Who makes the best Pre Shave Cream?

[CryptoDave]

I've been wet shaving now for several months and am quite comfortable with my technique, of course I get the usual nicks and weepers but so far nothing serious.

I've been reading here that a lot of people use a pre shave cream and let it soak in and then apply their shaving cream on top of it and shave. Some will even wipe down and do it again for another pass.

So my question is:

1. Who makes the best pre shave cream?
2. Will this make it harder for me to pull my check skin up and tight for the jaw pass. My concern is that the pre shave cream will make my skin too slick to get a good grip on.
3. This may be stupid, but what is the purpose of a pre shave cream?

Thanks,

Dave

 

[Bellac]

I believe you are referring to a preshave oil. The only preshave cream I know of is Proraso, and you can use that pre/post shave. Now, the point of a preshave oil is to moisturizes and protects (I think) the skin before a shave. When you shave, you are cutting hair, but you are also taking off the top layer of skin. This makes your skin dry, sensitive, and other technical jargon that justifies half of Art of Shaving's existence (joking). Some people use the oil, some people don't; it isn't a requirement. If it works for you, then use it. Personally, I do use it and I wait a few minutes for it to soak in to moisturize my skin. Now, the point with people reapplying the oil after every pass is because it makes your lather much slicker, and your shave a little bit more effective.

Who makes the best preshave? That is asking who makes the best soaps or creams. Too many opinions, and too many pros and cons. If you find something that works for you then great. There are some deciding factors though. First, the scent; it better smell nice. Second, affect on the skin; some people feel their shave is negatively affected by the oil, so they don't use it. My preshave oil is not even labeled as a preshave oil. Nonetheless, I like the scent, and it is very moisturizing for my skin (Bio-Oil). Plus, per unit ounce, it's much cheaper than the brand name preshave oil.

About it making your skin slick and hard to pull on: rub some alum on your hands. This will increase your grip. Wait for the oil to soak into the skin. A little oil goes a long way as in use a little bit only maybe 5 drops at most (it should never be more than a dime size amount.

 

[TML4EVR]

There are other pre-shave creams and gels other than proraso. Personally I've never tried any of them, I found the white proraso and fell in love.

 

[BarryP13]

+1 to Prorasso. Helps make my shaves very close, slick and has reduced nicks/weepers. and it helps my skin.

 

[Mack The Knife]

Never have used Prorasso, I started off using Noxzema with moisturizer. Cheap and slick.
Someday Ill try Proasso, just not today

 

[jmsodpc]

I only use the proraso white tub but am curious about the shave den sub zero preshave.

I never tried any preshave but the proraso. It makes my wtg and atg passes extra nice.

 

[CryptoDave]

I believe you are referring to a preshave oil. The only preshave cream I know of is Proraso, and you can use that pre/post shave. Now, the point of a preshave oil is to moisturizes and protects (I think) the skin before a shave. When you shave, you are cutting hair, but you are also taking off the top layer of skin. This makes your skin dry, sensitive, and other technical jargon that justifies half of Art of Shaving's existence (joking). Some people use the oil, some people don't; it isn't a requirement. If it works for you, then use it. Personally, I do use it and I wait a few minutes for it to soak in to moisturize my skin. Now, the point with people reapplying the oil after every pass is because it makes your lather much slicker, and your shave a little bit more effective.

thanks great explanation. One question: how does it make your lather much slicker and how does that cause you to shave more effectively ?

Thanks,

Dave

 

[rbaloha]

http://www.skinauthority.com/Age-Defying-Shave-Serum

Amazing product. Be careful of Proraso since it does have a reputation of drying out your skin.

 

[SmoovD]

The best preshave is not a cream. Also not an oil. It is a shower. IME nothing tops a hot shower for beard and skin prep. YMMV, of course.

 

[Chaucer]

Try the T&H preshave oil. It smells nice and lubricates too. An alternative is Edwin Jagger preshave. It's a cream with the same virtues as T&H oil.
I'm fixing to order a container of Nancy Boy predshave oil, and I'll report back with results.

 

[Augustiner]

Regular Proraso (green tub) is what I use before every shave and is the overall best I've tried. For reference I have also tried 3P (good/great), Lucky Tiger Lemon Facial Cleanser (great but greasy as all get out), Noxzema (mediocre at best).

