Todays interesting shave......

**armorrich** · 05-17-2012, 06:05 AM

Greetings all.....FWIW i figured i'd share todays shave experience. First off i tried the extra virgin olive oil trick as was spoken about in another thread. I used about a tablespoons worth in a seperate bowl. I loaded my brush with Poraso Green Tea & Aloe as usual, then mixed in the EVOO seperately. As was fortold, the lather whipped up nice and creamy. I then lathered up and shaved with my new Rotbart Extra-Mond which was loaded with an Astra SP blade with about 5 shaves on it. I finished off with a cool water rinse, applied a dab of Gillette after shave gel, and then completed the experience with some of the Captains bay rum AS....

Some overall observations: The shave was very comfortable and clean with minimal burn, no more or less than i usually experience though.

The Rotbart is a beautiful but somewhat heavy razor and i'm finding that i prefer a lighter head like my old Star has.

I like the Captains bay rum a lot

I think i'll reduce the amount of EVOO just a little on my next shave and see what, if any difference it makes.

I'm really having a lot of fun with the overall experience and wish to thank everyone, especially Whilliam

for shareing their experience and knowledge so openly.....

Cheers from a new shaver.......rich

**Whilliam** · 05-17-2012, 06:24 AM

Captain's Bay Rum. Is that this stuff? http://captainschoicestore.com/

Looks interesting. Small bottler. Small quantities. Big wallop.

**onefallinghope** · 05-17-2012, 06:28 AM

I'm a little bit confused.. You mixed olive oil in with your shave cream and then lathered? What is the benefit; if any?

I've used olive oil as a pre shave oil in the past, but I didn't notice much of a difference.

Never tried mixing it with my later; I'd be a bit concerned about the oil gumming up my brush.

**polardude1983** · 05-17-2012, 09:15 AM

If you use to much then from what I hear it could gum up your brush. But your only supposed to use 1-2 drops of oil. Max 6 drops

**armorrich** · 05-17-2012, 09:18 AM

Well, as i understand it the lubricative quality of the EVOO is is pretty much the same weather you apply it pre-shave, as you do, or emulsified in the lather. Its supposed to soften the beard and keep the skin moisturized. Like you, i didn't see a MAJOR difference right off the bat but it seems to bear some merit so i'll keep playing with it. As far as the gumming of the brush bristles, those who've done this for a while have said that they've noticed no adverse reactions to its regular use. My brush & razor rinsed clean and poofy with no visable residue. I'll check it when i get home and its been hanging all day but i don't expect to notice anything.

One last thing....as was stressed to me....keep the oil seperate from your soap. Put the oil in a seperate vessel, load your brush as usual, then swirl/mix in the oil and apply.

cheers...rich

**Whilliam** · 05-17-2012, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by onefallinghope

I'm a little bit confused.. You mixed olive oil in with your shave cream and then lathered? What is the benefit; if any?

I've used olive oil as a pre shave oil in the past, but I didn't notice much of a difference.

Never tried mixing it with my later; I'd be a bit concerned about the oil gumming up my brush.

Bill, I'm the troublemaker who has been advocating adding olive oil to lather. Oddly, doing so does not flatten the lather, nor does it gum up my brush or my razor. I believe it acts as a bit of a protectant (I use an R41, and my weepers have steadily declined after adding oil) . . . and as a moisturizer whose effects are most noticeable after a final rinse off.

Just to make sure it's not my imagination talking to me, I will, of course, try a few shaves without the oil and let you know how it feels. This ain't science, remember. Everything here is purely subjective, but I'll be as straight as I can.

**barrycv** · 05-17-2012, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by Whilliam

Just to make sure it's not my imagination talking to me, I will, of course, try a few shaves without the oil and let you know how it feels. This ain't science, remember. Everything here is purely subjective, but I'll be as straight as I can.

Actually, doing the same thing & changing one variable to see the effect is science...

My guess here is that the EVOO is helping act as a stabilizer for the air bubbles incorporated to the lather. I believe many others use glycerin to do the same.

**armorrich** · 05-18-2012, 06:51 AM

Just to beat a dead horse here....this morning i tried a bit less EVOO and used Williams soap and a new Astra SP blade. Long story short...don't bother! Redi-Whip would work better!! Lather was flat & needed repeated application, shave was, well, ok, but i put that down more to the new blade than the soap and/or oil. Its back to straight Proraso for me......i guess i can call this experiment a flop but, as the old disclaimer says "actual results may vary" and as a relative newbie, i find it interesting to try new methods so nothing lost and knowledge gained.....cheers, rich

**alex2363** · 05-19-2012, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by armorrich

Just to beat a dead horse here....this morning i tried a bit less EVOO and used Williams soap and a new Astra SP blade. Long story short...don't bother! Redi-Whip would work better!! Lather was flat & needed repeated application, shave was, well, ok, but i put that down more to the new blade than the soap and/or oil. Its back to straight Proraso for me......i guess i can call this experiment a flop but, as the old disclaimer says "actual results may vary" and as a relative newbie, i find it interesting to try new methods so nothing lost and knowledge gained.....cheers, rich

Thanks for the follow up.....

**mharris127** · 05-19-2012, 08:51 PM

This is interesting as most shaving soaps with olive oil as an ingredient don't work for shaving. Very interesting.

**mftoms59** · 05-19-2012, 11:11 PM

Rich, you'd be better served to apply two or three drops to the palm of your hand and lightly rub your whiskers. Let it soften your whiskers while building your lather, apply your lather normally and shave.

**armorrich** · 05-20-2012, 04:34 PM

Yeah....i've done the "direct application" approach with some AOS pre-shave oil i have. This "in the lather" thing just seemed like something new and different so i figured i'd give it a try and file a report. Truthfully, i didn't notice all that much of a difference between either oil OR method but it was amusing nevertheless.......best, rich