What's a good pre-shave oil to use under your shaving cream?

[Barash_V]

What's the best out there? I've tried Art of Shaving and it's not that good of a pre-shave oil to protect your skin. It clogs your razor up. Zirh I like, you can reactivate by rubbing your fingers under some water and it doesn't come off! It's nice and slick.

I haven't used trumpers skin food nor Truefit & Hill. I don't really want to spend too much on pre-shaving stuff cause I want the cream to do the work. I just want that "barrier" of protection.

 

[PozzSka]

Like you mentinoed T&H, Trumpers, AOS and Zirh all have one.

So do:
Anthony Logistics
Amerian Crew
Grooming lounge
Molton Brown
Lab Series
Dermalogica
Ted Baker
King of Shaves

(I've only tried KOS and T&H, got some Anthony Logistics on the way)

You can also make your own...Casor oil, olive oil, avocado oil, macademia nut oil, jojoba oil, sunflower oil, essential oils, in some combination will do the trick.

 

[lugwrenchhero]

Shave secret, you can buy it at Walmart and pacific shaving company natural shave oil are my favorites

 

[the mood]

Yep, +1 for shave secret

 

[shaveBandito]

I have been using American Crew's shave oil at the end of my shower - and it has a slight clove scent which i like because it wakes me up nicely. I put a few drops in my palm and apply to my wet face. It does a great job of staying on my skin and not washing off - providing a very nice barrier under whatever shave soap or cream I am using. It also rinses off the blade nicely as i shave.

 

[Ignatius]

What's the best out there? I've tried Art of Shaving and it's not that good of a pre-shave oil to protect your skin. It clogs your razor up. Zirh I like, you can reactivate by rubbing your fingers under some water and it doesn't come off! It's nice and slick.

I haven't used trumpers skin food nor Truefit & Hill. I don't really want to spend too much on pre-shaving stuff cause I want the cream to do the work. I just want that "barrier" of protection.

Oil doesn't really protect the skin anyway. Its marketed as something that will provide slickness, I believe. Just leave your lather on your face for at least a minute before you shave. As you mention, your soap or cream, well lathered, should provide excellent preparation, cushion and glide. I found oils used under a cream to be at best useless, and at worst a borderline hindrance to shaving. But do experiment and see what you like.

 

[mretzloff]

Oil doesn't really protect the skin anyway. Its marketed as something that will provide slickness, I believe. Just leave your lather on your face for at least a minute before you shave. As you mention, your soap or cream, well lathered, should provide excellent preparation, cushion and glide. I found oils used under a cream to be at best useless, and at worst a borderline hindrance to shaving. But do experiment and see what you like.

+1

Shaving oil is just there to make the company an extra buck or two. If your prep and product are both good, you will not need a shaving oil.

 

[MaxJ]

I've tried the Hydrolast cutting balm, Pacific Shave oil, and T&H Ultimate Comfort oil and found them all to do more or less an equally good job. Which makes me wonder if the guys who dismiss oil as useless aren't actually on to something.

 

[the mood]

I would respectfully disagree with those that do not like a pre shave oil. After using it for several years I have found myself without it several times while shaving at work and notice a HUGE difference in the way the blade glides over my skin. I start with shave secret shave oil then after loading the brush I face lather, usually for a solid two or three minutes to exfoliate (and because it feels good and manly). Wasn't sure if the oil really helped as I started it the same time I ditched the Mach 3 for my feather, but the difference was imediately noticable. I wasn't convinced myself until I experienced it. No disrespect intended to those with differing opinions, I guess this is like everything else in this hobby, different strokes for different folks.

 

[Reed]

What's the best out there? I've tried Art of Shaving and it's not that good of a pre-shave oil to protect your skin. It clogs your razor up. Zirh I like, you can reactivate by rubbing your fingers under some water and it doesn't come off! It's nice and slick.

I haven't used trumpers skin food nor Truefit & Hill. I don't really want to spend too much on pre-shaving stuff cause I want the cream to do the work. I just want that "barrier" of protection.

I was having the same problem with AOS pre-shave oil. It was clogging my razor... I changed my routine a bit, and I haven't had any problems since. Today, I love the stuff.

Here's what changed:

Previously, I was using warm water to rinse the face, and then I was applying pre-shave oil directly to my wet face. I would then lather.

