I have been looking in all the drug stores and such around my area for a pre-shave cream and nobody carries one. I thought about Coco Butter Cream and bought a jar of it today. I will give it a try tomorrow. I used some CocoButter hand cream this morning and it seemed to work pretty well as a PSC so maybe the thicker pure Cocobutter cream will work as well. Just curious if anyone has used this for a pre-shave cream. My supply of Proraso PSC is running out and it's expensive and a hassel to get. (On-line ordering , shipping, initial expensive of the cream, waiting, etc.)
I haven't used Cocobutter seems like it would work though. I used Nivea cream as a PSC for awhile, it worked well but you have to mix to with water before applying it.
Nivea Crème or Noxema have had there adherents but for me they don't work as well as Proraso. The large barber jar of Proraso is actually a great bargain , mine seems to be lasting forever and I don't worry about the quantity used. Its more of a waste of time and money fiddling around with make shift products that don't work rather than getting the product that's designed for the task.
I have a bunch of creams that have generally been neglected as I prefer soaps. I have started using them as a pre-shave while in the shower.
I occasionally use coconut oil as a pre-shave oil, on days when I've been in the sun a lot, or feeling otherwise dehydrated. It works pretty well and doesn't make my skin feel additionally oily after I use it, unlike most of the pre-packaged pre-shave oils I've tried. In my case it's a jar of Trader Joe's coconut oil in a jar. Dirt cheap. I got the idea from SWMBO, who uses coco oil on her skin, hair, and once in a great while, to cook with.
I have used cocoa butter products for skin treatment (usually a main ingredient in some products). It has a very soothing effect for post-shaves, I imagine, but products that contain a substantial amount of it tend to have a very thick, greasy feel to it and my I fear it would do more to clog razors than provide a slick surface. My preference is shea butter. It's not as dense as cocoa butter— less hard & more likely to render/absorb into the skin = less greasy feel, yet still provide the 'glide' and the positive benefits both ingredients inherently have. The Shea Moisture Butter créme (African Black soap) from CVS (cheap!), I have discovered, really provides a nice pre and post shave protection AND conditioning. Skin looks great after using it. It doesn't 'lather' for shaving, but as far as a pre or post application, I like it.
