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So for some time now I have been using plain olive oil as a preshave, works great. I have tried Art of Shaving but was put off at how expensive it was and the fact that olive oil works just as well if not better.
My only complaint is that olive oil lacks a pleasant scent, its kinda of a stale nutty smell. So just wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to add some scent.
Some drugstores still carry small bottles of essential oils. I got some clove oil 3 or 4 months ago at Walgreens. Some might mix ok.
Take care when buying: you need essential oils for dermatological use and not for ambient (sorry for my bad description, but I hope you can understand). Start trying concentrations of 1 to 3% and consider that 1 ml correspond to 20 drops.
You could choose essential oils correlated to our purpose (shaving), so lavender, tea tree, cedar (among others) are usefull.
Have you tried mixing the oil with a pleasantly scented (after-shampoo) hair conditioner? It will improve the scent and the whole will exceed the sum of the parts.
I have been using Extra Virgin Olive oil also as a preshave and I think it's better than any "Real" pre-shave out there. I can even do a whole ATG pass without lather using Olive Oil and get a smooth shave on my neck. The stuff is great for your skin also.
Anyone has any clue on how this effects your blade though? Does olive oil harm straight razors? Be nice to know. I mean, I do clean my razors anyway..
Shouldn't hurt the blade at all. Olive oil and a straight blade was all the ancient romans used.
And until Hadrian there were practically no beards or mustaches worn by romans.
Thanks for the responses guys! This should get me off to a good start. If I have any success I will let you know. Clavichord, I have really sensitive skin so thanks for the tip. Thanks again and if anyone else can chime in with ideas I would appreciate it!
Olive Oil... who would have thought? Oh man does it work well. Mine has just a trace of mint on it and this shave was really the most comfortable I've had yet. Thanks for the post guys!
Jeff
I use grape seed oil and I find it doesn't really have a noticeable scent. I don't know if it works just as well as olive oil, I've never tried it.
Any kind of vegetable based oil, including olive, grape, and camella oil, is actually a fat rather than an oil. It can be slightly caustic to steel, especially when exposed to water, when the oil breaks down and releases fatty acids. I never thought of this until hearing about it from Terry Knipschield (his knifemaking website is HERE) at the MN meet-up. He told me he had heard of that warning in the context of gun barrels but we speculated the same issue would occur with razors. Now, in contravention of my own warning, I used olive oil dissolved in isopropanol for over three years as a preservative dip for my razors and I never noticed any corrosion on any of my razors. However, after talking with Terry I switched to using mineral oil in isopropanol.
So the upshot is, there is a possibility that a vegetable based oil might contribute to corrosion of your razor, but I don't think it's very likely. I believe the risk would be much greater if the same oil were allowed to stay on the razor for months because that would give it a much greater opportunity for it to break down. If the razor is regularly being used, the oil is regularly being removed and replaced during each shave.
Linen oil is used to clean guns. I use it for my blades and for my face and hairs (though they aren't weapons). Indeed, it is very good and suggested to repair skin (5 drops for the full face, after using soap) and soften/repair long hairs (10 drops after washing). You should try!! It's fantastic!!! Also, it should be produced with "cold" methods, to preserve its properties, so pay attention when buying. I pay it 6$ per 100 ml.
where do you buy this stuff...Quote:
Originally Posted by clavichord
i couldnt find it in a search...did you mean linseed oil?
Yes, sorry. "Linen" it the fabric made with the fiber, right? The oil is made with seeds, so I think "linseed" should be the correct word.
EDIT: I use this oil with rasors not to clean them, but to protect them from humidity. For this purpose it is better than other oils because of its very light color.
Also called flaxseed oil. Or so said wikipedia when I looked it up just now. Hmmm....You learn something new every day.
check with your local family hair care businesses. There's one inside our local Walmart that sells Olive Oil shampoo (and conditioner). I've used the shampoo as a pre shave treatment for almost a year now, and it works (as well as smells) great.
Huh! Well, I had no idea linseed oil was made from flax. The internet is great for essential trivia.
Linseed oil is also going to have the risk of going rancid and so might have the potential to cause rust.
A safety note for anyone considering using linseed oil on their face or razor: Don't use "boiled linseed oil!" That is, don't use the kind that is used to finish wood, as it contains petroleum products in addition to the linseed oil.
Actually I prepare myself a good product for hairs buying some linseeds: they are easy to find in herbalist's shops and cheap (I pay 1$ per 100 g of seeds).:p
I put 1/2 tablespoon of seeds in water during the night (use just 1/2 glass of water), and in the mornig I add another 1/2 glass of hot water (about 37°C, the same of the body) put them on the flame and move them very fast for 15 mins, keeping temperature under control (let say 37°C). Linseeds produce a sort of gel (100% natural and cheap). Consistence can be controled changing the quantity of water. The product must be conserved in the fridge. You can use it as a commonl gel after washing hairs (the same for linseed oil).
During my last 3 months using linseed oil (..not the gel described above..) with my blades I had no problems: it works great.;)
Olive oil is a perfect preshave oil. I use it a lot when I am traveling so I don't have to carry preshave in my kit as well.
Excellent,now I can have olive oil inside and out.I heard somewhere recently that olive oil has vitamine E in it.
There are some great tricks and ideas that you guys have mentioned here, thanks! I have not had the chance to do some looking around for scents to experiment with, midterm week. But if anyone else has some more knowledge to share please do, I appreciate it!
Try your wifes good hair conditioner and get back to me. Just dry your hands before picking up that razor.