You can, as mentioned in this thread, get a great shave without using a pre shave. I sometimes like using the Proraso white simply because I enjoy the scent and texture of the product. In the summer I like the Proraso green pre shave for its menthol which, can be felt through to the end of the shave. I like em sometimes but, for me not essential.
Does a preshave help?
- Thread starter Miketorrge
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Biggest difference in my shaves was prep, not preshave. Just started dunking my face in the sink with cold water and then washing with a cleanser, like Cerave. Best shaves I’ve had in my shaving career
While we’re on the subject of prep and face washing, I’ve rediscovered Pears soap. More specifically, I’ve discovered it’s the best facial cleanser I’ve ever used. I’ve used it for years and years as a body soap in the shower but, for the face before shaving it’s great. Specifically the green. Love it. Cheap too!
I use the Grooming Dept pre shave if I'm lathering anything other than Grooming Dept Soap. I never believed in pre shave until I got my hands on a jar of GD pre shave. The difference is considerable.
I like using one. Not a downright necessity, but I do enjoy the morning ritual of a shave and prepping the beard just seems to fit in with that routine, whether it's a good face scrub with soap, a hot washcloth, or a touch of pre-shave cream.
After reading the ingredients on a lot of the pre-shave oils I tried some La Tourangelle Roasted Walnut oil. I find it works great. It’s far cheaper than anything labeled as a pre-shave oil, and you can use it on salads and for cooking. (Imagine that!)
Because sometimes you feel like a nut…
Count me as a solid “No”. Pre-shaves do absolutely nothing for the quality of my shaves whatsoever. The one I used is Proraso and the minty fumes even irritated my eyes. If you try a pre-shave, get something relatively inexpensive and develop a shaving baseline first without it to see if it actually improves anything.
Lastly, don’t lie to yourself and convince yourself it’s helping the shave if it isn’t. Consumer psychology is a funny thing.
I had similar bad luck with alum bars, by the way. They do little for my face other than making it feel dry and sticky. But hey, I felt like a YouTube shaver for 30 seconds lol.
Using a brush to apply shaving cream likewise does nothing for me. All these little steps are entirely unnecessary and don’t help matters for a lot of people.
Basic shaving cream out of a can and spread with your fingers is fine. That’s all you need beyond a razor and blade.
Lastly, don’t lie to yourself and convince yourself it’s helping the shave if it isn’t. Consumer psychology is a funny thing.
I had similar bad luck with alum bars, by the way. They do little for my face other than making it feel dry and sticky. But hey, I felt like a YouTube shaver for 30 seconds lol.
Using a brush to apply shaving cream likewise does nothing for me. All these little steps are entirely unnecessary and don’t help matters for a lot of people.
Basic shaving cream out of a can and spread with your fingers is fine. That’s all you need beyond a razor and blade.
I have used a few different pre-shave oils that came in kits or as gifts and actually threw them all away (this was way before joining B&B and learning about PIF's and Giveaways). I did not find that they improved the shave in any way. I just like a nice hot shower and washing my face to get the whiskers softened up, but no special product used. Everyone is different though and I recommend trying a pre-shave if you haven't.
Depends on what you are using, how you are using it and if it does work for you.
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Me, yes...been doing it for over 50 years.
But it is my ingredients and my process.
Also, don't forget a post shave process (YMMV) for skin stress reduction and recovery.
As you get older, the skin / face changes
As the seasons, weather changes, it is also a factor...
BFX
Different Faces , Different Cases....
Take care of the Face, you only have One.
.
Me, yes...been doing it for over 50 years.
But it is my ingredients and my process.
Also, don't forget a post shave process (YMMV) for skin stress reduction and recovery.
As you get older, the skin / face changes
As the seasons, weather changes, it is also a factor...
BFX
Different Faces , Different Cases....
Take care of the Face, you only have One.
This is what my experimentations have discussed:
The best preshave is a hot shower. If I do take a hot shower, no pre shave makes any further difference because the moisture content in my whiskers is maxed out. If I DON'T take a shower, then the moisture from pre shaves does make a difference, but never quite to the same degree as a long hot shower.
The best preshave is a hot shower. If I do take a hot shower, no pre shave makes any further difference because the moisture content in my whiskers is maxed out. If I DON'T take a shower, then the moisture from pre shaves does make a difference, but never quite to the same degree as a long hot shower.
For me, it is not just about moisturizing the stubble. It is not just the stubble that is getting attacked.
The skin will be exfoliated and if the shaver has sensitive skin, irritation can occur.
It also about getting the skin lightly protected and conditioned.
Bottom-line, Users Call...and Find what works best for you. Be open, be smart, be safe and have fun!
BFX
The skin will be exfoliated and if the shaver has sensitive skin, irritation can occur.
It also about getting the skin lightly protected and conditioned.
Bottom-line, Users Call...and Find what works best for you. Be open, be smart, be safe and have fun!
BFX
I enjoy the Stirling Pre-Shave soap bar. It performs as well as, if not better than Proraso, T&H pre-shave oil and the AoS Pre-shave oil. Plus, it is only $5.00 a bar.
My PAA Ice 2.0 Menthol Pre-Shave Cube overlord, takes my city hard water, laughs in its face, and produces a lather on its own so slick, I could shave with it. But what is the fun in that? I lather up the Pre-Shave first, then I lather up my favorite selected soap over that, and I got enough cushion and slickness, to tame the most ridiculous razor. These cubes are your best bet!
Some faces/beards benefit from a pre-shave product and some don't. You won't know which camp you fall into until you try.
They don't seem to help me, but I'm not silly enough to imagine that every shaver in the world experiences exactly what I do each morning.
They don't seem to help me, but I'm not silly enough to imagine that every shaver in the world experiences exactly what I do each morning.
