Chef455
Head Cheese Head Chef
Nah. When I first started using a brush I tried a few. No added benefit for me. The only time I'll bother anymore is if I'm going to be a few minutes before lathering up. YMMV
Not that many people use it, it seems, but pre-shave oil has its fans. I think the effect is more to condition the skin in advance of the shave.
I personally prefer a good cleaning with a mild soap, followed by a couple of minutes letting the whiskers get hydrated. That softens the whiskers and makes the shave easier with less irritation. Dedicated pre-shave soaps like the PAA Cube work well, or even just mild glycerin face soap.
I’ve wondered the same thing. I dont use pre oil a lot, but when I have, it seemed my lather wasnt all it should be. Then again, I can’t stick to one soap for long, so my experiment is flawedCurious, wouldn't extra oil applied before shaving weaken the effectiveness of a shaving soap as the soap will react with the oils? Believe the soap molecules surround the oil molecules so that water easily rinses them off. Would suspect those soap molecules can no longer surround tiny air bubbles to make lather. Have seen posts in soap making forums warning what excess oil will weaken the soaps lathering ability. Anyone with a related chemistry background please chime in to clarify.
My pre-shave routine is to just wash my face to remove dirt and natural skin oils so nothing interferes with my shaving soap/cream lather. Also any dirt on ones skin can prematurely dull our blades.
It depends on the oil. Some enhance lathering capabilities (like coconut and castor), whereas others can inhibit it (like olive). Others assist with water retention too, so should assist with maintaining hydration.Curious, wouldn't extra oil applied before shaving weaken the effectiveness of a shaving soap as the soap will react with the oils? Believe the soap molecules surround the oil molecules so that water easily rinses them off. Would suspect those soap molecules can no longer surround tiny air bubbles to make lather. Have seen posts in soap making forums warning what excess oil will weaken the soaps lathering ability. Anyone with a related chemistry background please chime in to clarify.
My pre-shave routine is to just wash my face to remove dirt and natural skin oils so nothing interferes with my shaving soap/cream lather. Also any dirt on ones skin can prematurely dull our blades.
Did some more research and conclude that soap lathers best when the water/skin surface is as pure and clean as possible. Some evidence:I’ve wondered the same thing. I dont use pre oil a lot, but when I have, it seemed my lather wasnt all it should be. Then again, I can’t stick to one soap for long, so my experiment is flawed
Possibly, but I suspect oil may be a better bet. Let me explain. Pre-shave oil, while theoretically prohibiting perfect lather:hair interface, would only have that detriment to the first pass. It's the first pass that likely causes most irritation. This is where the oil is beneficial as an added cushion. Oil's all gone by second pass, but much less facial hair means easier glide. Just a thought ...Did some more research and conclude that soap lathers best when the water/skin surface is as pure and clean as possible. Some evidence:
Bottom line is that it looks like any unsaponified oil and shaving soap do not mix to the shavers benefit with a good chance that shaving oil actually reduces the effectiveness of our shaving lather. No plans to experiment with pre-shave oil until I see some unbiased evidence to the contrary. Will stick to my basic pre-shave face wash.
- Lather is produced when soap combines with water to form micelles that collect around tiny air bubbles.
- Many here have posted that hard water makes lathering a challenge. Hard water includes lots of calcium and magnesium ions that bind with the soap to create soap scum (USGS Gov faq link below). Per another site the soap forms micelles around these ions as it does around dirt and bacteria when washing that are then easily rinsed away.
- Soap also forms reverse micelles around oil. Great for washing as this allows the oil to easily rinse off. Can't find anything that shows that oil micelles can also form part of the lather. Suspect that soap molecules consumed by oil micelles are in effect taken off the playing field.
- Qualitatively we've all likely noticed that when our faces are extra dirty or oily it takes more soap to thoroughly clean up.
- Conclusion is that it's likely that the presence of anything on our face other than pure water will consume a portion of our shaving soap making less available for lather. With too much oil one may get the "slimy" lather reported by some that may be the result of soap scum (soap and oil micelles) mixing into the lather.
- All the recommendations for use of pre-shaving oil appear to be from manufacturers, retailers or those supported by the same. They talk about the oil softening hairs and lubricating skin. While this may be true the problem is that based on the chemistry it looks like our shaving soap lather will react with any oil on our skin and hair and form it into soap scum micelles that likely mitigates these benefits prior to the actual shave. Interesting that most of the recommendations emphasize only using a few drops of pre-shaving oil.
Again any chemists please comment. One possibility would be if the oil molecules somehow bond with our hair or skin to enhance the shaving process without interfering with our lather quality (chemical bonds to hair and skin that are strong enough not to be broken by the soap molecules). Couldn't find any research supporting this hypothesis.
