I've been experimenting recently with Shave Oil INSTEAD OF (not in addition to) Shaving Soap/Cream.
The first time I tried it (using Sir Hare Shaving Oil), I was terrified that it wouldn't work and that I'd cut myself up. But it worked fine, just as advertised. I did find, however, that it tended to really clog up cartridges. Subsequent experimentation with DE Safety Razors suggests that is less of a problem.
The first time I tried using Pacific Shaving Natural Shaving Oil by itself, I felt it was one of the best shaves of my life.
I've also been experimenting with using generic Glycerin purchased at a local grocery store ($6.69 for 6 oz). I found the glycerin thicker than either of the above shave oils. But it worked just as well. Because of its thickness, it may be somewhat more susceptible to clogging. I was thinking that the clogging would be less of a problem with an open-comb DE razor. I've tried it with the only OC razor I own--a Double Open Comb Razor from Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements. It worked fine. I'm going to try at least one other super-mild OC razor as well (Karve with AA plate).
So all of the above is about using oil/glycerin by itself--INSTEAD of shaving soap/cream. I've also tried using the same products as a pre-shave (i.e., in addition to conventional shave soap/cream). It isn't clear to me that this is better than using shave soap/cream by itself. I **THINK** that the soap would tend to "wash away" some (all?) of the oil/glycerin, thus reducing its ability to have ANY beneficial effect.
Incidentally, I also experimented with using just plain olive oil. I found that it was too thin--just an oily mess to deal with.
I've heard of folks making their own oil blends. That is likely to be quite inexpensive for those who desire to do so. Just using one of the shaving oils (e.g., Sire Hare or Pacific Shaving) by itself is quite inexpensive. But for somebody looking to simplify their shave routine--and make it less costly, I recommend trying out Glycerin by itself (i.e., no shave soap/cream on top of it).
Shaving oil/glycerin is much, much "cleaner" to use at the sink--no messy soap flying around.
What are your thoughts about using Shaving Oil or Gylcerin by themselves? Has anybody else noticed definite benefits to using them as pre-shaves?
The first time I tried it (using Sir Hare Shaving Oil), I was terrified that it wouldn't work and that I'd cut myself up. But it worked fine, just as advertised. I did find, however, that it tended to really clog up cartridges. Subsequent experimentation with DE Safety Razors suggests that is less of a problem.
The first time I tried using Pacific Shaving Natural Shaving Oil by itself, I felt it was one of the best shaves of my life.
I've also been experimenting with using generic Glycerin purchased at a local grocery store ($6.69 for 6 oz). I found the glycerin thicker than either of the above shave oils. But it worked just as well. Because of its thickness, it may be somewhat more susceptible to clogging. I was thinking that the clogging would be less of a problem with an open-comb DE razor. I've tried it with the only OC razor I own--a Double Open Comb Razor from Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements. It worked fine. I'm going to try at least one other super-mild OC razor as well (Karve with AA plate).
So all of the above is about using oil/glycerin by itself--INSTEAD of shaving soap/cream. I've also tried using the same products as a pre-shave (i.e., in addition to conventional shave soap/cream). It isn't clear to me that this is better than using shave soap/cream by itself. I **THINK** that the soap would tend to "wash away" some (all?) of the oil/glycerin, thus reducing its ability to have ANY beneficial effect.
Incidentally, I also experimented with using just plain olive oil. I found that it was too thin--just an oily mess to deal with.
I've heard of folks making their own oil blends. That is likely to be quite inexpensive for those who desire to do so. Just using one of the shaving oils (e.g., Sire Hare or Pacific Shaving) by itself is quite inexpensive. But for somebody looking to simplify their shave routine--and make it less costly, I recommend trying out Glycerin by itself (i.e., no shave soap/cream on top of it).
Shaving oil/glycerin is much, much "cleaner" to use at the sink--no messy soap flying around.
What are your thoughts about using Shaving Oil or Gylcerin by themselves? Has anybody else noticed definite benefits to using them as pre-shaves?