Thread: products for softening whiskers

Do pre-shave products actually help to soften the whiskers? My beard seems to be pretty coarse; that is to say that, if we compare beard hair to copper wire, then mine may be a thicker gauge than most. I haven't yet found a routine of heat, water, and lather that seems to soften the hair. I also am beginning to suspect that this is contributing to my edges dulling rather quickly.

So, do any products like Proraso pre/post shave help to soften whiskers?

For my beard I use a moderate daub of shampoo to clean the oils off of my beard and for ~30 second hold a moist washcloth to my shampooed beard. Repeat as necessary for a soft beard.

Jonathan

i have tried preshave oils and can say that i dont find much difference between using them and not. of course YMMV !

I have a coarse beard. Proraso preshave doesn't help soften it. Neither do pre-shave oils. A good hot shower helps soften my beard, but I don't shower before I shave.

I've switched to cold water shaving recently. That has helped. However, my edges still get dull fast, so I hone my razor every 2-3 months.

I find that washing my face, followed by scrubbing/exfoliating my face, before shaving helps a lot with giving me a smoother shave.

You could try rubbing some conditioner (as in the stuff you use on your hair after shampooing) into your beard and let set for a minute, wash off and lather up. It might help.

Here is an excerpt from the book "Shaving made easy" page 15-16 written in 1905 about proper straight razor shaving, from "The Library of Congress".

"The popular impression is that the soap is used for the purpose of softening the beard, in which condition it is suppose to be most easily cut. This is a mistake. The soap is used, not to soften the beard, but to produce exactly the opposite effect--namely, to make the hair stiff and brittle, so that they will present a firm and resisting surface to the razor. A hair, as is well known, is a tube composed of a hard fibrous substance, growing from the bulb or root. Which secretes an oily matter. This oil works it's way up through the hair. and by permeating all parts, renders the hair soft and pliable. Now in this natural oily condition, it is very difficult to cut with a razor, and it becomes even more difficult if the beard be made still softer by the application of hot water. Many do this, and it is no wonder they find shaving difficult. When this is done, the hairs become soft and limp, and the razor will slip over them entirely, or else cut partly into them, bending them back and slice them lengthwise, all the while pulling and straining them at the roots, and making the process of shaving most painful. Now soap has the opposite effect. It contains either alkali, potash or soda, which applied to the beard in the form of lather, unites with the oil in the hair, neutralizing it and removing it, and renders the hairs hard stiff and brittle--in which condition they may be easily and readily cut."

I started using pre-shave oils for a brief time and then discontinued using them because I found they added nothing to my shave and probably caused more problems. My Great-Grand-Father and Grand-Father taught me, when I was first learning to shave, to use only shaving soap, cold water and a brush, really working the lather into my beard. Now that I have gone back to that, my shaves have improved.

Originally Posted by kettlebell

Here is an excerpt from the book "Shaving made easy" page 15-16 written in 1905 about proper straight razor shaving, from "The Library of Congress".

"The popular impression is that the soap is used for the purpose of softening the beard, in which condition it is suppose to be most easily cut. This is a mistake. The soap is used, not to soften the beard, but to produce exactly the opposite effect--namely, to make the hair stiff and brittle, so that they will present a firm and resisting surface to the razor. A hair, as is well known, is a tube composed of a hard fibrous substance, growing from the bulb or root. Which secretes an oily matter. This oil works it's way up through the hair. and by permeating all parts, renders the hair soft and pliable. Now in this natural oily condition, it is very difficult to cut with a razor, and it becomes even more difficult if the beard be made still softer by the application of hot water. Many do this, and it is no wonder they find shaving difficult. When this is done, the hairs become soft and limp, and the razor will slip over them entirely, or else cut partly into them, bending them back and slice them lengthwise, all the while pulling and straining them at the roots, and making the process of shaving most painful. Now soap has the opposite effect. It contains either alkali, potash or soda, which applied to the beard in the form of lather, unites with the oil in the hair, neutralizing it and removing it, and renders the hairs hard stiff and brittle--in which condition they may be easily and readily cut."

I started using pre-shave oils for a brief time and then discontinued using them because I found they added nothing to my shave and probably caused more problems. My Great-Grand-Father and Grand-Father taught me, when I was first learning to shave, to use only shaving soap, cold water and a brush, really working the lather into my beard. Now that I have gone back to that, my shaves have improved.

Agreed kettlebell!

Yes, that handbook is a must read.

You want your beard stiff, not soft, so that the razor can easily cut the whiskers. As the book say's, lather is used to stiffen and make the whiskers brittle for easy cutting.

If I have the time, I love a hot shave after a shower.

95% of the time for me it's a cold shave. Rinse face in cold water, one layer of lather thoroughly worked into beard, another good / thick layer of lather, and then shave. Rinse face, clean and dry blade, bit of aftershave and that's it. Get great BBS shave's with a cold shave...

I have a pretty coarse beard also ( of Italian decent) I can typically grow a decent beard in less then a week. I have tried using Proraso pre post and a couple others that I really didn't care for. Recently I went back to using the Vito's pre shave (which is similar to Proraso) and have found that my shaves have been smoother. I also use cold water for my shaves. As to softening my beard I don't think it does that I feel that it gets my hairs standing up more.

The thing with things like pre shaves you have to use them to know if you are going to like them. As they have a large ymmv among most guys.

Originally Posted by Castel33

I have a pretty coarse beard also ( of Italian decent) I can typically grow a decent beard in less then a week. I have tried using Proraso pre post and a couple others that I really didn't care for. Recently I went back to using the Vito's pre shave (which is similar to Proraso) and have found that my shaves have been smoother. I also use cold water for my shaves. As to softening my beard I don't think it does that I feel that it gets my hairs standing up more.

The thing with things like pre shaves you have to use them to know if you are going to like them. As they have a large ymmv among most guys.

I have all the products, used to use them religiously, then as the press for time got greater, kept cutting all the prep to a cold shave and aftershave, done in under 10 minutes. If I'm going to use one of my really nice razors, I'll sometimes throw a shave parade with all the bells and whistles, but in the end, the shave is the same, just might smell a bit better (according to the wife).

As you say, YMMV...

Originally Posted by Castel33

The thing with things like pre shaves you have to use them to know if you are going to like them. As they have a large ymmv among most guys.

I think you're right; I have the C.O. Bigelow cream and I like the menthol. So, maybe I should just buy a tub of the Proraso pre/post and give it a shot. Though, I suspect it will turn out like Phrank said- something for those "bells and whistles" days.

I'm also thinking that I may have to give the cold water shave a shot. The more I read about it, the more intrigued I am.

Thanks for all the advice everyone!