Adding slickness to my face

I've been shaving with my DE safety razor for a little over a week now, and my shaving experience seems to improve a little more each time. One thing I've noticed, though, is that I'd like to improve the slickness on my face. (I think this might help retain skin moisture between passes, too.)

I've read various posts here and elsewhere online, and I've seen a few different YouTube videos where wet shavers discuss using a pre-shave oil to make their skin slicker for their shave. I've also read or seen where some add oil (usually olive, canola, or coconut) to their lather to help increase the slickness.

I was wondering what you guys do to increase the slickness on your face. Do you prefer a pre-shave oil, do you add an oil to your lather, or do you have some other trick to achieve this (assuming it's something you do)?

 

I used a homemade PSO for about 2 months when I first started DE shaving. I gradually learned how to make a slicker lather, primarily through face lathering. I now just use my wet and slick lather to provide the slickness.

 

Wet shave newbies tend to want to try all the available products, looking for that Xanadu shave, when in reality, the greatest shaves are achieved by practice and honing your lather making and shave technique. IMO, YMMV, etc....

 

Thanks for your replies, Troy and Primotenore. I feel pretty confident in my lathering abilities now. I'm now able to achieve a nice thick, rich and creamy smooth lather with the soaps and creams I have in my rotation. But with my skin being both dry and sensitive, I thought by increasing the slickness on my face, this might improve my shaving experience. Am I wrong in thinking this, or is there a better approach to dealing with my skin conditions?

 

Ive recently tried pre shave and i like it, but early on i read about asding a few drops of pure glycerin to my lather. It was cheap at my local drug stores and it does add slickness.

 

I shaved for 40 years without any kind of pre-shave. Just hot water. Then I joined TSD and discovered preshave oil (lots of recipes to be found on the forums). It worked well, but then I discovered preshave creams like Proraso and Noxema Classic...and I was hooked! Best budget preshave cream is Noxema and it provides lots of slickness under my lather. Can't live without it now!

 

Stick with a slick soap. IMO the slickest are Mystic Water and MWF. Tallow soaps in general with offer you a greater slick feeling. Careful with lanolin if you have sensitive skin. My previous comment wasn't meant to discount your needs, just relating my personal and multiple year experience participating on the shave forums.

 

Adding glycerine is one of the things I read about, too. I have some here at the house, so I'll try adding some of that to my lather for my next shave. How much did you add?

Thanks for the recommendation, Rusty! I'll give it a go.

Thanks for your recommendations. And I didn't take your previous comment as discounting my needs. I didn't make my skin conditions clear in my original post, so there was no way for you to know about them. Plus, as with pretty much anything when it come to wet shaving, YMMV. So what works best for you may not be what's best for me; therefore, I always take advice/suggestions with the proverbial grain of salt. But I'm always grateful to those who are willing to share their experiences with me to help me improve my shaving experience. Thanks for taking the time to read and reply to my post, Primotenore.

 

Soap and water, then Proraso pre shave. Not crazy about the oils. Glycerin is already in some shave soaps. Adding glycerin does help.

Soaps with tallow are even better.

 

I just ad a little pool maybe peanut size

 

Okay, thanks for the info, Dougy.

 

I usually wash my face with Musgo Real Glyce Lime Oil Soap and leave the lather on while I whip up my shaving soap, then lightly rinse some, but not all, the soap off my face before applying my lather.

 

The cheapest thing you can try is thinning out your lather.
I find a thinner lather is slicker than a thick, dense lather that I think many new to this think they want. Sure, it looks pretty, but odds are it isn't as slick as it could be if it was just a tad thinner.

And yes, a PSO can help. http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/how-to-make-your-own-pre-shave-oil.31132/

 

I also use Musgo and like you find that a light rinse leaves some very slick soap residue that can be used as pre-soap for the first pass. Musgo is a great soap but pricy. I recently was in Whole Foods and recalled reading a review of pre-soaps that ranked their brand "365" glycerin soap as a good alternate to Musgo. I picked up a bar for 2 bucks and the stuff is really great. Slicker than snot and works just as we as the Musgo for me. I proably won't reorder and will go with the more cost effect, but just as good (IMO) 365.

 

I always like simple, straight-to-the-point advice. Always very practical.

 

I have a tendency to make things way more complicated than necessary—even when I'm experienced at it, but especially when I'm new to it. I really need to break myself of this habit.

 

Pre shave could help, but I would recommend adding a drop or 2 of glycerin to the lather. It can be found locally at most stores, a bottle will last a long time, and its fairly inexpensive. Highly recommended.

 

I do pre shave oil, I also make my own. It is super easy and cheaper in the long run. I take olive oil and castor oil and I even mix in an essential oil to my liking of scent. I do 2 parts olive oil and 1 part castor oil. I read where a lot of fellas don't like the oil because it makes their hands slippery. Personally I don't find it to be an issue, my routine is as follows. I shower, apply pre shave oil to area being shaved then wash my hands. I then make my lather apply that then shave in between passes splash some water on and voila it is slippery again. Try it if anything you can always make some pasta if you find you don't like it ; )

 

I this earlier today, actually. For today's shave, I added a few drops of glycerine to my VDH Deluxw soap, and it was wonderful. Thanks for your recommendation, SHAVEWIZARD420.

I've read comments and seen videos about using various oils as part of a pre-shave process. It's nice to hear from someone who has firsthand experience doing this. Thanks for sharing your recipe and your procedure using it, ejmolitor37.

 

No worries I have only been at wet shaving since I think October of last year, I started out with a straight and have now been playing with DE's and enjoy them all. Have you tried the hot towel? If not give that a go and see what you think, it is not a necessity by any means but it feels nice and is kinda fun to add to a shave some days. I usually only do this if I shave at a time other than showering. So get a small towel wet and stick it in the microwave, go start my pre shave ritual wet area with hot water then oil and make my lather. Then I only put the towel in for like 45 sec., I have an awesome microwave. After she dings apply to area to shave and let sit like a minute. Then I will re apply my oil, lather up and go for it. We are all here for one another and it is fun trying different ways IMO. Best of luck and have fun with it ;D