hi i new to wet shaving, and i have noticed that pre shave prep is very important in this method, the question i want to ask is it okay to use vitamin e oil for pre shave oil, i know its good for your skin and all but will it harm the brush? i have a cheap boar hair brush that came in a set i bought?
vitamin E oil as pre shave prep
- Thread starter smitz001
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As a rule of thumb, anything you would do to your own hair on a regular basis is fine. Be stingy with any pre-shave oil, though: you only need a drop or three. If your brush feels oily after you finish shaving and cleaning up, you probably used too much.
Pre-shave oil is about the skin, not the glide during the shave. A few drops rubbed on a damp face is all you need and it should be absorbed before you put brush to face. With regards to vit e oil, specifically, it's too viscous for me on its own. I use a homemade mix that's mostly grapeseed oil but I add in some castor oil, a bit of vit e oil and some essential oils for a bit of fragrance.
Hey Bill - do you find that this combination has any effect on your lather? I used a homemade preshave oil last week that was made of olive and castor oils, with a few drops of essential oils, and it seemed to destroy my lather once it hit my face.
Check the ingredients on your vitamin E oil. I found some in the bathroom the other day (wife apparently got it) & the main ingredient is safflower oil. If that is indeed the case, viscosity probably won't be an issue. I use grapeseed oil as part of my base & like it. Much thinner than say AOS.
I have never used olive oil, so I cannot comment on efficacy nor lather compatibility. I have had no issues w/ the grapeseed oil & getting a lather w/ anything - cream, soap, or croap.
I have never used olive oil, so I cannot comment on efficacy nor lather compatibility. I have had no issues w/ the grapeseed oil & getting a lather w/ anything - cream, soap, or croap.
Thanks Barry. I'll pick up some grapeseed next time I'm at the health food store and see how it ends up.
Olive oil tends to be incompatible with lather, as many have pointed out on various threads. +1 on grapeseed and other oils like sunflower/safflower and sweet almond--there's lots of info on the web about which oils are appropriate to use--and on mixing them with a bit of castor oil. I also add a bit of glycerin and lanolin, as well as various essential oils. Since including glycerin and lanolin my post-shave face always feels smooth and soft, even if I've used a drying shave soap.
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safflower, and grapeseed oil are the main ingredient.
Nope, I don't have any issues with lather but I don't use much and it absorbs into my skin pretty fast..
I need to check the ingredients of the vit e oil i bought but I seem to recall it being very thick and viscous
I use a olive/castor oil mix with a little essential oils, no lather problems for me... but maybe my lather wasnt that good to start with 
