Pre shave Oil & Soaps

[NickRoberts]

When I shave my wife's legs, I rub a homemade exfoliant on her legs that has coffee grounds, sugar, and coconut oil. It helps to remove dead skin and the oil provides some extra lubrication for shaving.

 

[slather]

After washing my face in the shower, I would use a Neutrogena soap bar like a shave stick. I would wet it and rub it with my fingers to create a thin slick lather. Then I would layer either Cremo or Trader Joe's Honey Mango Moisturizing Cream Shave over it and shave. It worked pretty good.

Now that I'm moving over to traditional shaving soaps and creams, I planning on washing my face with Pears Oil Clear Soap with Lemon Flower Extract (as recommended in this thread a very great preshave soap - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/a-very-great-preshave-soap.663316/) and seeing how that works.

You never know until you try.

 

[KW Driver]

So the hydrating the beard also swells the whiskers, making them easier to cut.

My best prep is to shower preshave and wash my face with a Castile soap. I’ve done towels, face washes at the sink, etc. showers work best for me.

I tried an oil, but to my mind oil seals the skin and whiskers, preventing further hydration of water. And I wasn’t a chemistry major, but I don’t know how putting soap on top of oil is beneficial, or doesn’t degrade both. Or foul the brush. Whatever the truth is, I found no benefit from it so I quit trying it.

You can shave with oil. The right oil in the right amount should provide all the slickness without cushion to shave with. You can shave with a soap/cream that will provide both.

It’s all YMMV, and technique. Figure out what works for you and enjoy the ride.

 

[pnw bassman]

I like to use CeraVe hand bar cleanser( PH 6.5, neutral) works well for a facial scrub as pre-shave soap for the last 5 years and works well. Millions of men and women use it for the face and is easy on the eyes if you get a little residual soap there not like other soaps. A 5-10 second load of my pre- shave designated Cashmere synthetic brush and brush clean my whole face feels great .
Gillette testing recommended many decades ago to wash the facial area to remove oils, dirt and to defoliate the beard hairs area.
Women use CeraVe to remove make-up that is smeared all over their face with out issues, we know it works because they would of voiced their issues decades ago.
I also use a dollop of Aloe vera gel just before my shave soap as a pre-shave prep also for hydrating the whiskers for easier snipping of them + reduced irritations.
View attachment 1914397
Have some great shaves.

Seeing CeraVe in every single one of your SOTD posts inspired me to look into their products. I have seen fantastic results from their Hydrating Facial Cleanser preshave (and PM Face Lotion postshave, and their regular lotion for hands, elbows, etc.) over the last couple of weeks. This has been a serious winter quality of life improvement. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Tyson55]

I like Castle Forbes

 

[namya]

All the preshave oil does is clog up the razor and prevent the lather from conditioning the skin and whiskers. The oil barrier is just too much for the lather to do anything to the skin. And all the preshave soaps do is provide a basic clean up. Neither actually condition the whiskers. The only product that does that is Proraso preshave. I stopped buying glycerine soap and oil once I found Proraso preshave.

 

[Soaps & Scents]

I use the PAA cube and I love it because I have a very course facial hair and it adds slickness for me.

 

[Edgelord]

I have a few different pre-shaves that I use.

If I do not shower first. I wash my face with Stirling unscented pre-shave bar soap or Stirling mentholated pre-shave bar soap.

For a pre-shave oil, I use Stirling unscented pre-shave oil or Art of Shaving sandalwood pre-shave oil.

If I use a pre-shave cream, instead of oil, I use Proraso sandalwood pre-shave cream.

 

[reformedshavr]

I tried Maggards oil ... once.
After that, I tried Proraso preshave and have been using it now for years. For travel, I load Castle Forbes or Cella preshaves in a 5ml pump bottle.
I recently acquired Cella Rapid Shave and Floid shave gels from a friend which I will repurpose to preshave duties. I do not like shaving with a gel... it gets rid of whiskers, but is just not satisfying to me at all.
I certainly notice a difference .... not so much that I couldn't shave without it, but I find wet shaving to be a daily pleasure so I do the whole bit.
I also have a puck of Musgo Glyce I use occasionally ... works great too.

 

[GTTony]

All the preshave oil does is clog up the razor and prevent the lather from conditioning the skin and whiskers. The oil barrier is just too much for the lather to do anything to the skin. And all the preshave soaps do is provide a basic clean up. Neither actually condition the whiskers. The only product that does that is Proraso preshave. I stopped buying glycerine soap and oil once I found Proraso preshave.

I found that CeraVe Hydrating face cleanser helps immensely in hydrating the skin pre shave. I still use a pre-shave oil which for me makes a difference. If I'm not mistaken if you check, all the Proraso Pre-shaves have glycerin and some sort of oil in their ingredients.