-shave oil which I thought I'd "grown out of" and immediately noticed a softness and vitality to my skin, which I hadn't noticed had been missing. Only did 2 WTG passes also. I think I've been enjoying shaving too much with all this cool retro equipment and online "enabling"!
P.S. The "Photo-Me" machines are, I think, the best machines to use in the UK.

 

[Chuck Norris]

Lol, well this is good to hear from another man with Scottish skin like me. I thought the pre-shave oil was another way for the "enablers" to get us to empty our wallets, but after giving one a good try, my shaves are super smooth, irritation free and even a little faster.

 

[James099]

What are you guys using for your pre shave oils?

 

[psychlopath]

Is that a....girl with a slug on her face?

 

[Johnnie Walker]

What are you guys using for your pre shave oils?

I personally use the AOS Sandalwood Pre shave oil. I know many here do not like the thickness of the product and the residue it leaves on your hands (I use this newfangled thing called soap to remove it). I have quite sensitive skin and for me a shave without pre shave oil is like a car without wheels.

 

[ceebee]

Pre-shave formulations fall into 2 basic groups: a) the true oils, and b) the water soluble concoctions. In the true oil category, Shave Secret and King of Shaves are inexpensive and readily available at many drug stores. You can try one of them and see how you like it, and then try a more pricey product if you like. For me, I enjoy the scent of my lather and I don’t like confound it with the clove, menthol, etc. fragrances of the store-bought pre-shave products.

The solution I found is to use a quality base oil without any fragrance. Many of the true oil pre-shaves employ grapeseed oil as the base. It is a very light oil, and it has no odor (unlike olive oil, baby oil, etc.). More importantly, grapeseed oil is readily absorbed by the epidermal layer of skin. and seals in moisture. It will not clog pores (non-comedogenic) like some oils do. You can buy food grade 100% grapeseed oil at your supermarket for pennies per ounce. Put some in a dropper squeeze bottle and the remainder in the fridge for long term storage and it wont go rancid. If you want to knock yourself out (I sometimes do), you can add a few drops of an essential oil of your preference to the grapeseed oil. For example, I add lime essential oil to the grapeseed oil (~ 5 drops per ounce) and I use that pre-shave when I am using Castle Forbes lime shave cream. I use a bergamot scented oil when I am shaving with a Penhaligon's BB, and that combo is splendid.

The water soluble pre-shave formulations are largely composed of glycerin which is a great skin moisturizer. However, because it is water soluble, it is easy to lose its moisturizing effect if the face is too wet after the soap and water prep. The Castle Forbes pre-shave falls into this category, with its principal ingredients being glycerin and aloe vera, supplemented with silicones like dimethicone. Castle Forbes even recommends that you DRY your face after the soap and water prep, and then apply their pre-shave. I would agree. Using CF pre-shave on a wet face allows the glycerin and aloe to run all over and become diluted and much less effective.

Just a note on using a pre-shave oil…ymmv, of course. I apply 5-10 drops of oil and rub it well into the prepped beard area. I do not work up a lather on my face afterwards, however. The action of scrubbing with a soapy shaving brush will emulsify and remove the pre-shave (especially true for glycerin pre-shaves) just like when you are using mechanical agitation with soap to get rid of oily grime on your hands. To preserve the oil film on the epidermis which assists razor glide, I found it better to prepare the lather in a bowl, and then “paint” the pre-made lather on the oil treated beard. The other advantage of this method is that you will not gunk up your fine brush with pre-shave oil.

 

[microtome]

I use my wife's bath&bodywork aromatherapy oil. Seems to make the blade glide effortlessly.

 

[James099]

I thought of trying Grapeseed oil, but I ended up going with Sweet almond oil instead (unscented). This what I have been using for the last while and I feel it works quite well. What are anyone's thoughts on Sweet almond oil as a pre shave?

