Too Much of a Good Thing?

Can a person over do the pre shave routine? Is less, more?

I have a medium beard. My routine was: cleanse, hot towel, pre-shave, hot towel, pre-shave, soap and we're off. I found the need to re-lather more times with the aforementioned routine to get a really close shave.

But, using the same products on my next shaves, I: cleansed, hot towel, pre-shave, soap and shave. Here I clearly got a closer and smoother shave without the need to overly repeat lathering.

In short, less is more for me, but I was wondering it there is any evidence to support this. Does the beard "lay down" or get too soft if the pre shave is too rambunctious--especially with a medium beard?

Thanks for the time

Andy

Good question. I personally believe there is such a thing as over doing your preshave routine.

Many people use multiple preshave conditioning products. Hair conditioner is a commonly recommended product, but I found that it was making my face feel greasy (due to the wax) and made my face break out in zits, especially when combined with other products. My current (and more minimalist) routine is to shower, apply Proraso Pre/Post and then lather & shave. Gets the prep done with minimal products.

Another suggestion that gets floated around is the need for a facial scrub before shaving, likely during a shower. While proponents of this method have their reasons, too much exfoliation is not a good thing, and since shaving with a straight razor provides more than enough exfoliating action I find the facial scrub to be a completely unnecessary, and irritating, process.

Just remember, whenever you change your routine, whether adding or subtracting elements, be sure to only change one thing at a time. It makes it easier to determine if what you are doing is a benefit or hinderance.

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

Just remember, whenever you change your routine, whether adding or subtracting elements, be sure to only change one thing at a time. It makes it easier to determine if what you are doing is a benefit or hinderance.

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Great advice! I'm still just starting out myself and I've definitely tried to follow this idea. Makes sense for any part of SR shaving!