I currently use trumpers limes skin food as a pre shave but could glycerine be used as a low cost alturnative?
has anyone out there tried this as a pre shave?
I look forward to your comments:beer2:
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I currently use trumpers limes skin food as a pre shave but could glycerine be used as a low cost alturnative?
has anyone out there tried this as a pre shave?
I look forward to your comments:beer2:
Hey Evin,
I don't think this would be a good idea...Not getting into the intricacies of the biochemistry involved, Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it LOVES water. If used in pure form (like the kind you get at pharmacies, USP grade) on dry skin, it will cause a burning sensation by sucking your skin dry of its moisture (hence the burning sensation)...However, used in moist environment (on moist skin) and in lather, it will suck water from the environment and is a wonderful and fantastic moisturizer (during your shave).
I would use some other oil...Truffit & Hill, olive, almond, etc, even Stephan's conditioning creme (although this has some mineral oil should be used carefully as pre-shave)
I would tend to agree with Robert. There are any number of pre-shaves out there with which to prep your beard rather than glycerin. Try some pre-shave oil, a conditioning shave cream such as Stephan's or good old Proraso pre-shave and a hot towel.
A better use for glycerine would be to use it to make uberlather.
Some interesting comments there and food for thought. The main reason I put up this post is I'm looking at my current shave setup and see if it can be tweeked to give the best bang per buck.
At the moment I do not fully agree with what has been said so far . So today I have been out to the supermarket and picked up a small bottle of glycerine and will give it a go I will let you know my findings i.e will it be a winner of a binner:)
My plan of use is to use it the same way I use the Trumpers skin food so a few drops will be applied imediately to my beard after a hot shower so applied to wet skin.
Well, that's entirely your choice...but wet skin is the key. Now, whether you agree or not with what's been said is up to you, but the biology of how this thing works cannot be disputed. But, try it anyway.Quote:
Originally Posted by Evin
An effective pre-shave provides lubrication (and glide) through the medium of some sort of oil...Glycerin is not an oil. it is a humectant, and not an effective lubricant, like oil or fat.
As Bill suggested above, use it in überlather and you will be amazed...that's where glycerin shines the most.
Try Corn Husker's Lotion. I have used it as a pre-shave for years. I don't know specifically what it does, but I know that I miss it when I leave it out. Also on the plus side, it is quite inexpensive, rinses off easily, and can be found at Wal-Mart and many super-markets.Quote:
Originally Posted by Evin
I have added a couple drops (2 or 3) to my shaving cream with good results.
Evin
I have been using one drop of Olive Oil on a wet face as a pre-shave. Then, One drop of Glycerin, into a tub of Body Shop’s Maca Root Shave Cream. Dab in a wet brush and build lather on my face.
The results are a super thick and very comfortable lather. The main reason I do it, is the lather. I can get the lather to stick to the blade and shave half of my face before rinsing... with a 5/8 blade.
The by-product is the comfort. I tried Glycerin on a wet face as a Pre- shave and caused breakouts.
This concoction works great for me. Everyones skin is different. Try it. What’s the worst that can happen?
Marty
Ok I got a chance to play with this stuff. So I rubbed in 2 drops of glycerine to my wetted face from the hot shower I just had and went for it.
At this point I feel that I will need a few shaves to form a solid opinion on weather to use glycerine as a pre shave or not, because my first shave was not consistant with my normal routine add to that I'm not fully proficient with a straight so I will have to form my views with my vintage DE razor a flare tip rocket.
So how did it go well I was using soap instead of cream and the soap had been softened and a few drops of glycerine added so it could be shaped to fit my antique shaving mug I that was given today the soap used was palmolive. with the DE razor I was not using a fresh blade 3rd shave with a super max blade any issues would show up very quickly. the razor felt smoother to draw across my face, thats it on notice able differances at the mo but compared to the trumpers it felt no different.
I will keep using the glycerine and when I have had 3 consistant shaves using my normal setup I will be in a better position to say weather my inital findings are correct or not.
I will keep you posted.
I will second the opinions already expressed by other posters in this thread and only add that if glycerin had beneficial effects for bard preparation, it would be widely used as it is easy to find and inexpensive. Form the performance stand point, I think that glycerin would reduce the performance (glide) of your lather.
Al raz.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evin
Evin,
Rub your whiskers on both cheeks, then apply some neat glycerin on to one cheek and leave for a minute or two. Rub whiskers again and compare with untreated side of face; you will find that the treated whiskers have become more spikey and hard from the action of the glycerin.
If you wish to soften the whiskers, and would like glycerin to be present, try using a 'personal lubricant' such as KY as a preshave.
The 'personal lubricant' will also add considerable extra 'slip' to the shave, and will thicken the lather.
Have fun !
Best regards
Russ
Gentlemen it seems a growing number of you are saying not a good idea and it has been commented that Glycerine is not widely used well all I can say about the widely used comment is go to your shave dens look at the ingedients of your soaps,creams moisturises ect I think you will find most contain glycerine. Another thing you can do is type glycerin or glycerine (UK English spelling) in to your search engines and see what comes up.
Now I'm not advocating using it neat on dry skin it needs moisture. I found it is used in alot of home made cosmetics and that it is food grade (made from vegetables) last night I also got my partner to try some on her hands mixed with water. This morning she said her hands were alot softer her comments were "How much did it cost? 63p what!! can we get some more?" :)
just to note I was using it diluted 1 part glycrine to 8 parts water but you can play with this to find what works for you.
And lastly the comment about putting KY jelly on my Cheeks!!!!
I think you'll get a more informed view from the............................................... Swingers forum!!:rofl2::rofl2:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evin
(1) No one said that...you misread the posts, imo. The bottom line of what most have been advocating is that you should not use it in "neat" form.
