What am I doing wrong?

[cleancut]

Among other wonderful gifts I received this Christmas was a bottle of AOS Sandalwood Shave Oil. After several attempts I'm about ready to chuck it in the trash or try to
sell it on the BST. I can't tell that there is any advantage to using this stuff. I prepped as normal then applied about 1/4 teaspoon of the oil to my face and rubbed it in
thoroughly. I then lathered up as usual. I could tell no difference in the shave or the results of the shave. What I did notice was the oily mess left in the sink and all over the
handle of my new brush (another Christmas present). It's more trouble than it's worth as far as I'm concerned. Maybe one of you can enlighten me as to what I'm doing wrong or not doing.

 

[seattleshaver]

I've heard that using hair conditioner before shaving would help soften the beard as well. It makes sense but when I've tried it I could tell no difference.

Considering that I have no problem shaving without pre-shave oil I can't see where using it could be beneficial either. People in this (and every other) hobby sometimes get carried away and I think that is the case with pre-shave oil.

 

[jhh834]

I've heard that using hair conditioner before shaving would help soften the beard as well.

+1 A very cheap and easy alternative to pre-shave oils!

 

[Badgerfat]

I have kind of noticed the same thing. I don't have AOS but I do have a pre shave oil. I found it for me works better with glycerine based soaps and creams. The tallow based like Tabac seemed to fight one another on making my face slick, and I had to wash all of it off and start over. But maybe it's all in the head too lol!!! Just some food for thought.

 

[Oscroft]

Some people find a pre-shave oil helps, some find it makes no difference, and others find their shaves are better without it. I think it depends on a lot of things - your beard, your skin, your technique, your soap...

I'd say if it doesn't work for you, over to BST with it - there's sure to be someone who likes the stuff.

 

[celestino]

It sounds like you don't need it. Try using your regular soap to face-lather or bowl-lather and then massage it in with your hands and let it sit for a few minutes and then re-lather and start your shave and see what happens. Good luck.

 

[savagejoerude]

From what I heard AOS PSO is a ***.....LOL... I've seen some reviews that say it's too thick, leaves residue. Basically exactly what you are posting here. I also think you may be using WAY too much. I use PSO at every shave. I LOVE "Shave Secret" sold at WallyWorld for a mere pittance ($4.99). I use the as directed 4 drops which is enough to cover this >( )< area. I use a pre shave soap and rinse with a hot towel. Then I massage the oil thoroughly into my beard. At lest for a minute. Then lather up. This stuff seems to be a bit water soluble too. No ring around the sink. I also use an African Herbal Oil I found at the Family Dollar. A huge bottle found in the "sista" section. (About the same price). It contains just about every beneficial oil known to man and some only known to beasts.. I will be dead before I could ever use it all. I use the same amount of that in the same manner. Both of these work very well for me. It seems that too much oil will put up some resistance to your razor. I too made the same mistake when I began using PSO. I made some home made PSO following a recipe I found on another forum. My consensus on it was it was too thick. If I were you I would try a lot less and massage it in a bit. If you toss it go get some "Shave Secret" and quit foolin' around... Happy Shaves !!!

 

[michiganlover]

From what I heard AOS PSO is a ***.....LOL... I've seen some reviews that say it's too thick, leaves residue. Basically exactly what you are posting here. I also think you may be using WAY too much. I use PSO at every shave.

+1

AOS Pre-Shave oil has a great reputation for being junk. I had a sample of it, and thought it was flat out worthless.

But no matter what pre-shave oil you are using, 1/4 teaspoon is way overkill!! A couple of drops are all that should be necessary.

I've used hair conditioner for 3 years with great results, but that African Herbal Oil does sound interesting.

Further, pre-shave oils are a bit of a rip off, as one could make their own for next to nothing.

 

[Redstickjohn]

+1
My experience exactly.

 

[Justin121081]

I have been using almond oil as my pso.

