I sometimes opt for preshave oil if I am not showering. I wet the face, put a dime sized amount of oil in my palm, apply to face and massage it in for about 30 seconds. Then it is better to wait a couple minutes if you can to let the oil do its work. Sometimes I do something else such as brushing teeth, etc, but most of the time I go right to loading the brush and face lathering.
I apply the oil after my face prep and right before applying my lather. I apply the oil, whip up my lather and apply it, then start shaving.
And to the three of you, have you ever had issues with your brush holding an oily residue or being damaged because of the pre-shave oil?
For me, that was my biggest initial fear - mucking up my brush. I was also a bit concerned about my razor getting clogged and giving a poor shave. I've been using PSO and JoAnna's pre-shave balm for several years now and I've had zero issues with brush or razor. If you think about it, lather is nothing more than soap, soap is used to strip oils and clean what ever you're using it on, thus it's actually cleaning off any oil that may try to accumulate on your brush. Seems that if anything you're going to get a soap scum build up on your brush before you get an oil build up.
I've never had any problem with the oil accumulating on my brush. If I ever detected a problem, it's nothing that a good shampoo couldn't solve.
When I first got back into wet-shaving, I started keeping notes about certain products I was using (the good and the bad), and the effect each had on my shaving enjoyment. I no longer feel compelled to keep writing down my impressions as I began using more and more products as well as trying different techniques. The information I did garner from these notes made my early shaving experiences more educational, and helped define my preferences.
Day 39 of shave journal (4 Aug 2013): No time for a shave, so I took a break and will continue tomorrow. Got my peppermint essential oil today! Made my pre-shave oil with olive, castor, and peppermint oils. Made about 3 fl. oz. and used only 40 drops of peppermint oil. It smells great!
Day 40 of shave journal (5 Aug 2013): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. The peppermint makes this stuff quite pleasant to apply compared to the scent of plain olive oil. Converted one of TWGW's small (6 fl. oz.) pump-style lotion bottles into a pre-shave oil dispenser. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Astra SP (2nd use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Palmolive shave stick. Lather: 60/120 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, no additional load required. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: No irritation. Verdict: What a great shave! This DE86 is definitely more aggressive than the Gillette Super Speed, and I am getting a closer shave with 3 passes than I ever did with my Super Speed with 4! I did a moderately quick shave today but it turned out to be the closest but least-irritated shave I have had yet!
Day 41 of shave journal (6 Aug 2013): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Smelled great and was quite refreshing during application. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Astra SP (3rd use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Palmolive shave stick. Lather: 60/120 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, no additional load required. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, ATG, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: No irritation. Verdict: A closer shave than yesterday and with an older blade too! I opted for ATG on my 3rd pass instead of my normal XTG2 in the opposite direction of XTG1. It required some blade buffing but worked well and still no irritation. I am fairly satisfied with the closeness of this 3-pass shave. The next few days will be spent making sure my technique is just right for this razor's aggressiveness.
Day 42 of shave journal (7 Aug 2013): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Astra SP (4th use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Palmolive shave stick. Lather: 60/120 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, no additional load required. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: Mild irritation, 1 weeper. Verdict: That 4-day old blade did not agree with my face. I'll try again tomorrow with a new blade. I may soon try a new type of blade after I go through one more package of Astras.
Day 43 of shave journal (8 Aug 2013): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Astra SP (1st use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Palmolive shave stick. Lather: 60/120 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, 1 additional load required because I'm getting down to the end of this Palmolive shave stick and it's hard to get soap on the brush. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: Irritation. Verdict: The irritation caused by yesterday's shave had not quite healed when I shaved this morning, which resulted in a pretty bad shave. It wasn't a close shave, and it definitely wasn't irritation-free. Tomorrow will be the first time since starting wetshaving that I've opted out of a shave for a reason other than lack of time. I'd like my skin to heal completely before I go at it again.
You are probably a bit past needing any advice, but two things you might want to consider adding to your routine. First, you should be splashing your face with water in between each lather. There's a real reason why it's called wet shaving. The water acts as a buffer between the blade and your skin. The lather you are applying is mostly there to keep the water on your face. Second, you might want to check out Witch Hazel. Walmart and other stores with pharmacies generally carry it. Usually next to the isopropal alcohol (rubbing alcohol). Generic is fine and costs a couple of bucks. Thayer's or Dickenson's has less of a burned wood odor and comes in a nicer bottle, but that's the only difference. Apply it like an aftershave splash, wait a minute, then apply your usual aftershave. The witch hazel will tighten your skin and stop weepers without the stinging sensation of a styptic pencil. That's all the advice I can give you. It looks like you have the basics well covered.
Thanks for the advice. I always rinse in between passes and make sure there is plenty of water in my lather. I think I am going to try witch hazel, since the styptic pencil does sting a bit.
Day 44 of shave journal (9 Aug 2013): Decided to take a break for the day to let my skin heal up from yesterday's debacle. I'll continue again tomorrow.
Day 45 of shave journal (10 Aug 2013): Preshave: Quick face wash in the shower plus a hot rinse. 50/50 mix of castor and olive oils, peppermint fragrance. Gear: Edwin Jagger DE86, Astra SP (2nd use), Whipped Dog silvertip, Palmolive shave stick. Lather: 60/120 second load/face lather, 30 second lather with each additional pass, 1 additional load required because I'm getting down to the end of this Palmolive shave stick and it's hard to get soap on the brush. Shave: 3 passes: WTG, XTG1, XTG2, plus a cold rinse. Aftershave: Mennen Skin Bracer. Summary: No irritation. Verdict: Finished the Palmolive shave stick, and I really enjoyed how it performed. It's great at producing lather and it smells okay too. I really like how this shave felt after giving my skin some time to recover.
