Thread: Is the best prep no prep?

The only thing I do differently than the OP is to lather then strop then rub the lather in, splash and lather again and shave. I went through various different routines and found this to be the best for me. Cold water shaving was a revelation for me.

I found the pre-lather to really improve my shave from when I don't.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Oil mats down the hair cuticles. Removing the oil fuffs up the hair lifting the cuticles making for an easier cut.
This is where the motto on some razors come from. "You lather well & I'll shave well."

So many soaps and creams leave my face feeling slimy/oily. They seem to go against this way of thinking.

And then many use preshave oils.....

Originally Posted by 32t

So many soaps and creams leave my face feeling slimy/oily. They seem to go against this way of thinking.

And then many use preshave oils.....

Never experienced oily soaps but oiliness some time after shaving would be not be a factor of the soap.

As for pre shave oils, unless they are used sparingly & dissolved by the lather I don't understand how they otherwise work.

once upon a time i experimented with cold water and used it for all my shaves for several months; i literally became a very cold person, and my soaps behaved differently in unpleasant ways i went back to warm water, everything was fine, and i really wondered why i had abandoned it in the first place

my prep: patting my precious face lightly with warm terry cloth, immediately followed by lather that sits for about 4 minutes while i yoga then adding a tiny bit more warm water to my shaving brush and quickly brush up my face again, then shave as usual

I bowl lather and do not shave right after a shower. To pre-soften my beard and degrease my face, I rinse with warm water and apply Noxema. The Noxema is left on while I make my lather, rinsed off when my lather is ready to apply.

I shave right out of the shower, warm lather from a scuttle and pre-shave oil before each pass. And I love it.

I cant believe that a cold water shaves works better than a warm water shave because dosnt coldness give goose bumps?

I haven't tried a cold shave because cold water is WrOnG !

Even brushing my teeth I use hot water..

Maybe i'll try it once to find out. Remember I live in England where its cold every second of every day

A cold water shave is a generic term for any temperature water from icy cold to lukewarm, tepid, if you will. I find that in the warmer ties I prefer a cooler temp and during the cold months a somewhat tepid water temp works best.

I cannot conceive of a cold water shower but a very warm shower is ideal. My pre-shave method is to rub some hair conditioner on my beard before I get out of the shower. I don't wipe it off but lather over it when ready to shave.

Originally Posted by JOB15

I cant believe that a cold water shaves works better than a warm water shave because dosnt coldness give goose bumps?

I haven't tried a cold shave because cold water is WrOnG !

Even brushing my teeth I use hot water..

Maybe i'll try it once to find out. Remember I live in England where its cold every second of every day

I would not claim cold water shaves work better that hot water shaves or vise-versa. They are different and people can use what works for them.

I half fill the sink with just the cold tap water for a shave year round, nothing tepid about that. There are plenty colder locals than England, trust me.

You are not missing anything if you are happy with the routine you are presently using.

Bob

I used up a bottle of Trufitt and Hill preshave oil. Then used nothing for a long while.
Then one day I bought a trial size jar of Proraso green preshave. Loved it and went out and bought a large jar. Now I use it everyday.