Thread: Pre-shave oil?

I've got a few miles on me, so a good pre-shave oil definitely helps keep the wrinkles at bay. Vitamin E, shea and argan oil are great ingredients for firming skin. But the thing I like most about oiling up in advance is the residual lubrication that remains after the soap has been removed. It's awesome for making touch-ups to the shave, allowing me to see any missed whiskers. Reapplying soap again just hides them.

I use pre-shave concoctions mostly to give me something to do while the brush is soaking. ;-) In the drier winter months, I find a pre-shave oil helps keep my skin from drying out. Apricot kernel oil is very good this way, as are the various blends of grapeseed/castor/olive/whatever oil. Main thing is not fork out big bucks for a tiny designer bottle. Jason Vitamin E skin oil is great as a pre-shave, where available in health food stores. Stirling's pre-shave oils are a bit heavy for my taste, but not too expensive. Other months I either use Vitos pre/post shave cream or Myrsol Emusion for a menthol kick at the start.

Not necessary, but what's a cake without icing?

I'm a big lover of a good pre-shave oil. In fact, I bet I use more pre-shave oil than anyone on this site because not only do I use a generous amount, but I use it before all three passes. The glide is awesome and nicks are almost a thing of the past. I can't remember the last nick I had.

I think the best brand out there is AoS, but it's too expensive for someone like me that uses a lot. And I'm too busy and/or lazy to make my own, so my brand of choice has become Stirling. Good price, great quality and more scents than you can shake a stick at.

As far as "brush gunk", I have had no problem with this. That may be due to the fact that I use a very warm scuttle that keeps the oil from gunking up. Who knows. All I know is that this hasn't been an issue.

Pre Shave Oil is one of those things that does not work for everybody. Either you like it or you don't, but you need to use it for a while to find out. I personally do not notice any difference, other than the greasy residue left on everything afterward. Each to his own.

I would think that even if someone were to use way too much preshave oil, with the brush being wet you'd be very unlikely to pick up much, if any of it. It'd be like trying to wipe up some spilled cooking oil with a wet towel. Just doesn't work. Even then, soap acts like a bit of an emulsifier so any trace amounts of oil you did pick up should rinse right off at the end of your shave. I have no definitive proof of this, but it's what I'd expect to happen.

Edit: I also use oil before & after, but like the others have said it's only a few drops.

I have tried using shave oils like Somerset or ShaveSecret as a preshave oil. I have also tried a DIY concoction of castor oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, etc. Even when I only use 3-4 drops of oil, I find that the oil kills the lather of the shaving soap or cream such that I have to reapply the lather.

One thing that I have tried with some success is using a low foaming shave cream or shave butter as a preshave. While I do not enjoy shaving with these low-lathering products alone, I find that they can be used as a preshave without killing the lather subsequently applied.

I rub about 4 drops of 30,000 mesh vitamin E oil into my beard the night before shaving, esp in the drier, colder climes.
Really makes for a nice, smooth shave the next morning as the hairs bend and surrender to the edge much nicer.
Just me.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I rub about 4 drops of 30,000 mesh vitamin E oil into my beard the night before shaving, ....

I believe sharptonn may have hit upon a couple of key factors. One of them is time. If oils are applied to the beard and face immediately prior to shaving, as is often the case, the oil will remain as a film on the face and negatively affect the lather. If oil is applied well in advance (even overnight), it will have time to soak into the skin and hair follicles and soften them for the shave.

The other factor is the use of Vitamin E. (I assume he is breaking open capsules, but I may be wrong.) The Vitamin E capsules I consume daily contains glycerin as the carrier. Glycerin is not a fat or oil, but a sugar alcohol that is a byproduct of soapmaking. It is a key ingredient in shaving soaps and creams because it enhances the lather. Thus, by applying glycerin to the face along with the Vitamin E, the skin is softened and the lather is enhanced. Atta Boy sharptonn.

At $25 a gallon for food grade glycerin that would be the way to go. One order and yours pretty much set for life.

I don't have any vitamin e caps but I keep a big jug of vg in the locker for mixing my vape juice. I'll give it a try this week & see how it goes.

I use this from Walgreens. There is a thicker version, but I prefer the thinner stuff;