Was it AOS?
Also, I noticed the AOS line looks very similar to T&H Ultimate Comfort line. Which came first?
Also, I noticed the AOS line looks very similar to T&H Ultimate Comfort line. Which came first?
Who started the pre-shave oil craze?
- Thread starter theJJ
- Start date
King of Shaves claims to have started it in 1993.
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I think barbers have been using castor oil for years.
My experience tells me that pre shave oils are a waste of time and money.
Pre shave oil has been around a long time. I recall there was a product in the 1960s that came in container similar to what Shave Secret looks like today. That product was put on the blades or the razor or your face and was around for a few years. I also recall a local barber shop in NYC (Queens) used to rub some liquid on a customer's beard before applying lather - but this was a long time ago and I do not recall what it was used for.
I first started using pre-shave oil a long time ago when my oldest son gave me a T&H gift that contained their pre-shave oil. I found it particularly helpful when shaving the sensitive parts of my neck.
I use either my own recipe or T&H. Pre-shave oil is one of those things that is an individual thing. Some find it helpful and some don't. For me, it has resulted in a better, closer shave without irritation. Although I have not tried it yet, there are some individuals who have had success with using a product called shave secret. In fact, one individual sent me an e-mail and said he took three drops of my recipe and three from Shave Secret and rubbed it on his beard. He said the shave was much better. However, as I said I have not tried this.
As far as AOS and T&H, I used T&H products long before I ever heard of AOS. In fact, T&H started off as a barber shop in 1805 and the present company has been around since the 1940s. My first use of a T&H product was in the 1950s. I believe AOS started in NYC in 1996.
I first started using pre-shave oil a long time ago when my oldest son gave me a T&H gift that contained their pre-shave oil. I found it particularly helpful when shaving the sensitive parts of my neck.
I use either my own recipe or T&H. Pre-shave oil is one of those things that is an individual thing. Some find it helpful and some don't. For me, it has resulted in a better, closer shave without irritation. Although I have not tried it yet, there are some individuals who have had success with using a product called shave secret. In fact, one individual sent me an e-mail and said he took three drops of my recipe and three from Shave Secret and rubbed it on his beard. He said the shave was much better. However, as I said I have not tried this.
As far as AOS and T&H, I used T&H products long before I ever heard of AOS. In fact, T&H started off as a barber shop in 1805 and the present company has been around since the 1940s. My first use of a T&H product was in the 1950s. I believe AOS started in NYC in 1996.
Is there really a craze?
Oils have been used in shaving for a long time.
Al raz.
Al raz.
verdict said:
About a week ago I decided to try some Art of Shaving Pre-Shave Oil that I bought from an Art of Shaving store I visited in my area. It was $22 for 2 oz.! The ingredients listed on the box are Castor Oil, Olive Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Lavender Oil, Clove Oil and Pepper Seed Oil. So, DaveNJ74, you're probably right on target when you said that "barbers have been using castor oil for years." Since ingredients must be listed in descending order based on the contents, castor oil is obviously the main ingredient in the Art of Shaving Pre-Shave Oil, and I'm assuming that some of the other oils are just added for fragrance since the clove scent is the discernible fragrance in the "unscented" version I bought.
Well, I decided to run my own non-scientific test over a week's time period. Each morning I showered in the hottest shower my face could stand, then applied the Pre-Shave Oil and let it "do its job" while I created a super lather by rubbing a badger brush on a glycerine soap bar and then mixing that with C. O. Bigelow shaving cream. I used the same combination all week except for this morning when I decided not to use the Pre-Shave Oil at all.
My results: there was no discernible difference in either the smoothness or closeness of shaves by using the Pre-Shave Oil than when I didn't use it. I admit that everyone is different and that your results may vary, but I don't see myself parting with another $22 if I ever use up my 2 oz. bottle of Pre-Shave Oil. However, if I eventually re-consider and convince myself that somehow I need to try this experiment again, I already checked my local pharmacy and an even larger bottle of Castor Oil is only $2.19.
I found the pre-shave oil did a great job gumming up my brush, blade, and razor. No thanks.
$22 of the various oils I use will last me years!
Pre Oil Shave is not necessary if you make good lather. Just another marketing gimick. Razor+Blade+Brush+Soap+Water is all you need.
- Thread starter
- #14
Did T&H have their Ultimate Comfort line including pre-shave oil before AOS came on the scene?
I always thought that either AOS was just a T&H ripoff with 1,000 times the marketing, or T&H Ultimate Comfort was inspired by AOS, which would be pretty cool.
I always thought that either AOS was just a T&H ripoff with 1,000 times the marketing, or T&H Ultimate Comfort was inspired by AOS, which would be pretty cool.
I'm pretty sure it was the inventor of the internet and everything else ...... Al Gore
No. Neither AoS nor T&H started the pre-shave oil craze. I believe it was the ancient Greeks and Romans who used olive oil as a shaving lubricant.
Shaving with oil predates shaving with soap. Pre-shave oil dates back to the 1800s at least. Here's another quote from Mechi, probably ca. 1830.
I'm not sure what counts as a sweet oil, though, or how it would make the lather more lasting.
I'm not sure what counts as a sweet oil, though, or how it would make the lather more lasting.
Shaving with oil predates shaving with soap. Pre-shave oil dates back to the 1800s at least. Here's another quote from Mechi, probably ca. 1830.
I'm not sure what counts as a sweet oil, though, or how it would make the lather more lasting.
According to Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 9th Ed. Sweet oil is another name for olive oil.
Hmm - I found a book of recipes from the 1800s, calling for poppy seeds to make "sweet oil" at home. The same recipe claimed that most "olive oil" on the market was actually poppyseed. Wikipedia thinks poppyseed is or was used in soap making, too, so it might not spoil the lather. Any soap makers care to comment?
I don't know... Oil repels water and the best shaving method is to have your hairs absorb water. So its counter intuitive if you think about it. Unless I'm missing something.
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