Shaving oil, does it block?

[EmreMusovi]

Dear sirs

im using a couple of drops (2-3) of oil before each shave. i use it on my fingers and apply to the wet face with massaging. Than lather with soap, shave and use balsam.

Ps the oil is loccitane cade

My question is;
Does it block the effect of the soap?
Does it block the effect of the balsam?
Does it damage badger or blade?

And finally is this the right way of using?

Regards

 

[alex2363]

I used it few years ago when i straight shaved. But the consensus is that shave oil serves no real function. I think it may also clog the pores.

 

[Parjay]

I apply to wet skin, wait 5 min, then shower it off.

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/How_Pre-shave_Oil_Works

 

[syngent]

yes, no, maybe

your going to get a lot of different answers, but i can tell you that a lot of experience shavers dont use it. the oil is often miss used as a slick agent, when in fact that isnt the case in most of them.. they are designed to prep the skin for a shave uch in the way a proper soap or cream does, oil will block water from getting in though so make sure if you use oil its a good one. I believe it can interfere with a cream or soap, as it bocks a lot of the great stuff from getting into the skin and reducing the cream r soap to just a lubracant. but then i may be wrong


all you need to know is how you enjoy your shave. try it with and without see which one your prefer, and which one feels more comfortable, and go with it. what pre shave oils do and do not do is not as important as what you enjoy and do not enjoy

happy shaves mate

 

[StanStill]

It's a tough one. Before I got into DE shaving, I just used shaving oil and a Fusion razor. Actually it was just grapeseed oil. about 4 drops, with a layer of water or maybe soapy water on top. Seemed to turn my whiskers into butter by comparison to the stuff in a can. Since I started using a DE razor, I tried to keep using the oil, but I still can't say for sure it makes a whole lot of difference. I lather on my face though, which I suspect sort of dissolves the oil while I work up the lather.

 

[syngent]

oh yeah forgot about that, makes cleaning my brushes a pain lol i can deffinately tell on my brushes when i have shaved with oil,... i think that was when i finally gave up on the stuff

 

[Toasty]

Careful as to which oil you use, as it could cause acne or ingrown hair. I use a 1to1 mixture of olive oil, grape seed oil, castor oil and jojoba oil with great success.

I have done some research on this and it appears as though the essential oils are there to stop bacteria and viruses, which have been blamed for ingrown hair and acne.

Wal-Mart sells one called shave secret, many people report better shaves and less razor bumps and ingrown hair, I believe the formula is similar to the one I use.

 

[EmreMusovi]

Thank you for the recommendations, btw im using loccitane cade oil.

Regards

 

[Marco]

Shave oils have been debated here on B&B for a long time, especially in the recent past. Some say they are necessary, some say they are a waste of money. My opinion is half-road and I think that they could be helpful. If you have very little time to properly prep or very sensitive skin combined with heavy beard you could find oils to be useful. The only real answer is to try and evaluate by yourself. My only pre-shave treatment is hot water followed by a good two/three minutes of face lathering with my soap of choice.

 

[KindestCutofAll]

Dear sirs

im using a couple of drops (2-3) of oil before each shave. i use it on my fingers and apply to the wet face with massaging. Than lather with soap, shave and use balsam.

Ps the oil is loccitane cade

My question is;
Does it block the effect of the soap?
Does it block the effect of the balsam?
Does it damage badger or blade?

And finally is this the right way of using?

Regards

I use pre-shave oil occasionally. I enjoy the added scent when shaving, and yes sometimes I feel it helps when I am shaving. IMHO you do have to use it carefully.

I haven't tried the Cade, but plan to.
~~~
Does it block the effect of the soap? Not really if it is a good soap and you just use a few drops of oils as you mentioned.

Does it block the effect of the balsam? If my face feels like it still has heavy oil on it I use a hot wet cloth to thoroughly clean my face to make sure I don't get any clogged pores. If you apply the balsam after this it shouldn't be a problem.

Does it damage badger or blade? It can clog a safety razor or stick to a straight razor. I avoid this by thoroughly lathering my face with the brush. As far as damaging the brush I haven't had any problems with my badgers or boars.
~~~

As has been pointed out some oils can prevent your beard hairs from taking up water. Here's the process I use.

1. I shower first so my beard should be as wet as it can get before using oil.

2. Only use a few drops on a wet face. I make my own pre-shave oil and make sure I use oils than can be absorbed my the hair or skin (too many options). Google it and you'll find a ton of information.

3. Use your brush to face lather. Scrub around a lot. Any heavy spots of oil should be picked up and spread through your lather. This will reduce the chance of it clogging your razor, and maybe your pores.

