Thread: vaseline in your shaving cream

I am new to straights so please forgive me if the answer to this is obvious, I read somewhere on this forum that someone mixes some Vaseline with their shaving cream, just wondered why? And am unsure where I found the original thread. Thanks for your help.

I haven't heard that, but it's funny you should being vaseline up. My barber who shaves my head with a shavette uses it for his second pass. He rubs a really thin layer on, and by the time he's done, it's all gone. Then some talc and I'm feeling brand new. Never tried it on my face though.

Do you maybe mean glycerine? A shaving soap, shaving cream and glycerine mixed together is known as an Überlather. Some soaps, by themselves, in mine and probably others' experience, leave a little to be desired. However, a mix can really make an excellent resulting formula.

I normally put some cream in my bowl as it sits in the hot water in the sink, then put a little bit of glycerine in the bowl, then load the brush with soap and make the mix from there. Glycerine helps with the taking up of water, sort of 'oomphes' up the lather and I think also adds to the glide.

Of course Vaseline may work too, esp if you got it hot so it melted. Again, I think if one did use Vaseline it would be the glide that one would be improving.

When I first started shaving with a straight I always used Proraso pre-post shave cream. That cream in itself really helps with the glide...

There's a video about making an Überlather in the Wiki (library) here

Will try and find the post, am pretty sure it said Vaseline, but did only get about 2 hours sleep last night.

Post was from corgi, definately said Vaseline, I sent him a message and asked what it is for.. will post answer. Unless it is a secret

Haven't had a reply yet, so thought I would give it a go. I put a a teaspoon of Vaseline in my lather bowl and left it to warm up (i put about 2 mugs of boiling water in another bowl and sit the lather bowl in it) while I had my shower, I mixed some shave cream and glycerin with it and lathered up, was a reasonable shave (only my third with straight) but not remarkably better. However I had a fairly greasy face and now have a greasy brush, fortunately it is only a cheapy, will wait to see if corgi gets back to me before I do it again.

Well, I think Arko cream has vaselin in it ... Really nice stuff anyhow, have to check later... Some guys use it on the blade, when storing razors, saves the edge too, it makes it hard for rust and air/corrassion to eat the sharpnes away.

That solves it then, but I would say that the Vaseline shave cream did leave my face less sore the next day. That being said I still won't be doing it again, thanks Corgi for clearing it up.

Give that thing a shot that my barber uses when he shaves my head. He swears by it and it works really well on my noggin. I've never tried it on my face, but only because I don't have any vaseline.

You really want to use water soluble lubrication for shaving. Vaseline ( and many pre-shave oils) is not water soluble, making it difficult to wash off your blade or your face. This is why pure glycerin is so ubiquitous in shaving creams. I buy it by the gallon and use it as a pre-shave lubricant before applying my favorite cream. I pump about a quarter size in my palm and apply to my wet face. You can feel how slick it is. The pure vegetable grade is used as a sweetener - bonus taste when you get it close to your mouth.