Anyone ever tried it?
I think I'm going to give it a try.. I'll report back my findings..
-Mason
I think I'm going to give it a try.. I'll report back my findings..
-Mason
Baby Oil as Pre-shave oil?
- Thread starter masonjarjar
- Start date
Skip preshave oil entirely, no offense intended but I find it utterly useless as a shaving product.
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- #3
The hairs on my neck just below my chin (goatee line) and down to my base of my neck seem to grow nearly parallel to the plane of my face. Can never.. quite.. get.. them all..
I'm open to all suggestions..
-Mason
+1 skipping preshave oil. I tried it for a couple of months with Truefitt & Hill PSO and it did nothing for me. It may work for some, just no benefit for me.
If you have to try PSO try olive oil rather than baby oil.
- Thread starter
- #6
Ok, earlier this evening at the end of my shower I rubbed Trader Joe's Spa conditioner all over my beard, after I my usual face wash with Neutrogina bar. (other conditioners have given me a burning feeling on my face.. not so with the TJ's stuff..)
Then before my shave, I applied a thin layer of cream to my face before applying the soap with my brush.
This combination gave me a most excellent shave.
Also, I think the secret to getting rid of those little horizontal hairs is not shaving so damn often.. I shaved on two days' growth today and got all those pesky hairs without any irritation. When the hairs are really short, I think the razor often slides right over them, because there's nothing there to grab on to. I just don't have any business shaving more than once a day.
-Mason
Then before my shave, I applied a thin layer of cream to my face before applying the soap with my brush.
This combination gave me a most excellent shave.
Also, I think the secret to getting rid of those little horizontal hairs is not shaving so damn often.. I shaved on two days' growth today and got all those pesky hairs without any irritation. When the hairs are really short, I think the razor often slides right over them, because there's nothing there to grab on to. I just don't have any business shaving more than once a day.
-Mason
OldSaw
The wife's investment
I use PSO on occasions when I am in a hurry and don't want to do a proper shave prep. In situations like that I like PSO and have used AOS and T&H with good success, but they are expensive.
For a while now I have been using all my creams that I don't actually shave with as pre-shave prep. I wet my face and smear on some cream with my fingers, just like cold cream and leave it on while I fill the sink with hot water and put in a fresh blade. If I am going to take a shower first I leave it on in the shower and wash it off my face last, then head straight for the sink and start the shave.
It doesn't matter which shave cream you use as long as it doesn't react with your skin. As far as I know the cream softens the whiskers and makes them easier to cut. It's a good way to use up all the junk you don't use any more. Just leave it on while you are doing something else and wash it off right before the shave so you can lather up with something good.
For a while now I have been using all my creams that I don't actually shave with as pre-shave prep. I wet my face and smear on some cream with my fingers, just like cold cream and leave it on while I fill the sink with hot water and put in a fresh blade. If I am going to take a shower first I leave it on in the shower and wash it off my face last, then head straight for the sink and start the shave.
It doesn't matter which shave cream you use as long as it doesn't react with your skin. As far as I know the cream softens the whiskers and makes them easier to cut. It's a good way to use up all the junk you don't use any more. Just leave it on while you are doing something else and wash it off right before the shave so you can lather up with something good.
i actually have oily skin, so i use a nivea oil control soap on my face before shaving, to avoid pore infections,
I tried it (baby oil), it was awful. It made the razor drag instead of glide, I suppose it is too "heavy" for shaving. YMMV
Tim
Tim
The oil typically marketed as "baby oil" is mineral oil. It's a petroleum product. Plenty of folks will question this, but I'm not wild about using refinery by-products for skin care (especially on infants.)
Perhaps consider jojoba oil, which absorbs well, and is fairly close in consistency to sebum, the skin's natural oil.
Perhaps consider jojoba oil, which absorbs well, and is fairly close in consistency to sebum, the skin's natural oil.
+a million on not using baby oil. All it does is leaves a layer of film between your face and the cream ,which is supposed to abosrb into the skin instead of just staying there. The razor may glide, but you'll pay the piper eventually
Tim: Try a multi-vis, instead of the straight 30 or 40. I would suggest a 5W-20 in the cold weather, and bump it up to 10W-30 in the hot weather. I personally prefer Castrol to Pennzoil or Quaker State. In extremely hot weather, you might find it helpful to use a little 90 weight transmission oil.