4. Afterwards make sure you don't leave any heavy oils on your face. If you fell like you are getting clogged pores, then use it less often or stop all together.

Enjoy!

 

[rand77]

I used it few years ago when i straight shaved. But the consensus is that shave oil serves no real function. I think it may also clog the pores.

Darn, I just purchased a pricey bottle of the Village Barber shaving oil!

 

[alex2363]

Darn, I just purchased a pricey bottle of the Village Barber shaving oil!

Rand, dont forget the old ancient secret saying from Budda the B&B shave buddy,

" Your mileage may vary" and " who put the rum in the ruma luma ding dung'"

 

[mftoms59]

Darn, I just purchased a pricey bottle of the Village Barber shaving oil!

If I recall correctly that product is used in lieu of shave soap or cream.

 

[vickywally]

Shave oils have been debated here on B&B for a long time, especially in the recent past. Some say they are necessary, some say they are a waste of money. My opinion is half-road and I think that they could be helpful. If you have very little time to properly prep or very sensitive skin combined with heavy beard you could find oils to be useful.

+1

I have a heavy/coarse beard and have always wet-shaved (20+ years). I was not a pre-shave oil user until discovering the forums recently and of everything I've learned here - pre-shave oil, quality soaps (eg MWF) & mapping my grain have been the biggest drivers of an improved shave for me.

Over the last year or so - I have done several 'experiments' with/without pre-shave oil (plain old grapeseed - $3/pint) and for me the pre-shave oil helps get a much better shave.

Pre-shave oil/cream is not a new concept btw. Barbers have used it for decades and I recently had a conversation with a local (very experienced) barber who does straight razor shaves about pre-shave oil. He says he can do without but it makes for a better shave - so he always uses it.

So I have always wondered where the unequivocal opinion that pre-shave oil "is a gimmick" and "does not work" comes from.

Of course YMMV and opinions will vary.

 

[KCee]

I found it offered just a bit more protection for that tough spot on my neck, but as my technique improved and I found which razors and blades worked best it didn't seem to matter. It also seemed to increase the likelihood of ingrowns for me. I now have hardly used bottles of Kiehls, EMJ and RR Limes shave oil lol. I seem to recall some soap that didn't seem to face lather as well for me with the shave oil, but I don't remember what it was.....and it could even have been a cream or brushless cream that I was sampling. I've tried so many things that I probably should have kept a notebook.....but my wife makes fun of my shaving "hobby" enough as it is.

 

[mightyquinn]

I am fairly new to this hobby but ever since I read the article in post #3 I have rarely cut myself shaving by using the technique described in the article. I always shave after I shower, so the first thing I do is wash my hair and then wash my face. After rinsing my face really good I apply 3-4 drops of oil in my palm and rub it all over my face and neck until I feel like I did a good job and then continue with the rest of the shower until I am done. By doing this I have rarely cut myself and the few times that I have it was my fault because I got lazy with the razor. BTW I have been using T&H Pre Shave Oil and the 2oz bottle seems like it will last for quite a long time.

 

[Kev Kev]

I alternate between using a pre-shave oil or cream before lathering, and just the lather. With some DE razors, I don't detect a real difference in the shave feel, but with more aggressive DE razors (R41, Futur, Fatip), the extra lubrication provided by PSOs enhances the quality (i.e.comfort) of the shaving experience. With straights, I prefer using a PSO or PS cream before lathering as they seem, at least to me, to make for what the 'experienced barber' above referred to as a 'better shave.'

PSOs are inexpensive and easy to make, plus you can leave them unscented or apply any essential oil fragrance you prefer.
Here's a 4oz pump bottle of some Citrus/bergamot pre shave oil I made a while ago. It has lasted for months. Made from jojoba, castor & olive oil; plus EO for scent.

 

[hotbadger]

I'm not as versed as many on here but since I started shaving with a proper double edge razor I've used oil, it just came in the starter package, and it for sure makes the skin on my face slick and it seems like it must offer something. Rubbing my fingers over my face before shaving no oil vs shaving with oil is a big difference.

The one thing I read in this thread that I think makes perfect sense is it does seem like, especially after a hot shower, that it can clog up your pores. But on that note I have very large pores and decently sensitive skin and I haven't seen any adverse affects.

I think next time I may try without pre shave oil and see if I can notice anything.

Maybe it is a gimmick, but to me it doesn't seem all that likely.

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

I apply to wet skin, wait 5 min, then shower it off.

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/How_Pre-shave_Oil_Works

Great thread.

 

[Texas shaver]

I use it daily great thread