 

[musicman1951]

I strongly suspect you are doing nothing wrong - other than wasting some oil. I read many threads about different pre-shaves before purchasing the Proraso. I did read that quite a few shavers received no benefit, but I was way too curious to not try it for myself. It turns out I'm one of those no benefit shavers.

It's a little sad because there is one less category available to my AD, but what can you do? Use the plain water and be happy.

 

[cleancut]

Looks like most people have had the same experience as me. Actually, the only reason I tried this stuff was because I received it as a gift. I would never of
bought this for myself. I use MWF and MDC soap and face lather most of the time and receive excellent shaves (most BBS) so using the oil would have been
redundant in the first place. Oh well, just chock this one up to experience I guess. Thanks for all the replies.

 

[LMAN007]

I use NOXZEMA for my pre shave. Smells nice, and it does NOT clogg up my DE razor.

 

[ThePatrician]

I haven't used AOS PSO, but the only one I found that actually did anything was the one by American Crew. It made my face much slicker, and helped keep it moisturized. My skin fairly glowed after using it, but I got tired of the extra step (plus nervous about fouling up my brushes). My preshave treatment now is using a good glycerin soap in the shower (has any looked at the ingredients in Irish Spring soap? Seriously, you would be AMAZED) and AOS pre-shave gel, only available in Ocean Kelp. It seems to really help, plus it doesn't have that scary flip-top cap that instantly gets covered in oil.

 

[BillC]

So I'm one of the folks here who like pre shave oils. The AOS oil works fine for me but it's way overpriced in my opinion - it's just olive oil, castor oil and fragrance after all. You can recreate an unscented version with a couple ounces of olive oil from the kitchen and a bottle of castor oil which is very cheap.

With regards to using PSOs, I'm not trying to convert you but I'll tell you how and why I use them - YMMV. For me, the PSO is about the skin, not the beard or the glide. I think the PSO helps make sure the skin is more supple and moves easily beneath the blade, reducing irritation and weepers. If your skin doesn't need any extra moisturizing then it probably won't help. For me, my whole 'skin care' routine is shaving. So before my shave, I wash my face. While it's still wet I put a couple_drops_ of PSO in my hand and rub it in. The oil absorbs into my skin so there's no extra cleanup, nothing on my hands, my razor, my brush or my sink. Again my opinion, but I think people who want to add glide to their shave are leaving oil on their face and getting a mess. I just don't see how mixing soap/water and oil can ever turn out well. If you're trying to improve glide, glycerine seems to make more sense to me.

 

[cleancut]

I was just guessing about using 1/4 teaspoon of PSO on my face but only 2 or 3 drops wouldn't have been enough to cover my face. How you could rub that oil in
and not have to wash your hands after is beyond me.

 

[John Von Wuggz]

I have not used that brand but I use 2-3 drops of the Anthony Logistics. I would imagine using as much as you did of any brand is too much.

 

[BillC]

I was just guessing about using 1/4 teaspoon of PSO on my face but only 2 or 3 drops wouldn't have been enough to cover my face. How you could rub that oil in
and not have to wash your hands after is beyond me.

With my face still wet I can get my face covered with just a few drops. The AOS oil is thicker than what I usually use - homemade grapeseed oil based blend or shave secret - but I just put the oil on my fingertips and rub it in. If my fingertips feel oily I just rub them on my chest and the oily feeling is gone.

 

[todayilearned]

I haven't tried that particular PSO but I made my own and at first questioned if it did anything.

It was a mixture of Olive Oil, Almond Oil and Grapeseed Oil. I use about 4-5 drops for my entire face...

Later on I realized if I mix in a few drop of water with my PSO it really helps create a slick layer on my skins that provides a better shave.

 

[Liberty_2112]

I'm not a fan of AOS Sandalwood pre shave oil. For me, it is too thin and oily.

For a preshave oil, I enjoy Floid Sandalor. Much better consistency and performance.