I have never tried that before. It seems to me that the alcohol what stiffen the hair instead of softening it.

To me, a preshave should soften the hairs to make them easier to cut. Easier to cut equals backing off on the pressure. No pressure means a comfortable shave.

As far as other products, you have Castle Forbes Preshave. It is closer in consistency to a gel. It is expensive as heck and smells strange though.

Body Shop's Maca Root Wash Off Oil is not as dense as other oils I have used. Smells a lot better than Castle Forbes Preshave.

Also, I have used Jojoba Oil before. It was not as bad a preshave oils as far as being gunky. Jojoba is used in conditioners and really helps to soften hair.

Now I mainly just focus on showering before shaving and really scrubbing the whiskers with soap and shampoo.