I know this topic has been discussed frequently but I got interested in shaving oils and Id like to share some information from my research (if you want to see why I became interested see the end of the post).
Oils have many properties, many of them good such as nourishing the skin; other properties are not good such as being irritating or comedogenic (plugging pores which leads to blemishes, pimples, blackheads, or zits). So the best shaving oil would be one that lubricates while shaving and nourishes the skin but is not irritating or comedogenic. As shaving oils are used in small quantities and may be stored for a time, they should also have a shelf life of 9 months to a year to prevent the oil from going rancid.
Oils can further be described as essential oils which is are plant extracts obtained often for the aromatic properties (they smell good
they are used in very small amounts in a blend usually to impart a fragrance. Most essential oils are to one degree or another irritating so I suggest not putting them in shaving oil. Especially since the shaving oil fragrance will be washed off/removed during the shaving and cleanup process and has no lasting purpose; why have the irritation risk? If you must use them do so at only 1-3% of a blend. The rest of an oil blend are carrier oils having the other qualities described above; there can be primary and secondary (also known as base) carrier oils. Primary oils are used for their specific qualities the secondary/base oils make up the bulk of the blend.
Primary oils (alphabetic order):
Castor oil: A unique oil, mostly composed of rinoleic acid which is among other things a potent antibacterial and antiviral agent; rinoleic acid is not found in other oils. It is thick and lubricating with great healing and nourishing qualities. This oil is also an antiinflammatory which can sooth skin that is irritated by the shaving process. It also helps clean the pores (just as any mechanic knows that gasoline dissolves grease, so oil dissolves oil and this one helps to clean the pores and repair blackheads etc). However, too much of a good thing can be bad; it should be limited to 10% for oily skin, 20% for normal skin and 30% for dry skin.
Jojoba oil: this is actually not an oil at all but a wax ester extract from the seed of the jojoba tree. It has is absorbed quickly into the skin and is very nourishing. It is non-comedogenic, non-irritating and reportedly can help heal wounds and skin diseases. Again too much can be bad, if used in concentrations of over 30% it can be drying to the facial skin.
Kukui Nut oil: like macadamia nut oil this is from Hawaii and has legendary reports of being beneficial for the skin. It should not be used as over 10% of a blend.
Macadamia Nut oil: antiinflammatory, reportedly can heal wounds, scars, sunburns and other irritations. It should not be used as over 10% of a blend.
Neem oil: widely used in India for skin conditions and reportedly has great healing qualities. It is very aromatic (most people say it stinks) so dont use as over 5% of a blend.
Secondary/Base oils (alphabetic order):
Almond oil: commonly used with many essential fatty acids (EFAs) lightweight and easily absorbed.
Grape seed oil: light, nourishing and easily absorbed it has linoleic oil that helps the skin stay supple. It is a good choice but with a shorter 3-6 month shelf life so mix the shaving oil in small quantities.
Olive oil: the fat composition is very close to that of human skin so it is absorbed quickly and helps maintain the skins moisture content, can be used even by people with naturally oily skin; hypoallergenic (few people are allergic to it).
Sunflower oil: nourishing and inexpensive with many good qualities but has a short shelf life so mix in small quantities.
Not Recommended Oils (some of these are great for massage oils but due to the higher comedogenic potential or increased potential for irritation are I do not recommend their use in shaving oils:
Apricot oil: moderately comedogenic
Avocado oil: moderately comedogenic
Coconut oil: very lubricating but comedogenic.
Corn oil: comedogenic
Cotton Seed oil: comedogenic and irritating
Evening Primrose oil: moderately comedogenic and possibly irritating
Mineral oil (includes baby oil): Petroleum based; why use non-natural oil when there are so many other good choices?
Peanut oil: moderately comedogenic
Safflower oil: lots of unsaturated fatty acids, moisturizing, inexpensive; but with a very short, about 3 month, shelf life; if you use this mix very small quantities.
Sesame oil: moderately comedogenic
Soybean oil: moderately comedogenic
Wheat Germ oil: comedogenic
My current formula is:
Primary Oils:
Castor Oil 20% (.5 oz. or 15 ml.)
Jojoba oil 20% (.5 oz. or 15 ml.)
