Thread: Is the best prep no prep?

I started shaving in the late 1960s with a DE. I never saw or heard of anyone using pre shave stuff till around 2011 and browsing the shave forums. I don't know how we managed all those years with a DE and carts to get good shaves without pre shaves. Yes, that is tongue in cheek.

Bob

I have not tried no prep, cold water only shaving yet. I enjoy the whole preshave ritual, but ultimately Its about a nice close shave with no irritation. So, I'm going to give it I try. I post my results after I try it.

Looking over this thread, I want to make it clear that I don't think anyone is dissing pre-shave prep for those who benefit from it or just like it. I just don't do it myself.

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

Looking over this thread, I want to make it clear that I don't think anyone is dissing pre-shave prep for those who benefit from it or just like it. I just don't do it myself.

Yup, you do whatever works for you. There being more than one way to skin a cat, as the saying goes, there really is no universal best anything.

Bob

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

Looking over this thread, I want to make it clear that I don't think anyone is dissing pre-shave prep for those who benefit from it or just like it. I just don't do it myself.

Totally agree. My original post suggests this as well. You got to try the preps, and see what works best for you. I used to think that skin is skin, and something that works for one guy ought to basically work for another. This is demonstrably not the case. I tried a mess of things, and as of now at least, cold shaving works best for me, with no prep whatsoever. I think I am lucky in some respects, but I enjoy a good ritual and routine, so preshave prep can be very nice if it also happens to benefit you and your shave.

Originally Posted by BobH

I started shaving in the late 1960s with a DE. I never saw or heard of anyone using pre shave stuff till around 2011 and browsing the shave forums. I don't know how we managed all those years with a DE and carts to get good shaves without pre shaves. Yes, that is tongue in cheek.

Bob

You must be old hahaha j/k man.

Originally Posted by Rachmaninov

You must be old hahaha j/k man.

Yea and crotchety too.

Bob

I too am old[er]. I never did much shave prep, mostly ~10 double handfuls of water splashed on my face until I felt the whiskers soften a bit. Having read about this cold water prep, I gave it a go. I've been doing so for 3 weeks now and have decided it is working fine for me. Going from warm water for prep and lather to cold for prep and lather I have not noticed much difference in the shave or the results. I think I just prefer the cold water bracing. So there it is: I managed just fine in the past, but prefer and enjoy the cold water / no prep shaves I've got of late. Now, if I buy some soap with a scent stronger than fern or vetiver, I just might have caught up with the rest of you...

I tried warm water for a while. That changed when I read about cold water shaves and gave it a shot. Much less irritation and razor burn. My skin likes it. I do not. BUT if it leads to less irritation and razor burn I can deal with a little cold water. It sucks for the 15 minutes or so I'm shaving, but after that I have hours of comfort and a DFS to boot. I'll take that over the reverse, though I do sprinkle in some warm shaves in the winter months.