ok, had to 'just try it'; took some evoo last night, and figured what the hey - pre-shave oil might work - took the oil, added some cloves and earl grey tea (the leaf - not the powder bag junk) and waited til this am to try... i dont think the oil absorbed/was infused w/ much of the tea, but the results were good! not greasy/'oily' like i thought - just 'slippery' / smooth gliding; no ill effect on the synthetic body shop brush either. now to get some scent into the oil - again, thank you shave den, for yet another step added to the am ritual...
yup me too. I made a mix of olive oil and glycerin and crushed black pepper with a few drops of TOBS preshave oil. It was actually quite good!
I have tried pure olive oil a couple of times and it was good but don't you find it a little bit "messy"?specially if you do a 3 or 4 passes shave...However works really good(even by itself) but soaps that contains olive oil (as TSD does) makes a better job if you make a good lather from them.
not messy 2 me; i used my palms to apply it so as to keep the fingertips clean to hold the razor; worked well & i too make 3-4 passes;
My wife keeps some almond oil in the bath room, and I have used this a few times as a pre-shave oil, works just fine. I think all these oils, like almond, walnut and olive oil are good for use. If you add some scent to it, the better it is. I personally prefer to smear an oil onto my face that I can also eat!!
after justa couple of days, th eoil has really become infused w/ the earl gray tea, but wow, the clove aroma is amazing!!!! and the shaves have actually gotten closer with using the oil.
The thing about olive oil, is you have to watch the expiration date. Plus there is no need to use EVOO. I like to cut the olive oil with jojoba oil for a lighter consistency. I do an 80/20 ratio. Also, jojoba has a much longer shelf life. I store it in little travel size containers .
I got some EO samples from Em's Place and have made up two small 1/2 oz samples of a mix of the sweet almond oil with either Woodstock and the Lime/Citrus EO - came out quite nice!
I use WD-40 bc I am hardcore, and it sprays on so easily. Not really, but I did you peanut oil once out of curiosity and it had the opposite effect. It was messy and made the razor (but not the blade) grab. Very odd. Oh and also I smelled like peanuts all day. Didn't really think that one through.
Well, I tried it, but the dog wouldn't leave me alone! But, when I'm not using bacon, I find that grape seed oil is nice and light. A little lighter than olive or almond. And, it takes a scent great with the addition of a touch of essential oil such as lavender or ylang ylang, or cedar, or....
When you use a preshave oil, do you apply it only once before you apply the shaving cream? Or do you reapply it after each pass? I might give it a shot!
I have been using olive oil as a pre shave for about a month. I just spread it on while the brush is soaking and I'm waiting for the sink to finish filling. I just do a quick wash of the fingertips that have the oil on them so it doesn't affect my grip on the razor. As far as second or third pass, I don't re-oil b4 the pass. I have found that after each pass, if I splash a little water onto my face, I can find the area(s) that need to be touched up and the residual cream and oil is still slick enough not to have to re-oil. I DO apply more lather though. At first, I thought what a hassle (using pre-oil) another step in this process. But the times I have gone without the oil, was less enjoyable and not nearly as smooth while shaving. I have also used pure glycerin instead of olive oil. It works almost as well, but not quite, for me anyway.
former and now jaded pre-shave enthusiast from what I understand, the most popular formulation of preshave oil, and supposedly (???) equivalent to one art of shaving uses is as follows: 1 ounce olive oil 2 ounces castor oil 5-10 drops lavendar essential oil I've used AOS preshave and I've used this, and both work fine for me. But I found that since I have been using Mitchell's wool fat soap, it adds enough oil to my skin that the preshave oil now seems not to add much anymore.
Clove oil is an analgesic and antiseptic, so good choice! I'm not sure if an infusion will gain those benefits for you, or if you need to use actual clove oil. Clove oil is easy to find and cheap, so it may be worth it to check it out. I'll probably try some experimentation of my own soon. Jason
I've used olive oil as a pre-shave for a couple years. I rub a dime sized drop into my skin before applying the first hot towel. It does wonders for older less resilient skin. goshawk
I tried my wife's deep cleansing oil today as a pre-shave oil. I think it was better. I will have to give it a try again though.