A lot of people consider Noxzema as an equivalent substitute for Proraso but I have found that Proraso works better for me, and it wasn't really close. I prefer Proraso overall because it works well, definitely helps with a better shave, it feels very refreshing and it rinses off clean. I can't really think of a definite negative to say about it. I have never tried the white (sensitive) version, so I can't speak for that variety.

 

[Bellac]

The preshave oil basically acts as a lubricant. It has a similar affect as dropping a bit of glycerin in your lather. It makes the lather slicker because its an oil; therefore, your blade glides over much more easily. Listen, the whole point of a preshave is to improve your actual shave and protect your skin. There are different methods out there (oil, cream, shower), but the point remains the same, protect the skin. You do what you find works for you.

 

[Nick Danger]

Be careful of Proraso since it does have a reputation of drying out your skin.

That was certainly true for me, even with the Proraso white pre-shave cream for sensitive skin. Didn't make my shaves any better, and it dried out my face (even when I used only a tiny bit.) Other guys love it, so it appears to depend a lot on your skin type.

The best preshave is not a cream. Also not an oil. It is a shower. IME nothing tops a hot shower for beard and skin prep. YMMV, of course.

+1 to that. A good face washing in the shower is crucial to me getting a great shave.

I've also found that the only effective pre-shave cream for me is a little of the lather I'm about to use to shave. I put a thin coat on my face and leave it for a minute or two. Then I wash it off, re-lather and shave. Works perfectly for me, and I don't need to buy yet another product.

I didn't like using the pre-shave oil I tried from AoS and T&H. Neither seemed to improve my shave, but they both made my face break out. They also made clean-up more of a pain, as my cut whiskers stuck to the sink after I drained out the water.

Nick

 

[attime6]

For a cream it would be Proraso Green Tea & Oat. A cheaper alternative would be using the Barbershop Prep.

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/How_to_pre-shave_prep

 

[Francois_Dillinger]

I have tried both Proraso White and Proraso Green. I hated them both at first, as I was new to wet shaving and they both had a bit of a burn. Now that I have been doing it for a couple of months, I love both of them. The green has bit stronger feel to it (eucalyptus and menthol I believe), but they both seem to work equally well. Prior to that, I didn't use pre-shave, however when I used to get a shave at the barbershop they would use American Crew pre-shave oil. I am not convinced that it really helped the shave any.

 

[LegionPrime]

The best preshave is not a cream. Also not an oil. It is a shower. IME nothing tops a hot shower for beard and skin prep. YMMV, of course.

^This! Before I discovered wet shaving the only way I could ever hope to get a decent close shave that didn't tear up my face and half pull out the hair was to shave after a shower. Wet shaving has changed that for the most part, but I still get my best shaves right out of the shower.
However as far as preshaves go, the oils I've tried irritated my skin (I'm just unlucky I get to save money by not using a PSO I guess ). However I stopped in AoS last thanksgiving for some blades which made Feathers seem cheap (out of town and AoS was at the mall we were going to anyway and I HATE driving within 100 miles of DC) and they of course tried their sales pitch. I told her about my vintage razors and that I had one of their creams I really liked but their PSO irritated my skin. She gave me some samples of their new preshave gel, both the new gel and new scent are great! The sea kelp smells great and just rubbing on the packet of gel before lathering yielded as good of a shave as if I had gone through my usual preshave routine. I gotta say I was impressed with the stuff, I don't know if it will become part of my daily routine but it is perfect to keep in my dop kit for travel.

 

[Toopskees]

I occasionally use Geo. F. Trumper Sandalwood Skin Food as a preshave. Works pretty well.

 

[Omp]

I agree that a shower is great prep for a shave but that's not to say that adding a preshave can't add to the quality of the shave. The only preshave cream I have used is the white Proraso although I believe there are a good few others out there. I'm not bowled over by it but it's only had a handful of uses so far. I'd like to give Skin Food a try.
Most of the time I use eShave Pre-shave oil. I find it keeps my skin nice and moist between getting out of the shower and starting a shave.

 

[smokeydave]

Agreed a hot shower. However I used savlon by chance and surprisingly it worked rely well.

As someone else has said proraso is the only cream for pre and post shave

 

[eborraga]

I really like Iced Sub Zero. It's quite cold and is very slick. I used proraso before I found this stuff.