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PreShave soap

How do you like to use a pre shave soap? I’m thinking the Musgo and Arc Brito types. Are they just like a face soap or are you supposed to lather and leave a film? What’s your approach?
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
Musgo preshave is a very good product. You can leave it or rinse it. It’s up to you. I take a shower before shaving so using a preshave is resumed by using a regular bar of soap.

if I do not shower, I would use proraso pre-post-shave.
 
After a hot shower, I ensure that my face has been dampened with hot water and then apply Proraso Preshave. I used to use Preshave oil, but I believed it was hurting the lather.

Sometimes in addition to the Preshave I will apply the protolather from my shave soap. I almost always use The Fat, and I love that light airy protolather as a preshave.
 
I’ve been using the PAA Cube 2.0 and Ice Cube 2.0 lately, and they make the lather nice and slick, although each being a rather large cube, can be a little cumbersome; I’ll have to use them more so they wear down a bit! But they’re applied just like a bar of soap, and make a nice little lather before the shaving soap.
 
I’ve been using the PAA Cube 2.0 and Ice Cube 2.0 lately, and they make the lather nice and slick, although each being a rather large cube, can be a little cumbersome; I’ll have to use them more so they wear down a bit! But they’re applied just like a bar of soap, and make a nice little lather before the shaving soap.
I’m curious, do you lather the PAA Preshave with a brush? I saw one of the YouTubers do that and thought it was interesting and odd.
 
After a hot shower, I ensure that my face has been dampened with hot water and then apply Proraso Preshave. I used to use Preshave oil, but I believed it was hurting the lather.

Sometimes in addition to the Preshave I will apply the protolather from my shave soap. I almost always use The Fat, and I love that light airy protolather as a preshave.

i found that my lather tended to be better if I washed my face with soap first.. perhaps the natural oils & "dirt" were compromising.. maybe why i enjoy the second lather much better than first typically.
 
i found that my lather tended to be better if I washed my face with soap first.. perhaps the natural oils & "dirt" were compromising.. maybe why i enjoy the second lather much better than first typically.
I misread the original poster’s question. In answer to that question, I bathe with Mitchell’s Wool Fat bath bar. Right after shampooing what little hair I have left, I wash every other part of my body including face and bald spot with the fat. I agree that you get you best lather on clean skin.
 
I neglected to mention i was using GLYCE and rinsing it off. but i’ve also used my wifes makeup soap with similar results
 
I have been using Pre de Provence Bergamot & Thyme as a pre-shave. I am not crazy about this shave soap (YMMV) but it is a quality hard soap. I just use the bloom water and sometimes I apply it to my face like a shave stick. I think it works good as a pre-shave and it should last forever.
 
There's this stuff called Dr. Bronner's shave soap. Absolutely terrible as a shave soap, deosnt lather for nothing and dries up ultra fast. However, I found that using it to just wash and rinse your beards before shaving, works wonderful. After rinsing, I work a few drops of pure grapeseed oil onto my beard, then lather away. Very comfortable shaves, but the razor will require some thorough rinsing afterwards.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Every morning I brush wash my face with CeraVe hand bar cleanser and it has done wonders for preventing dry eye and at the same time is mild enough to clean the face to prep for regular shave soap. I use a dollop of clear Aloe vera gel after cleaning beard area and then apply my shave soap for the last 14 + months and I think it has helped in better closer shaves.
You should wash your face daily so I just spoil my self by using a dedicated Yaqi 24mm Cashmere synthetic brush and it is really good gentle soap on the eyes and skin & look forward to this procedure every day(feels just as good as hot towels to face, maybe even better IMO). I even used Cerave soap for a shave and it worked well for protection and did no harm so it is a special soap IMO. When applied by brush it lasts and lasts........ about a year approx on my first bar, because you do not need very much on a brush because the brush is superior in creating lather and cleaning facial skin.
Z-Pre shave products (2).jpg
Excellent products.
Have some great shaves! Stay & think safe in these times!
 
Musgo preshave is a very good product. You can leave it or rinse it. It’s up to you. I take a shower before shaving so using a preshave is resumed by using a regular bar of soap.
I always wash my face before a shave and will often use a preshave oil or cream. Would you slot musgo in instead of the oil/cream or is it really just a replacement for whatever might be used for washing the face? Does it add slickness, soften the beard or promote a more excellent post shave feel the way you would expect more conventional pre shave products to? I seem to recall hearing someone say that it also helped build more voluminous lather but it may have been for a different pre shave soap.
 
I always wash my face before a shave and will often use a preshave oil or cream. Would you slot musgo in instead of the oil/cream or is it really just a replacement for whatever might be used for washing the face? Does it add slickness, soften the beard or promote a more excellent post shave feel the way you would expect more conventional pre shave products to? I seem to recall hearing someone say that it also helped build more voluminous lather but it may have been for a different pre shave soap.
You can use Glyce to wash your face before shaving. Rinse off the Glyce, but leave your face wet and then lather up as usual. You will have a thin layer of slickness remaining from residual glycerin. So, Glyce gets rid of dirt and oil, helps soften the beard, and improves slickness. You don't need other pre-shaves if you use this.
 
I use the PAA Cube because I have it. It seems like applying it to my face before the shave would help prep the face. Also, I've shaved with only the Cube and it's definitely slick enough... so it wouldn't hurt to apply it.

I don't see preshave soap necessary but they're usually affordable and why not use it, if you have it. It's almost like a ritual to me, before starting the shave.
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
Not every time, but I will periodically use a pre-shave (usually one of the following):

1. Cremo Cream
2. Pinaud Clubman Shave Oil
3. Proraso Pre-shave Cream
4. Bowman Brothers Cognac & Cypress Cream
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
I always wash my face before a shave and will often use a preshave oil or cream. Would you slot musgo in instead of the oil/cream or is it really just a replacement for whatever might be used for washing the face? Does it add slickness, soften the beard or promote a more excellent post shave feel the way you would expect more conventional pre shave products to? I seem to recall hearing someone say that it also helped build more voluminous lather but it may have been for a different pre shave soap.

in my case, I also wash my face before shaving. What I noticed is that a don’t need a product labeled preshave to be effective.

musgo in particular will soften the beard hair. My regular bar of soap too.

does it help the lather, I can’t say that it does or not. I did try to lather musgo and got a poor lather. However, added to a shave soap, it will add more glide since it’s mainly glycerin.
 
I’m curious, do you lather the PAA Preshave with a brush? I saw one of the YouTubers do that and thought it was interesting and odd.
No, I just rub it into my wet face (then head in due course!) like I would a bar of soap. Because it’s a big cube, it might be easier to use a brush, now you mention it - it hadn’t occurred to me before now! I’ll have to try that. 😁
 
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