Thread: Softening my whiskers

Hi I am thinking i need some help and advice here.I have been following all the rule about making a good lather to put on my face but The problem I am having is getting my whiskers nice and soft I have some pre shave oil ( Bluebeards Revenge,Proraso etc I wet my face with hot water then put one of the above the shave but I find my whiskers still not relly soft I must admit once i put the pre shave stuff on I then put on my shaving lather straight away and then shave . What I wish to know am i doing it right or once i put the pre shaving oil on after rubbing it into the skin do i wait a few seconds then put my lather on and wait some more time before shaving. Many Thanks for any advice Given

Whatever you use to soften your whiskers needs time to act. Many here espouse shaving after your beard has benefited from the effects of a nice hot shower.

Beginner's guide to straight razor shaving - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Beard Preparation
Main article: Preparation
Shaving dry whiskers is generally very uncomfortable because dry whiskers are extremely tough. The traditional way to soften your beard is by using lather, which is generated by mixing shaving soap or cream and water using a shaving brush. Generally you should give few minutes for the lather to soften the whiskers before starting to shave. Hot steam towels can provide further conditioning for a luxurious shave. Some people use pre-shave oil or even olive oil in addition to or instead of lather, and even the canned shaving foam or gel is better than using nothing at all.

I suggest you test things in this manner. Take a hot shower.While in the shower work your oils/lather/softening stuff into your whiskers. Come out of the shower, lather up and shave immediately. If your whiskers are soft after the shower and the shave comfortable, you need to work on your pre-shave routine. If the whiskers still pull and the shave is not comfortable your issue may be the razor, technique or you have steel for hair.

+1 on what's been said.
All I do is rub some hot water into my face, build some lather in my bowl, rub some more hot water in my face and then lather really, really well. I'll do my whole face and then go back and focus on specific parts of my face, making sure that I spend a decent amount of time in each spot, slowly doing my whole face. I'll then usually swirl my brush in my bowl, put soap away, run the water to get it nice and hot...basically anything to kill a minute or so to give the lather a chance to really soften my beard. After about a minute or so, I use a hot cloth to slowly wipe off the lather, letting the hot water absorb into my beard too. I then lather for my shave.
This is what I do even when I don't shower before my shave, and I always get a nice shave. I have a couple of oils as well as Proraso pre/post cream, but I don't really use them all that often anymore. The key is not just getting lather on your beard, but really getting it in there.

If you're not pressed for time, try the following:

-Hot shower
-Apply lather, waiting a few minutes. (Now is a good time to strop, etc)
-Wash face off with hot water
-Dry face completely
-Relather
-Shave

I recall seeing this method or something similar in a thread somewhere on SRP. It's worked fairly well for me!

My normal prep routine starts with a hot shower (or at least a long splashing with hot water over the sink), where I will wash my face with a good soap or facial cleanser, I then hop out and dry off except for my face and neck. While they are still wet, I'll apply a preshave oil to help lock in the moisture and then build my lather. Once I have a nice lather worked up, I'll lather my face and apply a hot (and I do mean HOT) towel to my face for about two minutes. When I remove the towel, I DO NOT remove the lather left over... I simply apply more on top of it. I then shave as usual, lathering between passes.

This has given me good comfortable shaves, unless something is off about my razor of choice or my technique has been off. YMMV.

Good luck!!

All I ever do is splash hot water on my face briefly, lather and shave. I don't know whether this softens my whiskers very much, but they're gone after my shave.

I've always been a big fan of Musgo Real lime oil soap. During my shower I give my face a good scrub with this nice smelling soap. It softens my beard as well as clean the crud from my face.

I lather up and smack a wet/hot towel on for 30 sec and repeat again over the lather. Works for me!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I lather up and smack a wet/hot towel on for 30 sec and repeat again over the lather. Works for me!

yea, I lather and use the hot towel and then shave and I don't have peach fuzz for a beard.