The shave oil made a big difference.

**chillyjr** · 10-01-2010, 03:51 AM

So I decided to forgo the pre-shave oil this morning and instead go right into face lathering my Proraso into frothy goodness. It wasn't enough. Sadly my shave was not as close nor as comfortable as the previous shaves where I had softened my beard with a hot towel for a couple of minutes and then applied shave secret shave oil to my face and THEN face lathered with Proraso. Man what a difference.

So my question to everyone would be: Do you use some kind of pre-shave substance to assist in softening your beard or can you go right into the lather and scrape off the whiskers with no irritation? Me, I gotta get some sort of protection on the skin first before the lather goes on. I find life is much better this way. Can anyone give me a tip that would work even better than shave oil?

You folks rock!

**ackvil** · 10-01-2010, 05:18 AM

Many on this site do not use or like pre-shave oil - but I am not one of them. I use T&H pre-shave oil after I use a hot towel and after I splash warm water on my face. I rub it in. One thing I do, however. I add some glycerin to the T&H product and shake the bottle. Works for me.

**David in Boston** · 10-01-2010, 06:11 AM

I use EVOO and it helps a great deal in conditioning my face for DE shaving.

For me it helps in getting a closer shave and my face doesn't get razor burn.

Plus it is great for the skin.

**norton** · 10-01-2010, 06:36 AM

Originally Posted by chillyjr

So I decided to forgo the pre-shave oil this morning and instead go right into face lathering my Proraso into frothy goodness. It wasn't enough. Sadly my shave was not as close nor as comfortable as the previous shaves where I had softened my beard with a hot towel for a couple of minutes and then applied shave secret shave oil to my face and THEN face lathered with Proraso. Man what a difference.

So my question to everyone would be: Do you use some kind of pre-shave substance to assist in softening your beard or can you go right into the lather and scrape off the whiskers with no irritation? Me, I gotta get some sort of protection on the skin first before the lather goes on. I find life is much better this way. Can anyone give me a tip that would work even better than shave oil?

You folks rock!

The hot towel makes a big difference (there's a reason barbers do it). Prep is very important - I generally dislike pre-shave oils, but there is one I use occasionally - Pacific Shaving Company's Shaving Oil (you can shave with it alone, but it works very well as a pre-shave treatment).

BUT - the prep is the key - if I feel I don't have time to prep properly, the Pacific makes a difference. If you're a fan of Proraso, they make an excellent pre/post in a jar that also works well in this role.

Usually I try to make the time to prep properly. If you prep properly, it seems most folks can eliminate the pre-shave treatment - but the trade off is a little extra time.

See Kyle's prep for a guide on prepping.

**Wildcat1** · 10-01-2010, 06:52 AM

I don't have much time in the morning for too much prep although I certainly hold a cloth on the face for a short soak. I love oils but they are soooo expensive. I tried Proraso pre shave cream but the smell of menthol or eucalyptus is so strong it defeats the shaving cream scent plus I think it clogs my razor. I'll bet it is good if you have a cold though.

**aimsport** · 10-01-2010, 07:02 AM

Shave oil made a big difference for me when I was still pressing. The harder one presses the razor, it seems, the more helpful shave oil is.

Once I really really stopped pressing, shave oil made little difference, if not hurt things a bit, interfering with the soap or cream.

Last night I used Pacific Shaving Oil with water, as I do occasionally, and it was delightful... but I have plenty of delightful choices because of this forum. Thanks B&B!

(Of all the shave oils, Pacific Shaving Oil works the best for me and leaves my skin feeling great.)

**herman_gill** · 10-01-2010, 11:54 AM

I don't use preshave oil during my shave, but I apply it to my face the night before a shave, or a couple of hours before if I'm shaving in the night.

The problem with oil is it coats the hair and doesn't allow water to get in and hydrate the hair. It's great for the skin though (your face naturally secretes a decent amount of oils to keep it healthy and moisturized, particularly omega 7 oil) so I use it for that; my skin feels nice all day, I also apply a little bit as my aftershave (I've dropped a couple of drops of vanilla oil in it so it smells great)...

Glycerin is also a really big winner as a pre-shave, as glycerin has the opposite effect, whereas oil keeps your face moist by not allowing any moisture to ESCAPE your face; glycerin acts as a humectant and actually draws in environmental moisture to your face and hydrates it that way.

