Thread: Baby oil as preshave?

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!