Thread: pre-shave oil

I finally decided to try out some pre-shave oil I had lying around. I'd been shaving for approximately a month without it and I had been having problems with fluidity in my strokes. My main problem was ATG with my left hand.

After throwing on the pre-shave oil, things were MUCH more smooth. I realize many of you likely get perfectly smooth strokes without the oil but as a beginner I just felt it helped out greatly. I think I'll continue to use it to 'hone' my technique and eventually ween off of it to see if I can then get equally good shaves without it.

I have a bottle of the Truefitt & Hill Preshave oil that I use once in awhile..also the Proraso works too. In all honesty I don't find I get a better shave from using them it just adds some extra pampering. So for me..necessary or better shave..no..but more pleasureable

If you want a good pre-shave oil for little $$$- Shave Secret seems to make things go a bit smoother.

Would a water-based, water-soluble lubricant work as a pre-shave aid?

Originally Posted by natchez

If you want a good pre-shave oil for little $$$- Shave Secret seems to make things go a bit smoother.

I have great results with Shave Secret, but the bottle is miniscule and I use a fair bit more than the 5-10 drops that the directions suggest. It would be nice to see the recipe for homebrewing something similar to Shave Secret.

I have been applying baby oil to my neck and face for the last 3 day. I would swear my stubble feels a touch softer.
could be a placebo effect, who knows?
I havn't yet noticed a difference in my shaves (gotta give it two weeks to really tell though), but my skin seems to like it, so I will keep using it.

Been doing the baby oil thing for a while myself. I think the best thing anyone can do is take a good look at how they're shaving to begin with. Applying the lightest amount of weight possible to the blade will make the biggest difference in my opinion. I think sometimes it's natural to bear down a little too much. If you're a little more conscious of being gentle with the blade it'll pay off.

John

I made and use my own pre-shave oil. I used Almond oil, Olive oil, Castor oil and a couple different scents. It came out very nice and I like the odor. I figured that it cost me about .35cents an ounce.
I ma not cheap but what they charge for the oil is crazy. If anyone wants to try some, send me a PM and I'll send it out.

Shoki,

Yes - I have also used aloe vera gel & 'personal lubricant' as lather replacements, with very good results.

I find that oils were messy on their own, so it was best to emulsify them. This allowed much better rinsing from face and razor.

Easy mix to try:

Take an almond sized dollop of shaving cream and add to it 15 mL of water, 5 mL aloe vera gel, 5 mL 'personal lubricant', 1 to 5 mL oil(s) of your choice ( I use castor & jojoba). Shake mix until emulsified. Apply to face with fingers.

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Originally Posted by Mvcrash

I made and use my own pre-shave oil. I used Almond oil, Olive oil, Castor oil and a couple different scents. It came out very nice and I like the odor. I figured that it cost me about .35cents an ounce.
I ma not cheap but what they charge for the oil is crazy. If anyone wants to try some, send me a PM and I'll send it out.

There's cheap and then there's smart and self-reliant. Some of these pre-shave oils are insanely exhorbitant. I haven't tried it yet but when the time comes I'm not even resorting to baby oil. I've got mineral oil (not my first choice), almond oil and, of course, olive oil.