Secondary Oils:
Olive oil 20% (.5 oz. or 15 ml.)
Almond oil 40% (1 oz. or 30 ml.)
This gives 2.5 oz. or 45 ml. of shaving oil blend which is a amall enough quantity to use before the oils go rancid. I tried to buy small quantities so each successive blend will be fresh oil but couldn't get some i such small amounts so the remainder of my stock is in the refrigerator which will help preserve them.
I like this blend and it works very well. I expect the first two components will remain the same in future blends but I will experiment with other base oils. (I chose the heavy concentration of Almond oil to use up a supply I have on hand.) People with oily skin may want to decrease the Castor oil concentration to 10% while those with dry skin amy want to increase it to 30%. Then add or subtract to the remaining secondary oil concentration to keep the proportions constant.
A nice secondary benefit to this blend is that it can be used as an oil cleanser for the face. To do so put it on the entire face before showering. Then while in the shower put a hot, wet washcloth on your face and hold it there for a minute then wipe gently, repeat 2-3 times but dont scrub and dont use soap. You can do this perhaps weekly to deep clean the pores.
Feel free to experiment with the oils listed above and adjust your formulas as you wish.
Most of these oils can be gotten at a good natural foods store (Whole Foods, Sprouts, Henrys, etc.) I learned from another post that they can also be ordered from www.essentialwholesale.com. That site also sells a shave oil base that looks quite good; they recommend using it with just the addition of essential oils for fragrance. Instead of that, Id suggest using the Castor and Jojoba oils as above with their shave oil base as the remainder.
OK, the history of this post: I am a noob coming across this site not too long ago looking for ratings of razors since it is very hard to get refills for the Sensor Excel Ive been using for years (since they came out). I read about your philosophy of shaving and decided that shaving oil was something I could try to see if the folks here really knew what they were talking about. As some just used olive oil, which I have in the kitchen, I tried it and realized an immediate difference so decided to go further and see if there were things that could be done to make it even better (I generally go overboard when I get into a subject). Heres the result of that research. and I hope it may be helpful to some of you too.
(After the oil my next step was to get a DE, an Edwin Jacobs 89 which I like; Ill be trying soap and brush when I run out of the cans of foam I currently have.)
Oils have many properties, many of them good such as nourishing the skin; other properties are not good such as being irritating or comedogenic (plugging pores which leads to blemishes, pimples, blackheads, or zits). So the best shaving oil would be one that lubricates while shaving and nourishes the skin but is not irritating or comedogenic. As shaving oils are used in small quantities and may be stored for a time, they should also have a shelf life of 9 months to a year to prevent the oil from going rancid.
Oils can further be described as essential oils which is are plant extracts obtained often for the aromatic properties (they smell good
they are used in very small amounts in a blend usually to impart a fragrance. Most essential oils are to one degree or another irritating so I suggest not putting them in shaving oil. Especially since the shaving oil fragrance will be washed off/removed during the shaving and cleanup process and has no lasting purpose; why have the irritation risk? If you must use them do so at only 1-3% of a blend. The rest of an oil blend are carrier oils having the other qualities described above; there can be primary and secondary (also known as base) carrier oils. Primary oils are used for their specific qualities the secondary/base oils make up the bulk of the blend. Primary oils (alphabetic order):
Castor oil: A unique oil, mostly composed of rinoleic acid which is among other things a potent antibacterial and antiviral agent; rinoleic acid is not found in other oils. It is thick and lubricating with great healing and nourishing qualities. This oil is also an antiinflammatory which can sooth skin that is irritated by the shaving process. It also helps clean the pores (just as any mechanic knows that gasoline dissolves grease, so oil dissolves oil and this one helps to clean the pores and repair blackheads etc). However, too much of a good thing can be bad; it should be limited to 10% for oily skin, 20% for normal skin and 30% for dry skin.
Jojoba oil: this is actually not an oil at all but a wax ester extract from the seed of the jojoba tree. It has is absorbed quickly into the skin and is very nourishing. It is non-comedogenic, non-irritating and reportedly can help heal wounds and skin diseases. Again too much can be bad, if used in concentrations of over 30% it can be drying to the facial skin.
Kukui Nut oil: like macadamia nut oil this is from Hawaii and has legendary reports of being beneficial for the skin. It should not be used as over 10% of a blend.
