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Williams 'Lectric Shave Preshave

I believe the Lectric Shave would be counter-productive for wetshaving, as the entire point of Lectric Shave is to completely rid your face of moisture (hence the high alcohol) in order to better soften your hair. A pre-shave or Shave Secret would be more appropriate, as it too will soften your hair but hydrate your skin.

An alcohol based pre-electric shave could be used every once in a while for a wet shave, but I would think that repeated use before wetshaving would end up drying out your skin pretty horribly.

They have a Lectric Shave Balm. Wonder if that would work.
 
I find much of this description to be.. well.. contradictory.


Williams Lectric Shave
BE KIND TO YOUR FACE IT'S THE ONLY ONE YOU HAVE.

Although one of the many benefits of electric razors is that they are fast and easy; they can still rub your face the wrong way leaving it dry and uncomfortable. Most men who use electric shavers use a pre-shave lotion for a closer, smoother shave. More men use Lectric Shave than any other brand.

Men use Lectric Shave because it works. Here is how it works. Beard hairs often lie down flat against your skin. Part of the reason is dampness; oils and greases tend to hold the hair down, much in the way tall grass lies flat when wet. Within seconds of splashing on Lectric Shave your beard will start to bristle up as the natural moisture evaporates. The dry hair will stands up straight allowing you to get a closer shave than you ever thought possible.

Williams Lectric Shave pre-shave makes the most of your electric razor by protecting your face from irritation. Its lubricants and moisturizers help the razor glide smoothly over your face. Just apply, let it dry, then shave and rinse. Your skin will be smooth and comfortable with a healthy look.

Williams Lectric Shave recently introduced Lectric Shave Ultra- a pre shave gel. Ultra is a non-oily, non-greasy, easy way to apply pre-shave gel. Its lubrication helps your razor glide smoothly and reduce razor burn. New Lectric Shave Ultra has a contemporary scent and contains menthol, aloe and vitamin E which help soothe sensitive skin.

from: http://www.electricshaverstore.com/get_item_22132_williams-lectric-shave-original-3-oz-hazmat.htm
 
I find much of this description to be.. well.. contradictory.

I can see why, and it is- to a point.

You've got to look at dry shaving with an electric as the opposite of wetshaving. And to do so, you need to do the exact opposite of what you do while wetshaving in order to prepare your beard.

When shaving with a razor blade, you want to get your skin hydrated and hot. Hydration softens the hair, and heat opens your pours which allows more access to your hair from the blade.

When dryshaving, your hair needs to be softened as well, but hydration and heat are two things you need to keep away from your skin. Your skin needs to be completely dry, and your hair needs to be standing straight up in order to be caught by the microguard that positions the hair under the cutting mechanism. The alcohol and myristic acid in Lectric Shave both strip your skin of grease and oil, as well as close your pores, which allows hair to stand straight up once the oil that was holding it down is removed.

That much is true, but here's what causes me concern: "Williams Lectric Shave pre-shave makes the most of your electric razor by protecting your face from irritation. Its lubricants and moisturizers help the razor glide smoothly over your face. Just apply, let it dry, then shave and rinse. Your skin will be smooth and comfortable with a healthy look."

The problem I have with that is that there are no lubricants and moisturizers in Lectric Shave, unless you count Tea Leaf Extract, which is more an anti-oxidant and exfoliate than a moisturizer. I guess in the very broadest sense of the word, you can consider any liquid property a lubricant, but that's patently misleading.

As for the gel, I have no idea what that would accomplish in a dryshaver except a crappy shave, as the whole concept of a dermatologically safe oil that strips natural oil is counter-intuitive. There are such products, but they work to prohibit the body's natural tendency to promote oil, which may work at drying out your skin in the long run, but would accomplish little in the three minutes or so that Williams suggest you wait to dry before shaving. The gel formula would promote a sense of hydrating properties, but they would be false and temporary, at best.

For anyone that still occasionally uses a dry shaver with a pre-shave, I highly recommend still using an aftershave of some sort that contains moisturizing properties. The guys that have skin that is naturally somewhat oily usually see no need for an aftershave, but for most normal skin types a hydrating aftershave is needed to restore moisture lost during the Lectric Shave phase. Your best bet, when dryshaving without aftershave afterwards, is to not use a Pre-Electric in the first place. Your shave quality may suffer, but you wouldn't have as much a chance for irritation from dry skin afterwards.
 
I can see why, and it is- to a point.

You've got to look at dry shaving with an electric as the opposite of wetshaving. And to do so, you need to do the exact opposite of what you do while wetshaving in order to prepare your beard.

When shaving with a razor blade, you want to get your skin hydrated and hot. Hydration softens the hair, and heat opens your pours which allows more access to your hair from the blade.

When dryshaving, your hair needs to be softened as well, but hydration and heat are two things you need to keep away from your skin. Your skin needs to be completely dry, and your hair needs to be standing straight up in order to be caught by the microguard that positions the hair under the cutting mechanism. The alcohol and myristic acid in Lectric Shave both strip your skin of grease and oil, as well as close your pores, which allows hair to stand straight up once the oil that was holding it down is removed.

That much is true, but here's what causes me concern: "Williams Lectric Shave pre-shave makes the most of your electric razor by protecting your face from irritation. Its lubricants and moisturizers help the razor glide smoothly over your face. Just apply, let it dry, then shave and rinse. Your skin will be smooth and comfortable with a healthy look."

