Shaving with oil

[engblom]

If you google a bit you will find a lot of people claiming that using oil instead of soap will give the best shave. Last spring I got curious about this and I decided to try.

I took organic extra virgin oilive oil, applied it to my face and begun to shave. I had the very best shave I had ever experienced. When I tried to repeat this the next day, it failed and became a terrible shave. I have a few times tried it again, but with bad results. I wonder why? So far I have had only one good shave with oil, and it was definitely the most nice shave ever.

Has anyone else been trying to shave with only oil (except for applying oil before lather)?

 

[mftoms59]

You may have used too much or your whiskers weren't hydrated enough, just three to four drops and gently massage your wet whiskers.

 

[Mr_Smartepants]

My first experience was identical to the OP. First shave with EV olive oil was amazing. It did make quite a mess in the sink though.
I tried it as a pre-shave but it kills the lather on the face. Now I use Village Barber oil as a preshave. It's based on a blend of sweet almond oil (and grapeseed?) and fragrances. Lovely stuff, but pricey.

 

[vreddy2000]

I use a mix of 1 part castor oil and 4 parts olive oil.
hydrate with water and after applying a few drops massage it in well, for a minute or so and then splash some water on my face before I start to shave.
with the razor itself, a shallow angle, absolutely no pressure.
I shave daily and I do a two pass shave followed by an alum block. I don't need any other after shave care after this routine and the alum block is only a habit that I might not need but do anyway.

my best guess for the OP would be that the angle is off, you might be using a steeper angle and that will not work for an oil shave even with a brand new blade.

imo oil shaving is one of the more underrated and less talked about routines.
straight olive oil might clog your pores, you should consider a little castor oil as its a cleanser, but not too much as its also very drying.
let us know how it goes with your future attempts. good luck.

 

[engblom]

Thanks!

I tried your suggested mix with castor and olive oil. As usual with oil shaving, the skin is very well protected. The glide is on the other hand not that good. It is very easy to get the razor to jump and the skin needs to be extra tight to avoid accidents. I am still wondering what I did differently the very first time I tried oil.

 

[dieselfuel79]

I have zero evidence to back this up...but maybe the less facial hair you have, the performance is not as good? Perhaps a day of growth is needed? I don't know....might be something to try out.

 

[vreddy2000]

I use the R41 as well, if its skipping I'd suggest a shallower angle.
Oil shaving does not provide much glide just protection,
try a shallow angle..
I found this thread that might help.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/280833-Low-Angle-Shaving-Illustrated

 

[engblom]

I am having as shallow angle as possible (not more than that the blade is barely touching the skin). This jumping comes from a combination of a very coarse beard and skin friction. I am going to try some other blades to see if the jumping becomes less as the blade I am having right now is not cutting that well my stubbles. I never get this jumping on the cheeks where the beard is more light, I get it on the more coarse areas. The little addition of skin frictions is the last drip causing it to jump more as a tiny bit of skin is pushed by the razor making a "wall".

EDIT: Sorry, I read the post you linked to more careful and noticed the extra pressure. That I have not done. I will try.

 

[vreddy2000]

EDIT: Sorry, I read the post you linked to more careful and noticed the extra pressure. That I have not done. I will try.

no..no...the photo is deceptive I think, absolutely no pressure..you seem to be doing everything right already..
only other thing I can think of in terms of technique is after you get the angle move the arm up and down from the elbow, instead of the wrist flicking up and down..

and spend some extra time hydrating..well hydrated whiskers become like wet noodles..for me at least..

 

[engblom]

I am not flicking the wrist.

Today I got my R89 and 15C. I think those will make a big difference to my very sensitive face.