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Suggestions for pre-shave

Greetings! I am seeking suggestions for a pre-shave. I have been using and really like The Art Of Shaving's pre-shave essential oil. However I am open to suggestions for those who may have tried something similar. Please share your opinions as my pre-shave bottle is getting nearer and nearer to the bottom as we speak. Thanks for your input.
 
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For me, I'd skip it. I tried Proraso pre-shave cream and it made no difference for me, so I dropped it. Tried an AoS oil and it felt too oily for me.

Try your shaves sans any pre-shave and see hoe they go.
 
I kinda like the Proraso preshave. I don't use it everyday, just when I've got a little more than 24 hours growth.
 
I have the Proraso products, nice but - meh~
What I might suggest if you haven't tried it is a nice glycerine soap. You gain in three ways here:
1) pre-softens and can set a nice lather down into the roots of your brush.
2) cleans your face
3) adds glycerine to the surface of your skin and moisture/conditioning to your beard hair making them ready to be cut down easily

Just lather like you'd normally apply your shave soap/cream lather and let soak for a couple of minutes while you clean out your bowl, maybe rinse your brush lightly. Prepare your shaving lather, rinse your face off and get started.

If you haven't tried this yet, you should be in for a pleasant surprise.

Otherwise, I've got nothin.
:blink:
 
I will ill give that a go for sure! Thanks for the tip!

I have the Proraso products, nice but - meh~
What I might suggest if you haven't tried it is a nice glycerine soap. You gain in three ways here:
1) pre-softens and can set a nice lather down into the roots of your brush.
2) cleans your face
3) adds glycerine to the surface of your skin and moisture/conditioning to your beard hair making them ready to be cut down easily

Just lather like you'd normally apply your shave soap/cream lather and let soak for a couple of minutes while you clean out your bowl, maybe rinse your brush lightly. Prepare your shaving lather, rinse your face off and get started.

If you haven't tried this yet, you should be in for a pleasant surprise.

Otherwise, I've got nothin.
:blink:
 
Try shave secret oil available at Walmart. I got that idea here. Or skip it & use TAOS shave soap. I got that idea here too. I found not much to no difference between using & not using pre shave oil
 
I just mixed coconut oil and olive oil with 1:1 ratio. First time use it. Skin feels oily but hydrated.
 
I started with AoS Lavender pre-shave a bit over a year ago and still have most of it left. I still use pre-shave when I use creams. For a time I maintained two away-from-home shave kits and needed some pre-shave for each of them. In one of them I used ShaveSecret from Wallyworld, in the other was American Crew, $5 and $10 respectively. In plastic containers, they traveled well. They were reasonably priced and they worked. There are a number of other ideas posted here, including a lot of homemade ones.
 
I have not had great success with pre shave oils. These days I wash with a moisturizing soap then start on my lather.

in other words, I cannot recommend a product I do not use. Clearly, YMMV.
 
Thanks gentlemen for the suggestions so far! I appreciate it. I have a few great ideas to try now. Thanks!

Cheers,

Brandon
 
when i started wet shaving i used pre shave oil (AOS) since i bowl lathered. I recently move to face lathering and decided to skip the pre shave oil and have not notice a difference in performance. my thought was i did not want to have extra oil on my face if i was lathering directly there as the soap would just emulsify the oil. If anything rinsing my DE and SR is easier without pre shave oil. once i use up my oils it'll make more room for the expanding soap/cream/aftershave purchases.
as always, do what works for you, one bad shave is just a learning experience to better the rest! if you do like pre shave oil, consider making your own as AOS is extremely expensive when you can make it yourself for a fraction of the cost.
 
Maybe if I skip out on the pre-shave oil then I could afford the SR and Strop that I have been eyeing! I might just have to give it a go without for a few days and see if I can see a difference. Thanks for the input!
 
Beware of SRAD.....it is very real.....

Maybe if I skip out on the pre-shave oil then I could afford the SR and Strop that I have been eyeing! I might just have to give it a go without for a few days and see if I can see a difference. Thanks for the input!
 
I make my own from a recipe I found here. A search on home made pre shave will probably yield a load of others. Here's what I use:

Pre-shave Oil Recipe


3 oz Olive Oil (Refined 'A' Grade)
2 oz Castor Oil (1st Press)
1 oz Jojoba Oil, Clear (Organic)
1 oz Kukui Nut Oil (Organic)

1 oz Rosehip Oil (Virgin)
½ oz Vitamin E Oil
2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) Bay Rum Fragrance Oil
 
Edited title for clarity.

I'll also chime in on the side of "pre-shaves haven't really done much for me" so I don't use them. Washing the face beforehand is good enough for me. I've tried Proraso Pre/Post, Prep cream (like Proraso but more clove-y and camphor-y), Shave Secret...the impact is negligible IMO.

That said, people have had success using glycerin soap, adding drops of glycerin to their shave lather, or old Noxzema face cream as a pre-shave.

As always, YMMV.
 
Thanks for providing the edit. Thanks for the feedback. I have heard about Shave Secret but haven't tried it. Is it worth a go or a waste of time?

Thanks, Brandon
 
Thanks for the warning! That is probably part of my hesitation in buying my first SR! I can see my SR collection growing rapidly like my watch collection did before the Mrs. cut me off on watches when I started to run out of places to keep them. I can now say that I have officially been warned! How many SR's do you own?
 
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