I am considering giving pre shave oil a try. Which brand do all you experienced users recommend?
Pre shave oil
- Thread starter Lynx
- Start date
King of shaves or Pacific oil should be good...
If you don't want to be too fancy... Olive oil from the kitchen, seriously...
If you don't want to be too fancy... Olive oil from the kitchen, seriously...
I think Pre-Shave Oils are basically a waste of money, but the Art of Shaving pre-shave oil is probably the biggest waste of money of all of them: super thick, and really gunks up your brush, and razor in the process.
What about CF's pre-shave it doesn't seem to be an oil as such but all there other stuff is good opinions? +1 on the AOS stuff and the unscented has a truly bizarre malodorous whiff to top it all off!
Regards Grant
Regards Grant
I really like Truefitt & Hill and one from Rituals, The Rituals is almost as good as the Truefitt but cost much less. However once my technique got better I only use it on rarae occasions.
If you'd like to try a readily-available and cheap PSO to see if it's for you or not, drop on by your local WalMart and pick up a bottle of Shave Secret for less than $4.00. I did, and now use it before every shave. I find it softens and moisturizes my skin, resulting in a significantly smoother and more comfortable shave, without any "gunking up" of either my razor or brush. About the only thing that I could imagine anyone not being happy with is that it's heavily clove scented (although it's not noticeable after you lather up...), so if cloves make you nauseous, you might steer away.
Cheap, available just about everywhere, and effective - what more can you want? Pre-shave oils are not for everyone, but at least this way you won't break the bank finding out if you like them.
[EDIT: I just saw that you live in Sweden, so Shave Secret - a made in the USA product - might be hard to come by for you. I think that grapeseed oil is its main ingredient, but can't verify that. I have heard that some folks here use straight grapeseed oil as a PSO with good success and no "gunkiness", but I have no personal experience with it.]
Cheap, available just about everywhere, and effective - what more can you want? Pre-shave oils are not for everyone, but at least this way you won't break the bank finding out if you like them.
[EDIT: I just saw that you live in Sweden, so Shave Secret - a made in the USA product - might be hard to come by for you. I think that grapeseed oil is its main ingredient, but can't verify that. I have heard that some folks here use straight grapeseed oil as a PSO with good success and no "gunkiness", but I have no personal experience with it.]
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B
buyandhold2018
You may also want to try using 99% Aloe Vera Gel as a pre-shave. I was using oil before a professional barber told me to try the Aloe. It works really well.
I am also of the opinion that pre shave oils are a waste of time and money. If your preparation is good, they shouldn't be required. But I did try Castle Forbes when I started out(I wasn't any wiser then!) and could not find anything against it. As to a benefit, well, who knows?
eShave Lavender Pre Shave Oil or eShave Almond Pre Shave Oil
you will not be disappointed
I've used a few of them-- King of Shaves, AOS, and recently got some Truefitt and Hill in the sampler pack. Don't think highly of AOS. King of Shaves, with their "kinexium" stuff, really is remarkably slick. And it smells pretty good. Truefitt and Hill is good too, probably not quite as slick, but smells heavenly.
I haven't used the cheaper ones, but I wonder if they hold up in terms of scent. One of the reasons I really like the oils is because it is a nice hedonistic event to massage a beautiful smelling oil into my face.
I haven't used the cheaper ones, but I wonder if they hold up in terms of scent. One of the reasons I really like the oils is because it is a nice hedonistic event to massage a beautiful smelling oil into my face.
- Thread starter
- #11
Thanks for your thoughts, gentlemen!
I will give it some more thought taking your opinions into consideration.
I will give it some more thought taking your opinions into consideration.
+1
The Unscented is not truly "unscented" at all, as the oil itself has a smell, and that smell is pretty horrific. I was happy I was able to sample it for free, instead of paying precious money for a horrible product.
My take on it, was an underlying smell of pine, but that was subdued by several other overpowering scents, which all combined made from a very unpleasant olfactory experience. Simply put, gross smelling stuff!!
I use David Somersets shave oil from time to time and it's excellent, its only £3, about $4
I use Origins shave oil. The feel and smell is great. I can't really tell if it helps all that much though.
I've used pre shave oils since i started wet shaving, several years ago. It's how I learned and have kept it up, and frankly, think I get a better shave with oil. I shave with a safety razor daily.
I've used the 'art of shaving' and yes, its thick but good, as I've come to appreciate the viscosity. My all time favorite is truefitt and hill, but i don't like the price.
I started my own search for less expensive pre shave oil and analyzed the ingredients and found that PSO is basically a mix of various essential oils. I like lavender so I found one with lavender eo.
I went to my local super duper market that has an essential oil isle and started my quest for the truth of all thinks pre shave oil.
Here's what I found. PSO is basically moisturizing oil, massage oil, even oil designed to give relief to a pregnant woman, heavy with child. It really doesn't matter what brand you buy. I bought an 8 oz bottle of EO brand everday oil and have used it for a week now with great results. I suppose EO stands for essential oil.
I paid $11 for the 8 oz. bottle of EO. I also found a 4 oz bottle of 'Bella Mama' brand, 'belly oil' in the discount bin at said super duper mart for $4. I poured it into my just empty bottle of T&H and the optics were eerie. It's exactly the same color as T&H.
Have used both brands with great satisfaction, and I tested the viscosity by putting a dab of the oil on my fingers while in the store.
Hope this helps,
the hoplite
I've used the 'art of shaving' and yes, its thick but good, as I've come to appreciate the viscosity. My all time favorite is truefitt and hill, but i don't like the price.
I started my own search for less expensive pre shave oil and analyzed the ingredients and found that PSO is basically a mix of various essential oils. I like lavender so I found one with lavender eo.
I went to my local super duper market that has an essential oil isle and started my quest for the truth of all thinks pre shave oil.
Here's what I found. PSO is basically moisturizing oil, massage oil, even oil designed to give relief to a pregnant woman, heavy with child. It really doesn't matter what brand you buy. I bought an 8 oz bottle of EO brand everday oil and have used it for a week now with great results. I suppose EO stands for essential oil.
I paid $11 for the 8 oz. bottle of EO. I also found a 4 oz bottle of 'Bella Mama' brand, 'belly oil' in the discount bin at said super duper mart for $4. I poured it into my just empty bottle of T&H and the optics were eerie. It's exactly the same color as T&H.
Have used both brands with great satisfaction, and I tested the viscosity by putting a dab of the oil on my fingers while in the store.
Hope this helps,
the hoplite
That AOS stuff is pretty vile. Gunks up everything. It's almost like some sort of non-violent police weapon. Won't wash off the hands without soap, gums up everything.
Also pretty questionable if it has any effect. Maybe if someone has a really intense beard it's worthwhile.
I have used some stuff from Jon Allen called "Slick Water" that is okay.
It doesn't have the Super Glue consistency of AOS. But again, I find very little is really added to the shave. It may make the razor glide a bit easier on the first pass.
Can I just use EVOO? is that going to mess up my brush?
TIA
TIA
T & H, the only way to go. : )
How about Alt Innsbruck Pre/Post shave emulsion?
Apply a hot towel then massage a few drops of extra virgin olive oil into your skin before you apply lather. It will soften your skin.
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