I lather in a bowl, and I use a straight. I also got some oil for Christmas, but have yet to try it. My planned attack would to apply a light coat, then apply lather over it. But after reading quite a bit on the topic, it sounds like there is not a lot of benefit to the pre-shave oils from what I can tell. I have been using the green Proraso pre-shave, and I really enjoy that experience, but I'm not certain if I get a better shave because of it. I will continue using it because of the experience, if nothing else.