Macadamia Nut oil: antiinflammatory, reportedly can heal wounds, scars, sunburns and other irritations. It should not be used as over 10% of a blend.
Neem oil: widely used in India for skin conditions and reportedly has great healing qualities. It is very aromatic (most people say it stinks) so dont use as over 5% of a blend.
Secondary/Base oils (alphabetic order):
Almond oil: commonly used with many essential fatty acids (EFAs) lightweight and easily absorbed.
Grape seed oil: light, nourishing and easily absorbed it has linoleic oil that helps the skin stay supple. It is a good choice but with a shorter 3-6 month shelf life so mix the shaving oil in small quantities.
Olive oil: the fat composition is very close to that of human skin so it is absorbed quickly and helps maintain the skins moisture content, can be used even by people with naturally oily skin; hypoallergenic (few people are allergic to it).
Sunflower oil: nourishing and inexpensive with many good qualities but has a short shelf life so mix in small quantities.
Not Recommended Oils (some of these are great for massage oils but due to the higher comedogenic potential or increased potential for irritation are I do not recommend their use in shaving oils:
Apricot oil: moderately comedogenic
Avocado oil: moderately comedogenic
Coconut oil: very lubricating but comedogenic.
Corn oil: comedogenic
Cotton Seed oil: comedogenic and irritating
Evening Primrose oil: moderately comedogenic and possibly irritating
Mineral oil (includes baby oil): Petroleum based; why use non-natural oil when there are so many other good choices?
Peanut oil: moderately comedogenic
Safflower oil: lots of unsaturated fatty acids, moisturizing, inexpensive; but with a very short, about 3 month, shelf life; if you use this mix very small quantities.
Sesame oil: moderately comedogenic
Soybean oil: moderately comedogenic
Wheat Germ oil: comedogenic
My current formula is:
Primary Oils:
Castor Oil 20% (.5 oz. or 15 ml.)
Jojoba oil 20% (.5 oz. or 15 ml.)
Secondary Oils:
Olive oil 20% (.5 oz. or 15 ml.)
Almond oil 40% (1 oz. or 30 ml.)
This gives 2.5 oz. or 45 ml. of shaving oil blend which is a amall enough quantity to use before the oils go rancid. I tried to buy small quantities so each successive blend will be fresh oil but couldn't get some i such small amounts so the remainder of my stock is in the refrigerator which will help preserve them.
I like this blend and it works very well. I expect the first two components will remain the same in future blends but I will experiment with other base oils. (I chose the heavy concentration of Almond oil to use up a supply I have on hand.) People with oily skin may want to decrease the Castor oil concentration to 10% while those with dry skin amy want to increase it to 30%. Then add or subtract to the remaining secondary oil concentration to keep the proportions constant.
A nice secondary benefit to this blend is that it can be used as an oil cleanser for the face. To do so put it on the entire face before showering. Then while in the shower put a hot, wet washcloth on your face and hold it there for a minute then wipe gently, repeat 2-3 times but dont scrub and dont use soap. You can do this perhaps weekly to deep clean the pores.
Feel free to experiment with the oils listed above and adjust your formulas as you wish.
Most of these oils can be gotten at a good natural foods store (Whole Foods, Sprouts, Henrys, etc.) I learned from another post that they can also be ordered from www.essentialwholesale.com. That site also sells a shave oil base that looks quite good; they recommend using it with just the addition of essential oils for fragrance. Instead of that, Id suggest using the Castor and Jojoba oils as above with their shave oil base as the remainder.
OK, the history of this post: I am a noob coming across this site not too long ago looking for ratings of razors since it is very hard to get refills for the Sensor Excel Ive been using for years (since they came out). I read about your philosophy of shaving and decided that shaving oil was something I could try to see if the folks here really knew what they were talking about. As some just used olive oil, which I have in the kitchen, I tried it and realized an immediate difference so decided to go further and see if there were things that could be done to make it even better (I generally go overboard when I get into a subject). Heres the result of that research. and I hope it may be helpful to some of you too.
(After the oil my next step was to get a DE, an Edwin Jacobs 89 which I like; Ill be trying soap and brush when I run out of the cans of foam I currently have.)
