Thread: remove oil before you shave?

Originally Posted by fdennis

I am in the process of trying Musgo and Taylor of Old Bond Street pre shave oils, so I can't tell yet what my conclusion will be, but one thing I do know is even just a few drops makes it harder to stretch my skin.

fdennis - any updates/conclusions?

Has anyone who likes to use a pre-shave oil ever just used baby oil? I've heard that it pretty much does the same thing, but haven't tried it. I still have a full bottle of Musgo Real to finish.

I have been using Proraso preshave cream nearly a year now and it never dissapoints. You need to be careful with preshave oils and creams; the mistake of applying a lot of it leads to problems in lathering. Only a little dab of the Proraso on a wet face suffices...the same holds true for oils. HOG

Originally Posted by groundrush

Isn't that what the oils and emolients (sp) in the shave soap supposed to do??

+1...exactly.

But some people's skin chemistry is such that they may benefit from some pre-shave oil. Those that have not seen or experienced the benefit, probably do not need it.

Now this stuff is very different than something like say baby oil. Pre-shave oil have good oils (peanut, castor, safflower, almond, etc...).

Unlike pre-shave oil, mineral oil is a petroleum distillate, which even though it will make a slick skin for the blade to glide on, it will do nothing but harm to skin over the long run. It will clog pores and not allow skin to breathe and function properly.

Originally Posted by LawsonStone

Has anyone who likes to use a pre-shave oil ever just used baby oil? I've heard that it pretty much does the same thing, but haven't tried it. I still have a full bottle of Musgo Real to finish.

Hi Lawson,
Although it seems to do the same thing, biochemically MO and pre-shave oil work very differently. The latter is harmless (and in some respects you may say beneficial), whereas the other can lead to bad skin over the longer haul.