(2) no one denies this...in fact, some who have already commented on yur post are reputable vendors who have done their share of homework about this....more than you and I combined. Still, if you like, go ahead and use it as pre-shave oil. But if the underlying purpose is to save money on pre-shave oil, then you are fooling yourself. Glycerin will not replace fats/oils in that regard. The chemistry is entirely different. That is something you can't get through a simple Google search or Wikipedia tidbit.
(3) No, thank you...you do that. I have my pre-shave oils for that. I use my glycerin in making my everyday, moist überlather. At least you realized that you need to mix 1 part with lots of water before application to face.
I am not going to deal with posting more on this, except to say what I've been saying all along. Glycerin is a humectant and loves moisture. It'll suck water from anywhere it can get. That's why it works in cremes/soaps (that are used with water) to make lather...It helps keep the lather moist...it's not used as a lubricant. That job belongs in the purview of the oils/fats in the creme. That's also why cremes/soaps are not 100% glycerin (only a % by weight/volume).
Evin,
Depends on which cheeks you were referring to :)
The use of 'personal lubricants' as a component of the lathering process has been discussed at length on this forum.
It really does work.
Have fun !
Best regards
Russ
2/3 of a bottle of castor oil 1/3 of extra virgin olive oil :) you can add scent if you want, I don't because my soap/cream/aftershave has scent ^^
Where can I purchase glycerin? I tried the local Walgreen's pharmacy, but they said they didn't carry it. I want to try the uberlather.
I've found it at Michael's. Any place that carries cake decorating supplies should have it.Quote:
Originally Posted by LouG
Just try Al's shaving cream
I've been trying Lubriderm lotion as a pre-shave and I feel that it has been of some benefit. I use two squirts and rub it in right after a good hot towel soak. Then I prepare my lather while the Lubriderm is soaking into my face. Nothing is going to be magic however. One problem is that there are soooo many variables with each shave it will always be difficult to tell what individual aspect of the shave is what resulted in a better shave. This time, was it the pre-shave? The lather prep? The soap/creme used? The particular razor used? How well that razor was stropped? The stubble length? The phase of the moon? On and on. This complexity is one of the things I enjoy about the whole process.
Some common, cheap preshave oils:
1. Baby oil.
2. Castor oil (about $3 for 4 oz at a pharmacy, and the key ingredient in most of the expensive shave oils).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alethephant
Don;t use baby oil...this is mineral oil which is terrible for skin. yes, it'll provide you with glide and feel good initially, but would be a disaster on your skin...it's a petroleum distillate, which is not "fat" like biological fats and will stick to your skin and "plug" your pores, trapping dead skin adn natural oils from your skin to be secreted properly
No, no, no...absolutely not.
Mineral oil has a long history in cosmetics and medicine. It is generally regarded as safe. Oil is a product of the earth, so it is natural too!
Castor oil is best primarily because it is less rapidly absorbed by the skin. The idea in a preshave oil is to have the oil present as a lubricant, and it should be removed by the razor along with the hair. Having the oil absorbed quickly by the skin is counterproductive.
Fats are just triglycerides: Three fatty acids reacted with glycerin to form an ester. Oil is composed of fatty acids. Oils and fats are similar compounds, and have similar properties.
So is Benzene...it is natural, but you are not going to drink it now, are you? Mineral oil is natural, but not safe...not long term.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alethephant
Sorry, I do not agree with your logic or statements. Fats and oils are very different....well, at least if we are talking about "mineral oil type" oils. Not at all the same. Fats are attached to glycerin via an ester (carboxylic acid functional group at one end) linkage that's "biologically" active (i.e., can be released by Esterases)...Each of the fatty acids are used in cell membrane biogenesis and other functions of a cell. Oils like mineral oil, although some similar backbone to fats) are very different and do not have biological functionality in the human, except for lubrication. You put it on skin and via it's hydrophobic (oil loving) interaction, it will lodge itself and "clog" your pores...your skin will not be able to function properly.
Ok been doing some testing now.
I tested 3 pre shaves
1) was a mixture of glycerine and 8 parts water I found that with this it had to be applied very early like before I go to bed so my face would be ready for my morning shave.
2) Was Trumpers limes skin food applied straight after comming out of the bath.
3) Was using a hot towel while soaking in the bath and face lathering with a Boar hair brush.
OK how I shaved was after a hot bath with a 3 pass shave the first pass was always with a shavette loaded with a personna red pack blade and two passes with my flare tip rocket loaded with supermax blades. I used palmolive soap, alum block, proraso anti irritation cream and I used a Edwin Jagger Super badger brush for the first 2 but not for the last.
The Glycerine applied the night before the shave smooths out my skin making the razor glide more easily across my face but I felt it did not add anything to my shave.
The Trumpers skin food smells nice but again did not add anything to my shave.
The hot towel was nice and relaxing and with the face lathering working the boar hair brush well all over my beard giving a bit more attention to my chin and neck this was somthing I experanced in a Turkish barbers recently so I decided to include it in the test.
Now having tried these different methods 3x each just to make sure how did they compare well to be honest I would not be able to tell the end results apart. They were all good shaves but not one method stood out from the others.
My Conclusions from this little test is this
Pre shave products are not essential to a good shave.
I will use up my Trumpers Skin food safe in the knowledge I can live without it. The home made glyceine mix I will have to keep on making it now because my misses loves it. and for the hot towel when I have time to soak in the bath I will use it maybe with a few drops of olbas oil because it is good to relax every once in a while.
Use them if you want to but maybe less is more.
I soemtimes wash my face before shaving with Proraso Glycerine soap. I don't shower before but after shaving and this makes the beard a little softer.
Bye,
Eric