Also looked at some MD sites that spoke about an oil cleaning method to help better remove make-up etc. from skin. A key message on this use was to ensure that the oil was thoroughly removed via subsequent washing to avoid issues like clogged pores. Emphasis on cleaning ones face down to a "clean pallet" for application of foundations and make up for those that use those products.
Why does it take so long to rinse the soap off my hands? What are hard water and soft water? | U.S. Geological Survey
Water is said to be soft if it has a low concentration of calcium and magnesium ions in it, while hard water has a high concentration of calcium and magnesium. The minerals in hard water often react with most soaps to create a "soap scum," which is an insoluble substance that can temporarily...www.usgs.gov
Hi Greg, Possibly and only if the shaving soap of the first pass doesn't immediately react with and neutralize the oil. Unclear how fast the reaction is. In my case, since I aggressively face lather, I can't see any oil surviving by the time I start my first pass. It's possible some could survive is one bowl or mug lathers and then quickly applies the lather to ones face.Possibly, but I suspect oil may be a better bet. Let me explain. Pre-shave oil, while theoretically prohibiting perfect lather:hair interface, would only have that detriment to the first pass. It's the first pass that likely causes most irritation. This is where the oil is beneficial as an added cushion. Oil's all gone by second pass, but much less facial hair means easier glide. Just a thought ...
I'm tempted to revise my original posting having tried oil several more times. It does seem to work. Oddly, though, I swear one oil works much better than the other so maybe the ingredients vs. every individual face is also important -- a brand that works for me may not work for someone else.
I generally lather right from the puck, or bowl, never face ... here are two good reads on it, basically what started me down the path ...Hi Greg, Possibly and only if the shaving soap of the first pass doesn't immediately react with and neutralize the oil. Unclear how fast the reaction is. In my case, since I aggressively face lather, I can't see any oil surviving by the time I start my first pass. It's possible some could survive is one bowl or mug lathers and then quickly applies the lather to ones face.
YMMV, glad that pre-shave oil helps the quality of your shaves. Do you face lather or build in your bowl or mug?
P.S. Looked into this topic some more and it's been hotly debated around here and elsewhere for years.
I'm still learning and I'm using a simple pre shave oil that I found on line and can make at home. What I do is put it on just after washing my face and using a hot towel. Then, I wash and dry my hands to make sure they're not slippery, strop my straight razor, make my lather and lather my face. By that time, the oil's done everything it's going to and I'm ready to shave. Does it help? I'm not sure, but that's just part of my learning curve.Pre-shave oils make my hands feel…well…oily…and slippery. Not a safe state of affairs while gripping an instrument capable of slitting my throat. I used an oil once, spilled blood from a gaping facial wound because the blade slipped in my hand and have not used an oil since.
Can I get some feedback on whether you use pre-shave oil and why or why not? I've tried it and I can't say it helps in any way. Is it supposed to provide more cushion, moisturizing and a closer shave? I can't see the benefit versus the current "top tier" shaving soaps like Zingari, CK6, B&M, WK, etc. etc.
Finally found some actual scientific research that may be relevant to the efficacy of pre-shave oil. In this case an controlled test of hand washing efficacy posted by the the U.S. National Library of Medicine (link below). Part of this test included the cleaning of greasy hands that were greased with 0.5 ml of sunflower oil that was applied to one palm and then spread all over the test subjects hands that had been "dirtied" via a standardized procedure. Fairly similar procedure to how we would apply a few drops of pre-shave oil to our faces prior to a shave.
Test results (Table 2 in the study, DH2 (greasy hands) section) showed that in 20 seconds of hand washing with soap and hot water over 96% of the dirt and grease were removed. Just rinsing for 5 seconds without soap removed over 90% was removed.
Bottom line is that based on this there's a strong likelihood that very little if any pre-shave oil remains on our skin after even a first pass of lathering. This is especially likely the case for face lathering where one is in-effect scrubbing away on our skin with the brush during the lather building process. Note this just relates to skin, no results that may be applied to understanding the effect of pre-shave oil on our beard hair. If anyone can find any additional relevant research please post.
@Greg788 FYI in case you are curious about the article.
Have seen the earlier debates on this. As always YMMV and personal preferences apply. If pre-shave oil works for you with your tools and technique by all means use it.
Link to U.S. Govt. Hand Washing Research:
Efficacy of Removing Bacteria and Organic Dirt from Hands—A Study Based on Bioluminescence Measurements for Evaluation of Hand Hygiene When Cooking - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8394668/
Earlier B&B Thread on the Topic - Hotly Debated
Why, in my opinon, pre-shave oil doesn't make any sense
In my experience, pre-shave oil is useless. I've tried it a couple times (art of shaving) and gotten no benefit. I started thinking about it, and it's been a while since I've taken a chemistry course, but here's what I concluded. Oils and fats can only be cleaned using some kind of detergent...www.badgerandblade.com