Thread: Pre shave cream

Tremonia has a mint shave soap which is really heavy duty stuff scent wise and effect wise that is.

They also make a pre shave soap however I think if you are shaving after a shower it serves no purpose.

Originally Posted by Aldwyn

I use Proraso White pre-shave cream. I find I get a slightly better shave with it... but just slightly. I tend to use it out of habit more then anything else, I suppose, mostly because I shave at night, so I am not showering before I shave.

I have recently started using Proraso White preshave cream and I really like it. Whether it gives a better shave than just my homemade preshave oil is yet to be determined...but I like the feel and the smell.

Noxema works for me,

Well seems like preshave is plus or minus. I have some proraso and some colonel conk almond coming in. I'll probably just give that a try an see where we go from there. I guess.

Any part of the process short of scraping off whiskers is pretty much optional and can be swapped out with something else if you have a process that you want to try.

I personally wouldn't use peppermint or menthol in a preshave, shave cream, or post shave. In a post shave the last thing you need is a rush of blood to a freshly exposed layer of skin and depending on how raw the skin is left afterwards it could be uncomfortable. In a beard oil I love the feeling, but after a shave it can be way too much. The thing with using it before or during a shave is 2 things. One thing Peppermint is good for is increasing bloodflow to an area. It does that by irritating the skin (that tingly feeling that feels pretty good usually). With shaving that can be both good and bad. It can be good because the little bit of extra blood flowing to the face responding to what it thinks is an intruder will make the skin swell a little bit. That will make it much easier to get the skin pulled tight so your razor will slide across it just a little easier. The bad part of that is that as the skin settles down it will do so around the hair follicle leaving you with a little stubble much earlier in the day. It also stimulates hair growth which is the second reason I put it in all my beard oils (the first being the smell).

I would say if you really want peppermint use it in a post shave treatment, or if you have one a beard or mustache oil. It smells outstanding and others love it as well.

From what I have seen and heard preshave (like before the shave lather) is a love it or leave it. Those that love it seem to swear by it and those that leave it say it offers little benefit if any. It appears that mileage varies quite a bit on that one. I could see how if you treat shaving as a pampering session that a little preshave oil followed by a hot towel before you lather your face would at least aid in the enjoyment of the process. If you are just trying to get it done in the most efficient but quality manner you can try it and see if it does you any good but you can scrape your whiskers without it.

Originally Posted by Fezzik77

Any part of the process short of scraping off whiskers is pretty much optional and can be swapped out with something else if you have a process that you want to try.

I personally wouldn't use peppermint or menthol in a preshave, shave cream, or post shave. In a post shave the last thing you need is a rush of blood to a freshly exposed layer of skin and depending on how raw the skin is left afterwards it could be uncomfortable. In a beard oil I love the feeling, but after a shave it can be way too much. The thing with using it before or during a shave is 2 things. One thing Peppermint is good for is increasing bloodflow to an area. It does that by irritating the skin (that tingly feeling that feels pretty good usually). With shaving that can be both good and bad. It can be good because the little bit of extra blood flowing to the face responding to what it thinks is an intruder will make the skin swell a little bit. That will make it much easier to get the skin pulled tight so your razor will slide across it just a little easier. The bad part of that is that as the skin settles down it will do so around the hair follicle leaving you with a little stubble much earlier in the day. It also stimulates hair growth which is the second reason I put it in all my beard oils (the first being the smell).

I would say if you really want peppermint use it in a post shave treatment, or if you have one a beard or mustache oil. It smells outstanding and others love it as well.

From what I have seen and heard preshave (like before the shave lather) is a love it or leave it. Those that love it seem to swear by it and those that leave it say it offers little benefit if any. It appears that mileage varies quite a bit on that one. I could see how if you treat shaving as a pampering session that a little preshave oil followed by a hot towel before you lather your face would at least aid in the enjoyment of the process. If you are just trying to get it done in the most efficient but quality manner you can try it and see if it does you any good but you can scrape your whiskers without it.

While I see what your saying about not using peppermint oil or menthol. I have to disagree.

The reasons you use are the traditional reason that they are used in pre shave, shave cream, and aftershave. Really methanol and peppermint oil mimic what traditional was done with a hot towel and warm lather. It brings the blood flow to the face tightening it thus causing the hairs to stand a little stiffer. At the same time it also softens the whiskers. That heat also irritates the skin.

That is true that hot water irritates the skin and increases blood flow so that it swells. I read a study that suggested cold water would give you a closer shave. I couldn't imagine doing it. the argument being that to make the hair stand up the skins swells around the shaft, so more of the hair is left.

I mentioned those as advantages but peppermint continues to work longer than hot water which is why it promotes faster hair growth.

It really probably doesn't make a big difference but like the hot water the percieved advantage actually works against the longevity of a close shave, despite the perception of a closer shave.

But the only real scientific research I have found seems to indicate that the effects are pretty small and that cold seems to be easier on skin (peppermint would be in that too but also minimally) but warm reduces effort to cut hairs minimally. it also takes a lot of heat to make a difference.

Cold water shaves can be quiet nice. Have done them for awhile now. Really nice in the summer.

I've tried proraso, cold cream and shave oils. What I finally settled on is this: put a layer of water on your soap, shower or just wash your face. Use that layer of water as your pre-shave. Just rub it all around your beard with the palm of your hand. I stole this from NickShaves on YouTube.