Thread: Baby oil as preshave?

I havent tried it myself, but all I can suggest is to give it a go and see what you think. Just make sure you dont use too much, work it in well with your fingers and dont get any on the razor lest you make it slippery and drop it..!

Good luck and keep us posted!

As a suggestion, try Musgo Real Lime Glyc soap as a prewash and don't wash it all off. I have found this is working really well on my face as a pre-shave. One bar used this way will last months, and it smells really nice.

David

I love pre shave oil and have always used it bit baby oil is not in the same league as a good pre shave oil, and it clogs the razor something terrible.

Originally Posted by dudewithnofood

I love using preshave oil because it makes the my skin feel much better before and after the shave but I find the prices to be ridiculous. That stuff can't be that expensive to mix up and then resell to us at $2048/gallon (Truefitt & Hill). I was thinking that good old fashioned baby oil should do the trick. Whats your input on this? Anyone using babyoil as preshave?

Baby oil actually feels good on the skin and will allow for smoother blade glide. But be careful, this is a product of petroleum distillation and it has a tendency to clog your pores.

I agree with TheBigspendur that it may also lead to "gunking up of your brush". The reason is simple:

Baby oil is not water soluble and soon you will find that your brush will get covered with it and will eventually not retain water and result in poor lather. You will have to clean the brush very often .

Better solution is Glycerin...it does essentially the same thing as baby without the "pore clogging" or ruining of the brush. On top of this it moisturizes skin and is soluble in water. Your face and brush will thank you

Cheers,
-Robert

I use Baby Oil as a pre-shave and it works great for me. As to whether it ruins a brush, I'm not sure. It does gunk up the razor a little but I clean my razor after each shave anyway. I will probably order some pre-shave oil from Pacific on my next order to see how it compares/contrasts to baby oil.

Originally Posted by RazoRock

I use Baby Oil as a pre-shave and it works great for me. As to whether it ruins a brush, I'm not sure. It does gunk up the razor a little but I clean my razor after each shave anyway. I will probably order some pre-shave oil from Pacific on my next order to see how it compares/contrasts to baby oil.

Hi RazoRock (aka Joe)
Baby oil will end up compromising the performance of your brush...it coats the bristles with oil which is not water soluble...what will end up happening (as I eluded to earlier) is that the water retention capacity of the brush will get compromised and you won't get as nice a lather as you wish for. You will need to wash your brush extensively (hot water, dishwashing liquid - a few times at least and with ~20% vinegar for 5 minutes or so).

It's not a bad idea to do this regularly anyway with your brush. Just my two cents worth. If you invested $$ on your brush, don't ruin it by exposing it to baby oil.

-Robert

Thanks for the advice, Robert.

I wouldn't be so concerned with any possible effects to the brush (which would be negligible) as with the fact that baby oil will clog your pores and keep your skin from breathing- which is why you are never supposed to put baby oil on a baby!

Originally Posted by dudewithnofood

I don't understand how the brush gets affected by the oil. I mean, you'd have to be applying a lot of oil to really affect the brush. A little goes along way with the stuff.

Well...it's simple chemistry. Baby oil is NOT water soluble. Badger hair (or other natural bristles) are hair. Try putting baby oil in your hair and see how easy it is to take/wash it off. My bet is you would have a heck of a time and would be hard.

Same principle applies to your brush. Water insoluble stuff (like baby oil) is meant to repel water (keeps water that's in, in and water that's out, out)...this is why it is so effective as a blade oil (keep water away). So since your brush is meant to absorb water, if baby oil gets on your brush (and it will coat it once you expose to it), it will lose the ability to absorb water and hence, affect the performance and latherability.

-Robert

Originally Posted by BladeRunner001

Well...it's simple chemistry. Baby oil is NOT water soluble. Badger hair (or other natural bristles) are hair. Try putting baby oil in your hair and see how easy it is to take/wash it off. My bet is you would have a heck of a time and would be hard.

Same principle applies to your brush. Water insoluble stuff (like baby oil) is meant to repel water (keeps water that's in, in and water that's out, out)...this is why it is so effective as a blade oil (keep water away). So since your brush is meant to absorb water, if baby oil gets on your brush (and it will coat it once you expose to it), it will lose the ability to absorb water and hence, affect the performance and latherability.

-Robert

But surfactants, like the soaps we shave with, allow hydrophobic (oil) compounds to bind to water, letting water remove the oil. If you dramatically over-oil it will possibly affect one shave (remember: just enough preshave oil to barely rub in to your face. A drop or two!) but there would be no permanent effects...