 

[ru06]

I also use Pre-Shave oil. It makes my face more moisturized and softer. I use the AOS Lavender. But, because of its ludicrously high price, I now make my own version. It is 2.5 : 1 Castor oil to Olive oil with a few drops of Lavender essential oil. I bought the Castor oil and Lavender EO on Amazom and the Olive oil in the supermarket. It really quite cost effective.

 

[SUMMERSRL]

I also use Pre-Shave oil. It makes my face more moisturized and softer. I use the AOS Lavender. But, because of its ludicrously high price, I now make my own version. It is 2.5 : 1 Castor oil to Olive oil with a few drops of Lavender essential oil. I bought the Castor oil and Lavender EO on Amazom and the Olive oil in the supermarket. It really quite cost effective.

I use the same formula for my pre-shave oil. The cost of making your own is quite reasonable.

 

[petr]

I think winter time dry weather particularly makes oil more useful.

Pacific shave oil is thin, much thinner than AOS, and cheap.

T&H is a great product. I thought it was over-hyped and over priced, but when my neck is looking rough it seems to be the only thing tha helps. So it is worth it to me.

That was an interesting spin on CF.

 

[saltypete]

I think winter time dry weather particularly makes oil more useful.

Pacific shave oil is thin, much thinner than AOS, and cheap.

T&H is a great product. I thought it was over-hyped and over priced, but when my neck is looking rough it seems to be the only thing tha helps. So it is worth it to me.

That was an interesting spin on CF.

If I need a guaranteed good, irritation free, shave I always use T&H preshave oil. It's expensive but it works for me.

Pete

 

[netsurfr]

I like the grapeseed oil with a few drops of my favorite essential oil of the week.

 

[Nic Bledsoe]

Ahhh, don't worry about it.... just Photoshop the pictures

 

[Tommy Boy]

I also use Pre-Shave oil. It makes my face more moisturized and softer. I use the AOS Lavender. But, because of its ludicrously high price, I now make my own version. It is 2.5 : 1 Castor oil to Olive oil with a few drops of Lavender essential oil. I bought the Castor oil and Lavender EO on Amazom and the Olive oil in the supermarket. It really quite cost effective.

My recipe is similar - although I also add jojoba and grapeseed oils. I've made two types so far - a mentholated version (I add a few drops of eucalyptus, camphor, and menthol essential oils) and a bay rum version (bay rum essential oils). I purchased all of these products at a local natural market type store (Sunflower Market, for those here in Phoenix) for a bit more than the cost of one AoS 2oz. bottle.
I have found that they work very well. I apply after my Kyle's prep right before lathering (I bowl lather, not face lather) and then again (very lightly) before my 3rd pass.

 

[chicken neck]

Pre-shave formulations fall into 2 basic groups: a) the true oils, and b) the water soluble concoctions. In the true oil category, Shave Secret and King of Shaves are inexpensive and readily available at many drug stores. You can try one of them and see how you like it, and then try a more pricey product if you like. For me, I enjoy the scent of my lather and I don’t like confound it with the clove, menthol, etc. fragrances of the store-bought pre-shave products.

The solution I found is to use a quality base oil without any fragrance. Many of the true oil pre-shaves employ grapeseed oil as the base. It is a very light oil, and it has no odor (unlike olive oil, baby oil, etc.). More importantly, grapeseed oil is readily absorbed by the epidermal layer of skin. and seals in moisture. It will not clog pores (non-comedogenic) like some oils do. You can buy food grade 100% grapeseed oil at your supermarket for pennies per ounce. Put some in a dropper squeeze bottle and the remainder in the fridge for long term storage and it wont go rancid. If you want to knock yourself out (I sometimes do), you can add a few drops of an essential oil of your preference to the grapeseed oil. For example, I add lime essential oil to the grapeseed oil (~ 5 drops per ounce) and I use that pre-shave when I am using Castle Forbes lime shave cream. I use a bergamot scented oil when I am shaving with a Penhaligon's BB, and that combo is splendid.