The problem I have with that is that there are no lubricants and moisturizers in Lectric Shave, unless you count Tea Leaf Extract, which is more an anti-oxidant and exfoliate than a moisturizer. I guess in the very broadest sense of the word, you can consider any liquid property a lubricant, but that's patently misleading.

As for the gel, I have no idea what that would accomplish in a dryshaver except a crappy shave, as the whole concept of a dermatologically safe oil that strips natural oil is counter-intuitive. There are such products, but they work to prohibit the body's natural tendency to promote oil, which may work at drying out your skin in the long run, but would accomplish little in the three minutes or so that Williams suggest you wait to dry before shaving. The gel formula would promote a sense of hydrating properties, but they would be false and temporary, at best.

For anyone that still occasionally uses a dry shaver with a pre-shave, I highly recommend still using an aftershave of some sort that contains moisturizing properties. The guys that have skin that is naturally somewhat oily usually see no need for an aftershave, but for most normal skin types a hydrating aftershave is needed to restore moisture lost during the Lectric Shave phase. Your best bet, when dryshaving without aftershave afterwards, is to not use a Pre-Electric in the first place. Your shave quality may suffer, but you wouldn't have as much a chance for irritation from dry skin afterwards.

While an electric shaving process is different from a wet shave, I'm still with Jasonian on this one. The description sends some serious mixed messages. At first it claims that by removing natural moisture, Lectric Shave causes the beard to stand up, but soon after the manufacturer claims it contains lubricants and moisturizers. Which is it?
 
I am a straight razor shaver and find it provides the longest lasting shave possible. In odyssey to this conclusion, I have used all methods of shaving: DEs, multi-blades, electrics and straights. In the use of eletrics, my experience is that Wilson Pre-Shave Balm yields the closest and most comfortable shave possible with an electric. It is better than their original clear product and superior to talc bases products. Electric shaving without prep leads to a rash for most people. The reason I find electric shaving inferior is that the shave while initally close does not last as long as any wet shaving razor.
 
When I used an electric years ago electric shave left my face with an oily feel (I didn't use williams) and that does not go with wet shaving. For an electric you need it though.
 
The reason I find electric shaving inferior is that the shave while initally close does not last as long as any wet shaving razor.[/QUOTE said:
+1

i still have my noreco advantage, and for a quick smooth shave it works well. But although it feels smooth when I'm done shaving, it doesn't take long for stubble to be back (maybe a couple of hours)

With my straight razor, my face is still smoth when I come home at the end of the day. No comparison.

I haven't tried DEs yet, but am looking into getting one for the times I don't have enough time for the straight, but want a closer shave than the electric.
 
+1

i still have my noreco advantage, and for a quick smooth shave it works well. But although it feels smooth when I'm done shaving, it doesn't take long for stubble to be back (maybe a couple of hours)

With my straight razor, my face is still smoth when I come home at the end of the day. No comparison.

I haven't tried DEs yet, but am looking into getting one for the times I don't have enough time for the straight, but want a closer shave than the electric.


A DE will accomplish this as will a multi-blade though a DE is a better choice as is discussed in detail in thr section on DEs.
 
While an electric shaving process is different from a wet shave, I'm still with Jasonian on this one. The description sends some serious mixed messages. At first it claims that by removing natural moisture, Lectric Shave causes the beard to stand up, but soon after the manufacturer claims it contains lubricants and moisturizers. Which is it?

You'll find, if you dig through my explanation, that I am also in agreement with Jasonian. :biggrin:
 
So you were.... I misread it :p

As for electrics I'll pass. Admittedly I never tried any pre shave prep with one, but I had ingrown hairs and irritation like no other...
 

Most men who use electric shavers use a pre-shave lotion for a closer, smoother shave.

Uhhh hate to break it to the Lectric Shave folks... but I've never used a pre-shave lotion with an electric in my entire life. I don't think I've ever met a guy who did.

(Well... technically I did try this stuff once - but saw no noticeable difference with the shave, and thought it reeked. My 15+ year old bottle is still stashed in a cabinet somewhere I think).
 
Uhhh hate to break it to the Lectric Shave folks... but I've never used a pre-shave lotion with an electric in my entire life. I don't think I've ever met a guy who did.

(Well... technically I did try this stuff once - but saw no noticeable difference with the shave, and thought it reeked. My 15+ year old bottle is still stashed in a cabinet somewhere I think).

My grandfather and his friends all use it pretty religiously. They're also died-in-the-wool Skin Bracer/Aqua Velva men that abandoned wetshaving fifty years ago and never looked back. :biggrin:

I don't care for the scent of regular 'Lectric Shave (too close to green Skin Bracer for me) but I like the newer Tea Leaf varieties. They smell much more like a modern aquatic, more along the line of Ice Sport Aqua Velva. I will never use an electric shaver (once was enough for me) but I get the back of my neck with clippers, and I use some Target store brand pre-electric knock off. It's a blue color, and it's the tea leaf formula. It smells great and really does seem to help give me a smooth, close trim in the back of my neck.
 
So, the purpose of Lectric Shave is to stand the whiskers up so the electric shaver can grab them. This seems like it would be helpful for a good DE shave also. Has anyone tried this or think it would help? Or is this what good prep does anyway?
 
but I have a bottle of LS in the cabinet. Maybe I'll lock the door, turn out all the lights and turn on all the taps so the bugs are confused, and give it a try?
 
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