Pre-shave oil or not?

I am a art of shaving fan. My 100$ kit lasts a year. I shave every other day. I only use a nickel amount. I love the smell so I also use the aftershave lotion. 5 pumps of lotion. I think the little bit does go along way.

Before I learned how to shave with the kit I was using way too much. The guy in the store was on the floor laughing when I told him how much I used. He showed me the proper amount and the money/math made sense.

 

I was never really thinking of using pre-shave oil as I was quite content with just a good face-lathered shave soap or creme before the shave. One day, out of curiosity, I did an spontaneous purchase of an AoS pre-shave oil bottle when on a trip to NY. Not bad at all although pricey in the long run for me with shipping and such to Singapore. But the benefits of a pre-shave oil were still not that obvious to me. Then I had one made at a local organics shop. It took me a while to empty that bottle (the better part of a year) as most of my shaves Is till did without the pre-shave treatment.

Then, earlier this year, I ordered by mistake 2 bottles of Musgo Real's pre-shave oil (instead of the AS, I really must have been foggy-brained the day of placing that order). Anyhow, " What the heck, I might as well use it" I said to myself. And using it i did. And still do. Every shave, no matter how great my skin feels, I apply the pre-shave oil. And I'm lovin' it (no, not the food associated with a very similar slogan). Most days, if I had a good shave the previous day, my skin feels good and I am looking forward to the shave. Then there are some days when, either because of a bad blade or bad technique of mine or whatever the reason, the skin feels sore ('raw', we call it at home) and the stubble feels like tiny bits of shaved steel sticking out on the lower haf of the face. On those days, I am not looking forward to shaving. And on those days in particular, the shave oil really does make a difference. In my case the Musgo Real, but I dare say any decent oil or other quality pre-shave treatment.

I usually wash my face in the shower and, ver mind that the subble is already soaked, apply the pre shave oil. Then I continue with the usual - getting the brush wet (synthetic in my case, so no long soaking needed), loading the brush and then start face lathering. And I have to say, my skin does feel better in the long run. Those 'bad days' I have mentioned above when I was not looking forward to shaving, well they become more and more infrequent. The shaves are awesome (yes, I know, that can also be achieved without the pre oil) and I like it as part of my shave ritual. Sometimes, in my SoS posts, I refer to 'my personal Man-Spa experience'. Well, the pre-shave oil plays an important part in that. See, for me, a 'Spa' experience is not a massage and a hot tub or jacuzzi. For me it is relaxing in a nice, peaceful, warm, kind of a 'Zen' setting and most of all, pleasant scents. Nothing disturbs the mind nor the shave ritual. A sauna beforehand is not but not a must. Well, my personal favourite pre shave oil, the Musgo, smells heavenly (again, each to their own of course), I immensly enjoy the scent of it. Then comes a nice shave soap (in my case one of the few Calanis I use or my much beloved MdC), again great scents there. This is then followed up by face lathering whichever soap was selected. Shave. Then re-lathering for the second pass. The shave brush has acquired a faint aroma of the pre shave oil, combined with the scent of whichever soap is in use.

If I shave at work, meaning the shower & wet area of our hotel's gym, then this is coupled with the sound of running water of the jacuzzis or the whiff of Eucalyptus coming from the steam bath around the corner and some very nice and gentle background music.

But I am am digressing, pardon me. Back to the bit which involves shaving and pre shave oil - overall my skin feels good, it certainly doens't complain about the oil. The shaves are real good too and, the main reason, I like it. Whenever the 2 bottles of Musgo pre shave I had ordered by mistake are running dry, I will re-order it. On purpose, not by mistake. So, yeah, to cut a long story short, I use pre shave oil and will continue doing so.

 

I love this forum! The information shared here is priceless! Very easy going group of folks.

 

I started using a pre-shave oil (PSO) a while ago. I like the 'extra' layer of protection it provided when I shaved.
When I started making my own PSOs—playing the different viscosity of oils and fragrances—they soon became an invaluable part of my shave routine.
This 'extra' protection the PSO gave was appreciated when I began using more aggressive razors as the learning curve on some razors was a bit steep.
It is so inexpensive to make one's own PSO that it was a no brainer to do so. I now regularly alternate my homemade PSO with a pre-shave cream I made. The cream is a touch thicker than the oil and thus gives me additional protection if I'm experiencing any residual irritation from a previous day's shave.

 

What's the recipe for your pre-shave cream?

 

Sara, off the top of my head, the PS cream has the following. I've written the exact amounts down, but need to find the hard copy. The cream is pretty thick (more like a paste), but readily renders down when applied the skin. Future batches I'll make 'creamier.'

• shea butter
• lanolin
• jojoba oil
• sweet almond oil
• veg. glycerin
• Vit. E oil
• Essential oil (fragrance— I used cedar wood for this batch)
• distilled water

 

Would you consider creating a tutorial for that?

 

Sure. The next batch I make, I will take photos to document the process.
I really need to go find the recipe.

 

Dang it, new to de shaving. This is a ton on information on one thread, thanks!

 

How does one eat an elephant?
One small bite at a time.

There's plenty of shaving information to be found in numerous threads on this forum. Enjoy!

 

I was just thinking the same thing. I'd never even heard of shaving oil before. I guess this is a 1 in 10,000 moment for me.

 

I just started to use a pre-shave oil. I really like it. I get no irritation at all on my neck.

 

Differing views regarding shaving oil. I just tried my first, and must say I haven't noticed any difference in my shaving or my skin. I did notice oil in my wash basin and that I had to clean the razor head more frequently. I would say this is truly YMMV situation.

 

can pre-shave oil damage badger bristles?

 

I've been using PSO just about every day for about a year and a half or so. I have yet to notice any issues with any of my brushes - badger, boar, or synthetic. I do not have any horse hair brushes, so...

 

My experiences have been the same using PSO & PSCs.
Boar & badger hair is pretty resilient stuff. I'm sure in the wild, boars and badgers get pretty oily naturally, so a little castor or jojoba oil won't hurt.

 

I am new to SR shaving and had never used a pre-shave oil so I made my own preshave oil last week. Olive oil and mineral oil were the main ingredients. I found that it helped my sensitive face from being too irritated from the shave. I love it. Like everyone has said, a little goes a long way.

 

I have used the AOS oil and I found it did nothing to help my shave and I believe it caused a break out. I do not like shaving with them at all. I get a cleaner shave when I use just the cream.

 

When I started, I was using Proraso pre-shave systematically. I liked the scent and cooling effect more than anything else. But then I started experimenting with different soas and I would skip the pre-shave without noticing much difference at all. So there I was for over a year not using pre-shave oil and still getting a lot of neck irritation. Last week I started the oil cleansing method. Funny enough it's a very similar composition than home-made pre-shave oils. Since the oil film never washes away completely, I am left with a bit of pre-shave oil post shower and I found this made a huge difference! I don't have any irritation at all this week. Plus I didn't get any acne since starting the OCM. It really works for me, plus I was sick of paying a crazy amount for facial cleanser and didn't even want to start with pre-shave oils. Instead I'm paying crazy amount in Essential Oils

 

I find that it doesn't really make much of a difference in a typical shave where I prepped well. It seems to help when I don't shower before a shave and want to jump into shaving. I rub it in my hands until it feels warmed up and then work it into the whiskers. I let it sit while I build a lather and set up whatever else. I haven't really extensively tested the difference between not using it and using it, but the first time I used one (AoS) it seemed to make all the difference. I guess it is due for a more intensive evaluation.