I wasn't getting the protection I wanted and my razor was getting "gummed" by the shaving oul. Here's why it wasn't working (my hypothesis)... Given that water and oil don't mix, it makes sense that the oil was never reaching the skin. The oil was simply sitting on a layer of water... Think about the Gulf oil spill... oil floats... In shaving terms, I was wasn't creating a protective barrier. It was skin, then water, then oil. The razor was scrapping the oil off the water. I wanted protection that was skin, then oil, then water...

Now, I still warm my face with warm water... however, before applying the pre-shave oil, I dry my face with my shaving towel. My face isn't bone dry, but I press the towel against my skin for 10 or seconds... Then I apply the pre-shave oil and add more water to my face after applying the pre-shave oil and before face lathering.

With this little change, I am getting better shaves and the AOS pre-shave oil works great!

Hope this helps.

 

[DaveNJ74]

I have had great results with T&H's and Castle Forbes pre shave oil.

 

[kingfisher]

I like Pacific Shave Company shaving oil, and it won't hurt your brush or harm your lather.

 

[RF1963]

I like T&H Pre Shave Oil, I find it to be quite light and with a good citrus note.

 

[BroJohn]

Actually, Noxzema works well when used as a pre-shave. Also, it's pretty cheap, as you can get a 12oz tub for about $5.

Strangely, I think the best 'pre-shave' I've used is Corn Huskers Lotion. A small dab of the stuff will coat face/beard, and it really slicks things up. You can get a 7oz bottle for about $4. The only down side is that the 'fragrance' is what I would call 'industrial'.

-- John Gehman

 

[drandall]

i've tried several PSO's across the weight spectrum and i find that midweight oils work the best for me. the heavier olive oil-based PSO's like AOS are too thick and can get gummy. the lightweight oils like pacific shave company don't seem to work as well.

my favorite is from the gentlemen's refinery. i'm not sure it works any better than other oil of a similar weight, but it has a pleasant scent and i like the pump which helps you avoid a palm full of oil.

i've also found that damp to wet skin is helpful in getting the oil to spread evenly and lightly.

i know many people don't care for it but i find it can help

 

[CoolBurn]

I have some L'Occitane Cade pre shave oil that I kind of like. Very light in texture and doesn't clog the razor. But for me the jury is still out on pre shave oil.

 

[Vlad]

I have some L'Occitane Cade pre shave oil that I kind of like. Very light in texture and doesn't clog the razor. But for me the jury is still out on pre shave oil.

Wow, I didn't know L'Occitane had a pre-shave oil. I'll have to check it out.

 

[mftoms59]

What's the best out there? I've tried Art of Shaving and it's not that good of a pre-shave oil to protect your skin. It clogs your razor up. Zirh I like, you can reactivate by rubbing your fingers under some water and it doesn't come off! It's nice and slick.

I haven't used trumpers skin food nor Truefit & Hill. I don't really want to spend too much on pre-shaving stuff cause I want the cream to do the work. I just want that "barrier" of protection.

I just started using homemade Preshave oil, when I don't have time to shower before shaving (preferred), and apply for 5-10 minutes before shaving, this helps to soften my whiskers without having to use a hot wet towel (I cold water shave). I had tried some AOS preshave and had trouble rinsing the gunk from the razor between passes, I find the homemade oil rinses easier and my face did not have that oily film (like AOS) after my shave.

I'm thinking of substituting mineral oil for the olive oil, to thin out the mixture (castor oil is quite thick) and eliminate the slight olive smell from the mixture and change from an aerosol container to a squirt container, waitng for my EO of Lavender and Bergamont Mint to arrive, for a scented version (I like to experiment also), I'll start with 5 drops per oz., 14 drops Lavender, 6 drops Bergamont Mint for a 4 oz. container. I'll make a second container using the opposite amounts of fragrance just to see how the different fragrance ratios change the scent of the oil. Total cost for 4 oz. ~$2.10 (with fragrance)

Never used the low foam cream, I prefer using Creamo Cream, it's brushless but provides a great, SUPER SLICK protective layer, also works great mixed with other creams and soaps.

Homemade Shave Oil: http://www.ehow.com/how_4745645_make-pre_shave-oil.html

Silky Scents Fragrance Oils:
http://silkyscents.com/essential_oils.htm#Sales

 

[binowatch]

I only use a preshave oil with straights. I just make my own with about 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 castor oil-you can play with the proportions 2/3 of one or the other. You can scent it as you like. Doesn't take much!

 

[Speedwell68]

If I want some extra lubrication to go under my lather I use KY Jelly. It really works, try it.