Thread: Shaving Oil - do you or don't you?

oil is tacky. it causes the blade to skip and stop, not glide. bad stuff.

I've used AOS sandalwood pre-shave oil as well as a homemade oil mix that worked well. I gave up on both because I was worried about build-up on my brushes. Even after washing the brush after shaving, I was still detecting the scent of the oil on my brushes. I haven't noticed a difference in performance since giving up on the pre-shave oils. Now it's just hot shower and two to three passes with warm lather. I am curious about Proraso pre/post shave and will probably give it a shot one of these days.

I like the shave secret oil..works pretty darn well! Doesn't leave much residue I don't believe.

The key to using pre-shave oils and conditioners is to use is very sparingly. You really don't want an oily feeling on the face at all. It should be rubbed in thoroughly and normally takes a couple weeks to work optimally. The use of pre-shave products is another one of those personal preference areas. Some guys absolutely swear by these products. Some find no appreciable effects and some simply don't like using them. Welcome to the world of wetshaving!

Have fun.

Originally Posted by rickboone

oil is tacky. it causes the blade to skip and stop, not glide. bad stuff.

That might depend on the person and also the oil used. Oil makes the razor glide much better for me. After using it for a while I decided to try shaving without it. The shave was definitely more rough and he razor didn't glide nearly as well. The key that works for me is to keep the razor wet. If the razor dries out, then it will stick and have issues gliding.
That's just me though.

Originally Posted by Snurd

That might depend on the person and also the oil used. Oil makes the razor glide much better for me. After using it for a while I decided to try shaving without it. The shave was definitely more rough and he razor didn't glide nearly as well. The key that works for me is to keep the razor wet. If the razor dries out, then it will stick and have issues gliding.
That's just me though.

Could it be it was more rough because the oil softened your beard better than the prep you did without it? I always considered glide to be some form of lubrication (glycerine, for example). There was nothing to me about pre-shave oil that has said glide or lubrication...it makes the whiskers softer, resulting in a better shave for some.

I don't like the stuff...but I'm curious if there are actually properties about pre-shave oil that make things "slick". Do you guys hone with pre-shave like some fellas do with glycerine?

I have found that a wee bit of vitamin E oil applied at night before bed, Makes for a nicer shave in the morning, esp in drier, colder climate. It is oily going on, but is not in the morning. It would seem oils applied before lathering negate the lather, as you are literally shaving on the oil! JMO

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I have found that a wee bit of vitamin E oil applied at night before bed, Makes for a nicer shave in the morning, esp in drier, colder climate. It is oily going on, but is not in the morning. It would seem oils applied before lathering negate the lather, as you are literally shaving on the oil! JMO

I dont think I could use your technique Sharptonn. If I tried that my pillow case would look like this.

I said a wee bit! I suppose about 4 pints of Guinness WOULD make a guy crash face down in his pillow, though!
Besides, You would leave a much different image, I suspect!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I said a wee bit! I suppose about 4 pints of Guinness WOULD make a guy crash face down in his pillow, though!
Besides, You would leave a much different image, I suspect!

4 pints ain't even a good start.