Baby oil?

I was thinking about trying baby oil as a pre-shave oil treatment. Has anyone else tried this? Is there any reason I should stay away from this?

I had some Art of Shaving pre-shave oil, which I liked, but it's pretty expensive. Baby oil is inexpensive and available anywhere. Would it work well?

Baby oil is cheap mineral oil. I've cut out all petroleum/petrolatum products from purchasing because it's not very good for your skin. I would try jojoba oil or even olive oil before baby oil.

Hmm... jojoba oil would be good and it is relatively inexpensive. I'm looking at a website now that even recommends it as a shaving treatment.

I'm wondering if it is available at common pharmacies, etc?

Thanks for the suggestion.

*edit* It looks like GNC carries it at $10 for 4 oz.

I wouldn't use baby oil if you suffer from acne it will clog your pores badly. I've tried it on my face once when I was in the bath (not for shaving) as much as it makes your skin feel really soft afterwards it's just too thick for your face imo but of course everyone's different.

Do you really need pre-shave oil btw? I thought a basic wash and lather up was good for most people. Does a pre-shave oil soften the hairs or make the shave smoother (or both)?

HerbalAbuse said:

Do you really need pre-shave oil btw? I thought a basic wash and lather up was good for most people. Does a pre-shave oil soften the hairs or make the shave smoother (or both)?

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I like it but I don't think its necessary.

i once in a while use Weleda Calendula Baby Oil, or a mix of that and castor as a preshave... the shave definitely feels different than w/o oil, but i can't say it's a better shave result.

I also found this: http://www.ehow.com/how_4745645_make-pre_shave-oil.html

Baby oil will work fine. The smell would kill me, though. And think of all those babies they had to squeeze to get one bottle of oil.

shecky said:

think of all those babies they had to squeeze to get one bottle of oil.

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Lol... well then, I will avoid it at least for humanitarian reasons.

As an update... GNC did have the jojoba oil $10 for 4 oz (compare to Art of Shaving oil $22 for 2 oz) and it was buy 1 get 1 50%. They also carry the good Thayer's witch hazel, which works with the 50% deal, so I got it for half off with the oil.

Just a heads up.

Pre-shave oils are ok, but once you get your technique down you might find out that you don't need them anymore.

Drybonz said:

Hmm... jojoba oil would be good and it is relatively inexpensive. I'm looking at a website now that even recommends it as a shaving treatment.

I'm wondering if it is available at common pharmacies, etc?

Thanks for the suggestion.

*edit* It looks like GNC carries it at $10 for 4 oz.

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Sounds relatively expensive. I'd recommend olive oil, and if you don't like smelling like salad, grapeseed oil is great for your skin and almost completely odorless. It's also like half the price of jojoba, and if you accidentally put it in food, it does not cause steatorrhea.

Honestly, pretty much any vegetable oil will work fine.

Shave Secret - available at Wally World - is inexpensive and works well for me.

I bought some Burt's Bees baby oil to try - unfortunately the "baby oil" smell is very strong although the ingredients were much better than mineral oil:

prunus armeniaca (apricot) kernel oil, vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, tritium vulgare (wheat) germ oil, fragrance, helianthus annus (sunflower) seed oil, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, tocopherol, glycine soja (soybean) oil, beta-carotene, canola oil, limonene

I'm sometimes wet my face and rub in some of this before my shower. The smell is pretty much gone after the shower and it soaks into my skin very well. Good for days when I'm wearing Hamman Bouquet with it's "Baby Oil and Roses" scent.

The Mama Bee Body Oil works better from a fragrance perspective, lemony and fresh:

prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, citrus medica limonum (lemon) oil, triticum vulgare (wheat) germ oil, tocopherol, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, glycine soja (soybean) oil, canola oil, limonene

oh I was also reading the uberlather threads and some guys use personal lubricant. . . you might give that a shot.

baby oil works great as a pre shave all you need is a little and it work just fine use it my self some times

Sweet almond oil is the base in many shave oils

I wouldn't recommend it. I will not get into the complex biology and biochemistry of it, but suffice it to say that although mineral oil will give you a nice and slick glide with the razor, it will do a number on your skin. It will "plug" up the pores, where dead cells, old oil (from the sebaceous gland) and toxins are accumulated. Mineral oil (basic ingredient of baby oil) will mask and cover over these pores, trapping the dead cells...over time, you will see the kind of damage you have done. Skin won;t breathe well and blackheads will show their ugly rears.

Save yourself the hassle and stick with fatty oils (almond, jojoba, etc...). They will provide slickness and be good for you too. Almond is particularly great. Give it a shot...someone already recommended it, I think.

BladeRunner001 said:

I wouldn't recommend it. I will not get into the complex biology and biochemistry of it, but suffice it to say that although mineral oil will give you a nice and slick glide with the razor, it will do a number on your skin.

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Why not enlighten us with the biology and biochemistry? I'm curious, since I've used mineral oil (and petroleum jelly, though not necessarily for shaving) topically on the face over the years, with no noticeable nasty side effects. Anecdotal accounts can be found on the forums that various oils, including vegetable oils, cause problems with skin on some folks. I'm not one to doubt that some folks encounter difficulties with whatever stuff they put on their face. But I have a feeling that blanket statements are of limited use here.

BillC said:

Shave Secret - available at Wally World - is inexpensive and works well for me.

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I often use shave secret as a pre-shave, $4 or so. I have also tried jojoba and like the shave secret better. But, it does smell of cloves, so it is only three drops for me. One day, I tried one side with and one side without and the seemed only a marginal difference, and that well could have been imagined.

shecky said:

Why not enlighten us with the biology and biochemistry? I'm curious, since I've used mineral oil (and petroleum jelly, though not necessarily for shaving) topically on the face over the years, with no noticeable nasty side effects. Anecdotal accounts can be found on the forums that various oils, including vegetable oils, cause problems with skin on some folks. I'm not one to doubt that some folks encounter difficulties with whatever stuff they put on their face. But I have a feeling that blanket statements are of limited use here.

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Here's for your enlightening pleasure (not a blanket statement):

Mineral Oil is a petroleum distillate (as a byproduct of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil) and an emollient (like lanolin)...emollients fill in the spaces between the cells in the skin, helping replace lipids and thus smoothing and lubricating rough skin. it is difficult to absorb and as such "clogs" the pores, slowing the skin's ability to eliminate toxins, dead cells and old oil (secreted by the sebaceous glands). Also, unlike lanolin, which is animal fat and can be metabolized easily by the cells, MO cannot (to a limited extent by some bacteria, but not cells in your skin)...so, this thing will stick around, replacing lipids in your cell wall. This changes the membrane dynamics of your cells, changing their fluidity, which makes it hard for them to function properly over time. Lanolin, which is also an emollient is comprised predominantly of long chain waxy esters and to a smaller extend by lanolin alcohols and acids, which the cells can process.

Now, whether you consider this a "blanket" statement is up to you, but the science is pretty well established and studied. I, personally, will not use this as an additive in any of my regimen, but as a consumer, you decide what is best for you.

engdom said:

oh I was also reading the uberlather threads and some guys use personal lubricant. . . you might give that a shot.

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Wow...you've just opened up a whole new market for Astroglide...