Am I Alone.

I don't know of a topic - other than some discussion in the straight forum - that generate more controversy than this one.

When I worked for a retail company every executive thought that he or she was an expert on advertising. The executives - be they accountants, lawyers, finance people, etc. were all sure they knew the answer about whether an ad was good or bad. Some folks that never composed an ad in their life "knew" that the one they saw was the best or the worst and would suggest a myriad of changes. The arguments that would ensue were incredible and often personal. It seems the same thing hold true with shaving - at least with respect to pre-shave oil.

1. Your beard changes as you age. PSO may not seem beneficial now, but in future it might. VV, it might seem beneficial now, but in future it won't.
2. You skin changes as you age. Ditto
3. I read somewhere (I don't remember where and I can't be effed looking for it now) that PSO isn't so much about the skin/beard but about blade longevity.

Go figure.

SilentTuba said:

...in not really getting the point pre-shave oil? I know it's supposed to help hydrate the skin and hair, but so does a shower, and that's something I do every morning, anyway. No disrespect to those who use and enjoy it, but it seems like a needless step and expense, to me. Anyone else feel the same way?

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+1 Never had any use for pre shave products, except water.

gus1942 said:

+1 Never had any use for pre shave products, except water.

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Really? No lather?

WiskyT said:

You need to meet more PhD's

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I'm surrounded by them...

This made me laugh

I know lots of phd's. They're not right 100% of the time, but they're definitely right more than the people I know without phd's. (In their fields of study AND in general.) I don't really get the whole thing about taking cheap potshots at people who are more accomplished. I prefer to respect and learn from them. But I suppose as with all things, YMMV.

I don't really get the whole thing about taking cheap potshots at people who are more accomplished. I prefer to respect and learn from them. But I suppose as with all things, YMMV.

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Reminds me of the, now old, school days with bullies and jocks picking on nerds and geeks just because they appear to be smarter and certainly more knowledgeable.

No pre shave oil for me.

SilentTuba said:

...in not really getting the point pre-shave oil? I know it's supposed to help hydrate the skin and hair, but so does a shower, and that's something I do every morning, anyway. No disrespect to those who use and enjoy it, but it seems like a needless step and expense, to me. Anyone else feel the same way?

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I'm with you.
I tried using Noxema as a pre-shave once. Applied, let it sit for a bit, rinsed it off, and applied my shave soap with a brush.
Lather went flat as soon as it hit my face, and going back to the bowl with the brush, the lather in the bowl went flat.
Cleaned the brush and bowl with Dawn to be safe and never tried it again.

Daily shave, I shave after, or in the shower.

It reminds me of the current days, with FOS PhD's propagating junk science in order to push an agenda or sell a product.

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Agreed. Not just in current days. How about all those old cigarette commercials with real doctors smoking on camera and recomending a particular brand? PhD's are human after all. I read a lot about nutrition and excersise. Countless times I had to roll my eyes in disgust. But that doesn't mean that I distrust PhDs or scientific studies in general. I simply put them to the test: "Follow the money and you will find the truth." I always check the funding sources for any study before putting my faith behind it.

Ok, so I actually have a question about pre-shaving. After I decided against pre-shave oils or creams I followed the advice of taking a hot shower before shaving. It didn't help either. I wasn't using very hot water but as usual (to me) my face will get red from the steam or whatnot. Didn't think the best way to start a shave was with irritated skin so kept my routine of showering with relatively cold water in the morning (it wakes me up).
Can someone (even PhDs) share their experiences about hot showers or hot towels as a pre-shave?

I used to always use oil but I stopped for a while and haven't missed it. I only stopped as I was running low and the ones I like cost a fair amount although have lasted since May/June. I'll always keep a bottle handy but won't use it all the time.

"Am I alone?" That's one of those difficult questions. On the narrow matter of preshave oil, probably not. I never use the stuff. Most of my prep seems to be about getting the oils off my skin and beard so the beard will soften. To the larger dimensions of the question, “Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.”
― Arthur C. Clarke

Snidely said:

"Am I alone?" That's one of those difficult questions. On the narrow matter of preshave oil, probably not. I never use the stuff. Most of my prep seems to be about getting the oils off my skin and beard so the beard will soften. To the larger dimensions of the question, “Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.”
― Arthur C. Clarke

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"You are not alone." -- Michael Jackson

I have tried it and did not like it very much - really could not see the point and IMO it is kinda messy.

SilentTuba said:

...in not really getting the point pre-shave oil? I know it's supposed to help hydrate the skin and hair, but so does a shower, and that's something I do every morning, anyway. No disrespect to those who use and enjoy it, but it seems like a needless step and expense, to me. Anyone else feel the same way?

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All I need is a wet face and a great MWF lather...no prep.

I rarely use any pre-shave but when I do i use Proraso Pre/Post. I tried oil a couple times but I didn't like the feel and having oily hands, brush, etc. For me, oil is for the kitchen.

Okay, so this is purely my experience and not based on any scientific investigation. The key to hydrating your beard is to get it wet. Heat might help, but if you don't want it, or can't have it, it isn't necessary. So, how do you get your beard wet? Water. But, your beard has oil on it that basically waterproofs it. The oil comes from your skin. So, wash your face with whatever soap you like as soon as you get in the shower. Soap is a wetting agent and allows the water to hydrate your beard. By doing it first thing, it maximizes the time that the beard is exposed to water. Hot water might work better (I don't know), but warm or even cold water will work too.

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That's good advice. I usually take a full shower when I come home from work and just a "body shower" in the morning. There are better soaps waiting for me so I rarely care to wash my face in my morning shower and after my previous hot shower experience I resigned to a "don't mess with my face before shaving" attitude. Will take my Musgo Real soap, which I use to get rid of any oils before I shave, to the shower. This makes a lot of sense. Thanks a bunch.

Somewhere in one of these threads (I'll never find it), I read an article by Gillette or somebody that said your hair reaches it's maximum hydration in 4 minutes. So, if you spend 5 minutes in the shower, you are good to go. The same article had the info about soap defeating the natural waterproofing on your beard. I take a warm shower, not hot, and this works great for me. The article also gave some figure regarding how much the strength of the hair is reduced by hydrating it. I don't remember what the figure was, but it was substantial, something like a 30% reduction in strength, so hydration is important.

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Awesome! This is good to know. I'm going to dig more into it. I'm sure no PhDs where involved in this research.

Galengwath said:

No, you're not alone. I've tried several, and none of them led to a better shave. Obviously YMMV, or there wouldn't very many people who use them.

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+1