Hope this helps.
Oily to bed, oily to rise!
I, too, have found that baby oil actually hinders the razor's glide.
That 5W-20 is still too much for cold weather, you'll get better protection with 0W-20. And you would better off to use the synthetic baby oil variety that's made from artificial babies.
OK, count me in the with the group that does not use oil for pre-shave prep.
Never mind if baby oil is effective or not. I can't stand the smell. Yuk! 
I use Em's. It works fine.
I use Em's. It works fine.Baby Oil and Body Odor have the same initials...AND they both stink as a pre-shave, IMHO.
I've been using "shave secret" in conjunction with my cream. I tried proraso w/o the oil, and then with the oil, I found a markedly better shave. I picked up the "shave secret" at wally world. I'll put about 7 drops in my scuttle, then the cream froth it up and go. The reason I comment is that when I shaved w/o it (just plain forgot to use it) I noticed that the shave was not as good as with the oil.
Mason,
Your beard sounds like mine. I thought it was just my imagination, but I, too, get a closer shave if I wait longer than 24 hours between shaves. For me, just a few more hours makes a difference. I can get a close shave every morning, but I have to shave at all kinds of strange angles on my neck.
I tried mineral oil as a pre-shave once. It greatly reduced the lathering of my soap, and increased the razor's drag. In short, it didn't work for me.
-Clarke
Mason,
I know the direction in which my whiskers grow, so that makes it easier for me. And I've got the pics to prove it.
But seriously, in that area, I shave with the grain, then across, then against, then from every direction. Sometimes only by using the sharpest blade in my arsenal will get the job done. I realize this may not hold true for everybody.
Have you tried stretching your skin via pursing your lips together?
My uncle knows I'm a B&B'er and told me about putting soap, (I use Dove), on my beard area first and then lathering and shaving as normal. i.e. don't wash off the soap. I found that there is a difference.
As always, what's true for one person, isn't necessarily true for others, so your results may vary.
You may consider it a good idea, to allow a couple of days to pass before you shave again. That way, you can actually see the direction in which your whiskers are growing. That I believe is the first step to getting a close, comfortable shave.
While you are at it, if you have a digital camera and a tripod, you may want to take pictures of the different sections of the beard area of concern. It may sound a little over the top, but at the end of the day, you'll have pictures that you can refer back to after you've shaved off four days of growth; when remembering what direction in what area grows where, (I'm guessing) may not be so easy.
Or there's another way: you could take a cotton ball, rub it around your face. The direction that it rubs smooth, that's the direction your beard grows.
You may also want to consider becoming a Night Shaver, (if you are not already.) The benefits of shaving at night are: the redness, (if any) has a chance to quiet down, so that when morning comes, all you have to do is shower. And you benefit by catching up on your sleep, in the meantime.
Hope this helped.
I know the direction in which my whiskers grow, so that makes it easier for me. And I've got the pics to prove it.
But seriously, in that area, I shave with the grain, then across, then against, then from every direction. Sometimes only by using the sharpest blade in my arsenal will get the job done. I realize this may not hold true for everybody. Have you tried stretching your skin via pursing your lips together?
My uncle knows I'm a B&B'er and told me about putting soap, (I use Dove), on my beard area first and then lathering and shaving as normal. i.e. don't wash off the soap. I found that there is a difference.
As always, what's true for one person, isn't necessarily true for others, so your results may vary.
You may consider it a good idea, to allow a couple of days to pass before you shave again. That way, you can actually see the direction in which your whiskers are growing. That I believe is the first step to getting a close, comfortable shave.
While you are at it, if you have a digital camera and a tripod, you may want to take pictures of the different sections of the beard area of concern. It may sound a little over the top, but at the end of the day, you'll have pictures that you can refer back to after you've shaved off four days of growth; when remembering what direction in what area grows where, (I'm guessing) may not be so easy.
Or there's another way: you could take a cotton ball, rub it around your face. The direction that it rubs smooth, that's the direction your beard grows.
You may also want to consider becoming a Night Shaver, (if you are not already.) The benefits of shaving at night are: the redness, (if any) has a chance to quiet down, so that when morning comes, all you have to do is shower. And you benefit by catching up on your sleep, in the meantime.
Hope this helped.
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