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

I make my own shaving oil and use it every day when I shave. I use a straight at least 4 days a week, most times 5. I found during the winter it helps with my dry skin. I don't just place it on my skin, I rub it in and give it a few minutes to soak into my skin while I work my shave cream into a lather and strop the razor. The hot shower, Stephan's rubbed into my whiskers in the shower and the warm shave oil rubbed in seem to soften my tough beard rather nicely.
A good shave always starts with good prep as indicated in other posts.

The lighter vegetable oils (usually clear or very light yellow in color) are excellent pre-shave oils, providing a slippery glide to the blade over the skin. You don't need to buy a name brand to get the benefit. The raw oils works just as well for much less cost. But it is an extra step and there are better whisker softeners.

All the major vendors of shaving cream have conducted extensive research into how best to soften the keratin protein of beard hair without burning our faces off. This exercise has yeilded a clear winner in this one regard. Stearic acid is the "beard-buster" for good reason. Perhaps this is why it is usually the second ingredient found in almost all the major soaps and creams. Of course it is also pretty slippery.

Use a pre-shave oil primarily to protect the skin and maybe soften the beard a little. It stays on nicely during a few passes while water soluble products like stearic acid and glycerin simply wash off. But if you want to really get serious about whisker softening, then reach for the stearic acid (cheapest source is Barbasol). That's right, I sometimes will coat my face with the nicer smelling Pacific Rush right after my shower and let it soak in while I prep for my shave. I don't shave with it. But it is still an excellent, inexpensive pre-shave.

Being a barber I shave multiple faces with different skins types over and over again. So I put the pre shave oil theory to a test. I used a disposable blade and conventional blade to test. I used Lucky Tiger Molle shave cream and vanishing cream and Casswell Massey, Preshave oil, shave cream and aftershave balm.

My conclusion is….depends on the sharpness of the blade. the disposable always wins for comfort as it’s always sharps. We do a lot of shaves at the shop and some faces should use a weed eater over a blade.

But. Most say they have hints of the shave oil for a day or so. If you like the smell of you shave products, use the preshave oil.

In my opinion, if your soap is oily enough, you don't need anything pre-shave, oil or otherwise. Except maybe ultra hot water and a small towel to wrap around your face (after you've soaked and ringed it).

I'm now an oil man - lol!

Been trying with and without pre-shave oil for a couple weeks now and must report that I end up with noticeably less post-shave discomfort (razor burn) when using the oil.

Originally Posted by dArtagnan

I'm now an oil man - lol!

Been trying with and without pre-shave oil for a couple weeks now and must report that I end up with noticeably less post-shave discomfort (razor burn) when using the oil.

Same here. I can give the oil a pass occasionally, but it's definitely less skin irritation during and after the shave with oil.

I like the T&H, but I'm going to try and mix my own soon...

Originally Posted by UKRob

I've been using the T&H pre - shave oil since starting straight razor shaving last year. It occured to me this morning that it may be of no help whatsoever and the fact that I get a decent result after two passes is down to technique and improved stropping, honing etc. So, I decided to give it a miss - with the result that I had the worst shave for many months with lots of small nicks not experienced since the early days. All this with probably my best razor.

I don't say that this is conclusive evidence, but I'm going back to the tried and tested routine.

Does anyone else have an opinion on shave oils and/or what types and makes?

Hey there

I tried Gillette shaving oil, and I found it odd to say the least. It was menthol flavoured, and I used it just like it said on the tin. I got nowhere near as good a result as I got using a good lather. Just my experience I suppose ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Carl.

I had tried a sample of the AoS pre shave and found it to be too oily for me. I recently received a bottle of Castle & Forbes Pre-Shave as a glycerin-based product I saw mentioned in one of the SRP posts. Tried it this morning and was very pleased. I plan to continue using it for now. It seemed to increase my comfort.