Although I'm a pretty firm believer that once our technique improves we won't be needing it as much because we won't be damaging our faces nearly as much.

I find the best oil combo to use for my face though is: 75% safflower oil (light and odorless; easily absorbed) 20% almond oil (nice smelling and light) 5% sea buckthorn oil (has a bunch of great regenerative properties, expensive though) and a drop or two of vanilla oil

**Amer** · 10-01-2010, 12:27 PM

I only use it when I'm shaving with a straight. With a DE it didn't make much of a difference for me. I use AOS Sandalwood because it's what I have. I always apply it while I'm still in the shower and the whiskers are nice and wet. I know it works great because I don't dry that area of my face after the shower and the water just sticks to it. I then proceed to leave it while stropping the razor and lathering up. I don't wash it off before shaving because frankly it doesn't really come off unless you soap it up and wash it off.

**cymric** · 10-01-2010, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by chillyjr

So my question to everyone would be: Do you use some kind of pre-shave substance to assist in softening your beard or can you go right into the lather and scrape off the whiskers with no irritation? Me, I gotta get some sort of protection on the skin first before the lather goes on. I find life is much better this way. Can anyone give me a tip that would work even better than shave oil?

Consider this: (shave) oil is the water-insoluble version of (shave) soap or cream. It features the same long twisting molecules, which offer nearly the same properties as far as glide, viscosity, hair softening properties and the like are concerned. If you don't get as good a shave with just lather alone then you may want to review both lather making technique as well as shaving technique, or see if the soap/cream you're using is as good as you think it is.

A second point to consider that that you mix lather and oil together once you begin using the brush on the facial skin. Since one of the properties of lather is to capture fatty substances within itself (think of cleaning your hands with hand soap), I am willing to make a bet that a lot of the oil you applied ends up in the lather instead. Of course we are talking very thin layers here, and I cannot rule out the possibility that a residue left on the hairs makes all the difference... But since a hair is very thick compared to how deep the oil is able to penetrate in the short time it is allowed to do so, I'm definitely sceptical about it.

In fact I would go as far as to suggest that if oil makes such a difference, you may want to forego the shaving cream and try shaving without it. Just be careful with the blade: with a lather there is some margin for error, but with just oil there is none.

**steven1979** · 10-01-2010, 01:34 PM

I don't really like to use the oil. I tried AoS once and got an awesome shave, I just didn't like seeing it in the water or on my razor. Just hot water and proraso pre-shave if I'm using proraso for me.

**life2short1971** · 10-01-2010, 01:50 PM

I like the oil for head shaves but i get a closer face shave without it. There is a line with Proraso and most soaps where if its too wet or too dry I cant get a good close shave.

**Luc** · 10-01-2010, 02:51 PM

I would do Kyle's prep if I don't take a shower (for some reason)...

If not, I rub some regular soap in my beard when I jump in the shower and I rinse it before I get out.

**ShavelockFoams** · 10-01-2010, 06:40 PM

I am a fan of preshave oil as well. I apply it after prep and right before I lather to shave. I can get a good shave without it, but it makes a good shave even better. I also find it helps if for some reason I have to shave more than once a day.

**chillyjr** · 10-01-2010, 07:28 PM

Thanks folks for all the great info. Good advice to be sure. I think I'll be picking up some Proraso pre-shave and use that before the lather. If my face likes that I'll be happy as a clam. And I'm quickly starting to understand the true meaning of YMMV.

**BladeDE40** · 10-02-2010, 01:18 AM

I never used to use it, but a few weeks ago I picked up some Shave Secret when I saw it in a store. I gave it a try an was surprised by the difference it made. I now use it all the time and find that it provides a smoother and closer shave...well worth the $3.

**Jfunk** · 10-02-2010, 04:26 AM

I used shave oil at first.

One day a forgot to apply it and found that my hairs were easier to cut, most likely because they were better hydrated. However, my face did not feel as good because the oil really helped to moisturize my skin.

I feel that the trade-off is worth it and live with doing more postshave face care to get a closer shave.

**ctt1wbw** · 10-02-2010, 04:36 AM

I've never used an oil, but I have found that the Gillette Thermal Facial Scrub is pretty sweet. Gets pretty wam and I do notice a difference in the shave shibby smoothness.