Thread: The Shave Oil Project

I'm using unscented mineral oil with aloe and vitamin E. I definitely feel BBS smooth now.

I have thought about doing this, but never looked into it. I have been thinking though about this stuff they sell at Walgreens that appears to basically be a pre-shave oil for your head, I think it's made by Head Slick. I figure this would be a better bet than buying an expensive one and finding out I don't like it or something. Another thing I thought about was using baby oil which is basically the same thing the above poster is currently using (mineral oil). This seems like it would be a very cheap alternative to buying it. Any thoughts on that?

Originally Posted by wolfmanXIII

Another thing I thought about was using baby oil which is basically the same thing the above poster is currently using (mineral oil). This seems like it would be a very cheap alternative to buying it. Any thoughts on that?

That's what I use: unscented (but there still seems to be a scent), aloe, vitamin E. So far, better than olive oil and castor oil.

Musgo shave oil (almond oil + grapeseed) is a close second favorite. It is lighter, absorbs quicker; but not as slick...barely. I've been going back and forth between the two.

If you don't want baby/mineral oil ($), I highly recommend Musgo ($$). Perhaps making your own (almond + grapeseed).

For $3-4...doesn't hurt to try baby oil (unscented). Get the generic to save money, not J&J.

Jake

Sorry if this seems irrelevant at all, I just wanted to report on the whole baby oil thing. I tried it out, but to be safe I tried with my safety razor first (being my first time using a pre-shave treatment I didn't want to oil my hand up and slip with my str8). The baby oil really worked wonders; I had almost no irritation after a two pass then one touch up pass shave and my skin feels great. I believe the irritation that I did have however was due to two things:
1. I had a few days growth so I probably should have used the beard trimmer before whacking at it with a safety razor.
2. The baby oil caused the shaved hair to clump and clog the safety razor because it wasn't just rinsing off of the blade like it normally would. Half-way through the shave I literally had to disassemble my razor and clean everything.

All in all I think it works well, I'll have to try it with my str8 though because it is not safety friendly, at least with my beard and razor it isn't so YMMV.

For your #2 point: You don't have to use oil on the first pass. Reduce your beard, then apply oil.

Even though it is nice to not have to shave for a few days, I find it becomes a lot more work and irritation when I do shave after a break. Therefore I shave every day. When I do want some sort of break, I just shave with less passes.

Jake

Thank you for the tips Jake, I'll have to try out the whole using shave oil AFTER the first pass. Sounds about right to me. As for shaving everyday, believe me I wish I could with the amount of growth/thickness of my beard after only one day. I find that when I do it though my neck gets really irritated. However I'm guessing that it's not just a skin issue, I'm sure my technique could use some work as well. I'll work my way to that point someday hopefully. Thanks again!

Oil makes the shaving detritus glom together, clogs a safety razor or adheres to a straight blade. Unless one used a water-miscible oil, a hot water rinse can't clean the blade, and it has to be wiped. Otherwise, oil is a godsend to those of us who shave daily.

Originally Posted by snakyjake

Between castor and olive oil, I figure oil is oil. One comes from a bean, the other from an olive. The only difference in these oils is the viscosity. I imagine the ratio has something to do with the way you want the oil to feel and shave.

If you truely believe this I suggest you try substituting castor oil for olive oil in you salad dressing (actually, I don't recommend this unless you want to experience some very bad side effects).

Castor oil is quite different from other vegetable oils, and this is due to the high percentage of ricenolenic acid in its make up. Look it up and you will see that the chemistry of this oil is substancially different from that of other fatty acids.