Face Washing

[errnest]

I was wondering what people have tried and what worked the best for washing your face with prior to shaving.

Thanks in advance

[BeBerlin]

I cannot recommend Dr Hauschka's products highly enough (cf http://straightrazorpalace.com/after...ka-anyone.html). Their facial wash is as good as it gets. That said, human skin differs so much from one person to the next that recommendations are hard to make. Hauschka offers, however, a set of samples at a very reasonable price (€11 at my favourite chemist's), which you might want to try if it can be obtained where you live.

[bpave777]

YMMV:
I don't use anything before a shave besides hot water from my shower, and put my face under for a minute or so. Not sure if putting my face under hot water really does anything, but I like to think it soaks in.

If I do a hot towel before a shave I use SC under the hot towel as one of the steps.

I've used pre-shave oil a few times. I don't use it anymore. I think I get just as good of a shave without it.

I only use soap (my wife's face wash) on my face once a day, at night before sleep. I follow it with some moisturizer. In the morning I put moisturizing sunblock on, usually after a shave.

[TonyJ]

I have used Anthony logistics facial cleanser which works pretty well. I have a regular oily skin and this stuff exfoliate chemically. Great orange scent and big bottle lasts a long time as it doesn't have to use much.
If you have a sensitive skin this might be too drying. I use moisturising lotions or cremes and it works well that way.

[AusTexShaver]

The only thing I've tried that seemed to make a difference in the quality of the shave is Proraso shaving cream. The way I use it is to wet my face, rub a very small dab between my palms, and massage over my beard. I leave it on for a minute or two while I'm stropping and making the lather in my scuttle. Then I use a hot towel for a minute or two and follow with a hot water rinse. I then lather up and shave. The Proraso seems to soften my beard a little and adds some extra slipperiness.

This also works great when you're shaving under less than ideal conditions (such as camping out or where you don't have access to an unlimited supply of hot water) without the hot towel.

[ben.mid]

Personally i like a gentle scrub, but lots of things work well. I avoid anything that leaves my skin squeeky clean, as i find that the blade is far more likely to skip. Clinique soap does this, which is a shame, as i really like it!

[ndw76]

I just wash with what ever soap I use on the rest of my body. Then after that I apply hair conditioner to my beard. Then just before I finish I apply a coat of massage oil as a preshave oil.

[deepweeds]

I like to use Noxema. It doesn't dry or irritate my skin, and it seems to soften the beard well.

[Dups]

I use Cetaphil. That stuff is awesome. Cleans my skin while leaving it soft

[2Sharp]

I like to use Noxema. It doesn't dry or irritate my skin, and it seems to soften the beard well.

I'm with you deepwoods. For my best possible shave I wash my face first with Noxema then shower then shave. I use a generic brand that Kroger puts out if you have one of those stores in your area. Noxema was $4 and the Kroger brand was $3. The product is exactly the same. I love the menthol it has.

bj