Pretreatment question

[Geordon]

This is more of an academic question, really. I was sitting here considering going for a shave, then I realized that I have a conference call shortly.

Anyway, what's the general opinion of "how long can a pretreatment stay on" before it looses effectiveness? Specifically, I was wondering about Proraso pre/post, but the question stands for PSO of various types, too.

Not that I plan on putting something on and just leaving it, but more for the occasional interruption. How long does the beard softening hang around for?

The strange things that I think about when waiting for my numerous conference calls to start.

Any thoughts?

 

[baba]

I like your line of thinking, it's not strange at all really...lets just call it "deep".

I'm not certain about pre shave oils, lotions or balms, but knowing that if you wet hair, or keep your hair wet, you are actually weakening the strength of the hair and making it easier to cut.

A hair from your beard can be as strong as a strand of copper wire that is the same thickness, but once water is continuously applied to the hair it weakens the hair significantly, thus making it easier to shave it off smoothly, and lessening the impact that the hair makes on the blade. That is why good prep is so important.

I guess my point is, as long as your beard remains wet, I think you could keep pre shave products on your face indefinitely.

 

[Mr. Imperial]

I've been toying around with T&H's Ultimate Comfort pre-shave oil for the last few shaves, and my verdict regarding this product is: not very long at all. It seems that if I don't douse my beard in this stuff it soaks in pretty quickly - within a couple minutes, usually the time it takes me to make a great lather.

 

[DE Shaver]

I'm find it depends on the pre-treatment. A pre-shave oil will last longer than Proraso or other ointment based pre-shave treatment. I find that the Proraso pre-shave ointment, which I use all the time, starts to dry out after a few minutes (5 minutes at most). An pre-shave oil will congeal but it will remain in the surface until scraped or washed off. However, a pre-shave is not just about softening the beard, it's also about conditioning the skin. This conditioning allows the skin to be more pliable, allowing you to avoid nicks and cuts as well as permitting you shave a little more aggressively for that close shave. IMO, that's the real secret of a pre-shave treatment. Regular soap lather contains the water and the alkalines to strip away the hair's oil. This allows the water to penetrate the hair to soften it for shaving.

 

[Go West Young Man]

I give it no more than 3 or so minutes, after that I need to start re-wetting my face and re-lathering.