The water soluble pre-shave formulations are largely composed of glycerin which is a great skin moisturizer. However, because it is water soluble, it is easy to lose its moisturizing effect if the face is too wet after the soap and water prep. The Castle Forbes pre-shave falls into this category, with its principal ingredients being glycerin and aloe vera, supplemented with silicones like dimethicone. Castle Forbes even recommends that you DRY your face after the soap and water prep, and then apply their pre-shave. I would agree. Using CF pre-shave on a wet face allows the glycerin and aloe to run all over and become diluted and much less effective.

Just a note on using a pre-shave oil…ymmv, of course. I apply 5-10 drops of oil and rub it well into the prepped beard area. I do not work up a lather on my face afterwards, however. The action of scrubbing with a soapy shaving brush will emulsify and remove the pre-shave (especially true for glycerin pre-shaves) just like when you are using mechanical agitation with soap to get rid of oily grime on your hands. To preserve the oil film on the epidermis which assists razor glide, I found it better to prepare the lather in a bowl, and then “paint” the pre-made lather on the oil treated beard. The other advantage of this method is that you will not gunk up your fine brush with pre-shave oil.

Interesting post. I largely agree, but ... it depends what you are using the pre-shave oil for. My understanding is that it can serve two main purposes: 1. Provide glide; and 2. Make your skin more flexible. I would argue that your shaving soap / cream should provide sufficient glide though and what is really important is the flexibility of the skin. If your skin is flexible and moist (rather than hard and dry) it is much less likely to get irritated or cut. If flexibility is your aim (rather than glide) then a glycerin based pre-shave prep is better than an oil based pre-shave prep. You actually want it to dissolve into the skin. I do agree though that you should apply it to dry skin so that it is not diluted too much.

 

[petr]

This post got me to thinking and my verdict after pulling several old products out of the cabinet to test is ... olive and castor oil make pre shave oil mixes sticky, gummy, and otherwise a negative product. Too much Jojoba screws things up on the gunky side also. This is the stuff guys are complaining about not coming off your hands even with soap.

 

[Augustiner]

Is that a....girl with a slug on her face?

That is the album cover for the band "A Perfect Circle." The album is called "Thirteenth Step," it came out in 2003.

 

[scottish steve]

Been a while since I've been on B&B, so didn't notice the replies. I use 100% Pure rice-bran oil. Cholesterol-free, with lots of vitamin e and £3.40/Ltre. Proprietory PSOs are good, but so much of a rip-off I wouldn't even consider buying them---just take a look at the ingredients and make them up yourself is my advice. I used PSO about twice or three times after that OP, then just calmed right down with my shaving and also got a 200w lightbulb for my bathroom! Now I check assiduously for skin-irritation with a hand-held mirror and have adopted my passes accordingly. I haven't done ATG very often. Since my technique and equipment are pretty decent anyway, the only person who knows (or...lets be honest...cares!) about whether I've got BBS or DFS.....is me. And everyone else does notice slight redness around the neck. So I've settled for 2 passes most days and maybe 3 at the weekend. I've changed my philosophy for special occasions and job interviews too. I no longer do a 3 or 4 pass shave to be absolutely stubble-free. Instead I take great care in my prep and do 2 WTG passes, so I do look like I've had a shave, but most importantly my skin looks as good as it can.

 

[chicken neck]

Since my technique and equipment are pretty decent anyway, the only person who knows (or...lets be honest...cares!) about whether I've got BBS or DFS.....is me. And everyone else does notice slight redness around the neck. So I've settled for 2 passes most days and maybe 3 at the weekend. I've changed my philosophy for special occasions and job interviews too. I no longer do a 3 or 4 pass shave to be absolutely stubble-free. Instead I take great care in my prep and do 2 WTG passes, so I do look like I've had a shave, but most importantly my skin looks as good as it can.

I think this is really great advice and the strategy that most people take once they've got over the initial temptation to get BBS.