Does preshave oil expire?
- Thread starter boglehead
- Start date
I love my preshave oil and hope the it doesn't exspire or has a long ashelf life I never felt it gunked up my razor also seeking exspiration level Adam T. Darr
Smell is the test for oils. When oil spoils (I feel like Dr. Seuss) it gets a rancid smell. It has a long shelf life, but it will spoil.
Yes, perform the proboscis test.
I'm no chemist, but I think it depends on whether the oil is mineral or organic. Mineral oils can't go rancid because bacteria don't eat rocks, but organic oils (those made from plant or animal fats) can. And I wonder if all bacteria-infested organic oils smell bad. Wouldn't it depend on the type bacteria and degree of rancidity? And that's what we're talking about when an oil "goes bad" or becomes rancid right, some bad level of bacterial growth? Then there is a food-based oil that "goes bad" but not because it's rotting, but because it's changing chemical composition. I think old olive oil does that. Something about free radicals. But those wouldn't be an issue if you aren't eating it.
Hmm. Maybe it's more complicated than just a whiff....
Hmm. Maybe it's more complicated than just a whiff....
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+1...I would be cautious. I dislike having to throw things away, but since you will be rubbing the product on your skin, perhaps in this case it might be wise to just toss it.
If it smells bad throw it out otherwise it should be fine. Believe me if the oil is rancid you'll know from the smell immediately.
No. Rancid is rancid irrespective of whether it's due to bacteria or chemical "decay". Olive oil that has decayed with age rather than contamination has a very distinctive smell - it's quite similar to the smell from the colouring crayons your children play with. Oil that is rancid due to bacterial contamination smells bad due the presence of what is in fact excrement - bacterial excrement true but excrement nevertheless.
