Conditioner...wow!

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05-24-2007, 04:10 AM
Noam

Conditioner...wow!

What a revelation I just had...

I'm about three months into the addiction, and so far I've been having a lot of trouble my neck area. The stubble there is pretty coarse, and I can't go ATG without really irritating the skin. Even on my cheeks, I find that my WTG pass doesn't quite cut it. No pun intended.

I read the advice Gravitas was given a few posts back about conditioner, so I decided to try it out. My ex left a bunch of toiletries here so I grabbed her conditioner and gave it a try in the shower. At first I was a bit discouraged. Even after applying a generous amount to my beard and letting it sit for a few minutes, my beard still felt stiff to my fingers (in fact, my stubble feels stiffer since I started using a straight. Anybody else have that happen?).

But then...the shave itself.

I lathered up with Colleen's Oak & Moss soap(mmmmmmmm), stropped up my trusty Creutzberg 11/16 and went to work. Halfway into the shave, I noticed that I was getting a much closer shave on my neck than ever before. In fact, all around I was getting a really great shave only going WTG. Seeing as how all other variables were constant (no new stropping technique, familiar razor, soap, etc) it's gotta be the conditioner. I am truly astounded at what a profound difference it made to my shave. The facesturbation is getting a bit out of hand :o
05-24-2007, 04:15 AM
JoshEarl

The conditioner trick is the only thing that allows me to use a straight or DE--it makes a huge difference. Make sure you wash your beard with a gentle soap first, which will remove the oils and allow the conditioner to really soak in.

Congrats!

Josh
05-24-2007, 07:15 AM
ucliker

Noam about your stubble feeling stiffer. i asked a barber this once he said when you stretch your skin and bring the razor down at around a 30 degree angle your cutting the stubble almost flat instead of at an extreme angle like a cartridge would.
05-24-2007, 04:58 PM
RichZ

Yeah that conditioner works wonders. Noticed a difference any time I used it.
05-24-2007, 05:43 PM
Evan15342

I've tried using conditioner with limited success. I was wondering if anyone might be able to recommend a specific brand that is particularly good for softening stubble? Also, what kind of soap would you recommend before hand? Thanks.
05-24-2007, 06:06 PM
JoshEarl

I just use Dial, my regular shower soap. I don't scrub my beard with with a washcloth, though, as this was drying my skin out. I just use my hands to lather up, then rinse off and apply the conditioner.

Josh
05-30-2007, 04:55 AM
Noam

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evan15342

I've tried using conditioner with limited success. I was wondering if anyone might be able to recommend a specific brand that is particularly good for softening stubble? Also, what kind of soap would you recommend before hand? Thanks.

I've been using Pantene Pro-V Ice Shine conditioner that my ex-girlfriend left behind, and I use SoftSoap Ultra Rich Shea Butter moisturizing body wash for washing my face prior (I'm a total Shea Butter slut, I must confess). This combo has been working well, a long with hot towels and Colleen's soap.
05-30-2007, 09:09 AM
majurey

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noam

I've been using Pantene Pro-V Ice Shine conditioner that my ex-girlfriend left behind...

Behind every cloud there's a silver lining... :cool:

I'm going to give the conditioner thing a go, see if it makes a difference.
05-31-2007, 04:51 PM
Gravitas

My own personal experience - I get the same result with conditioner on the beard as I do when applying later, rubbing it in, and applying a hot towel for a few minutes. But the conditioner trick works really well during the week when there's limited time in the morning.
05-31-2007, 05:29 PM
gratewhitehuntr

conditioner

I picked up a tub of
Queen Helene
CHOLESTEROL
Hair Conditioning
Cream

the other day in Target (no Proraso) and just out of curiosity I dabbed my brush in a little before working up a lather.
It comes in a tub and is sort of cream colored with big red letters and a white top.

I must say that for about $3 this stuff works super good !!

The directions say to wash and towel dry hair then apply conditioner, add a small amount of water and work up a lather then cover head with heat cap.

It seems like a hot towel would be the same as a heat cap. Even without the towel it worked up a super rich lather when mixed with soap.

It made such a good lather that when I wiped a clump on the towel it was still there after 4 hours !!
05-31-2007, 05:36 PM
Jfala

Conditioner works very well for me too. Doesn't appear to make a difference what type or brand as I have used a couple both with great results. I first wash my face with a mild face wash from DDF or Nancy Boy and then apply the conditioner for the rest of my shower. Can really tell the difference in feel and in the shave.
05-31-2007, 11:13 PM
Gravitas

Quote:

Originally Posted by gratewhitehuntr

I picked up a tub of
Queen Helene
CHOLESTEROL
Hair Conditioning
Cream

It made such a good lather that when I wiped a clump on the towel it was still there after 4 hours !!

Interesting... I never thought about mixing it in with the lather. :hmmm: I'll have to give this a try.
06-03-2007, 03:02 PM
scarface

Quote:

Originally Posted by gratewhitehuntr

I picked up a tub of
Queen Helene
CHOLESTEROL
Hair Conditioning
Cream

I'm 55 years old.....

....I think my doctor would shoot me if I went to the store and came home ANYTHING that had SUPER-CHOLESTEROL in the name!

in fact, I was so amazed, I thought that G-dub had a typo.... I Googled it, and sure enough.....Queen Helene Super Cholesterol Hair Conditioning Cream

...which, to my way of thinking, opens up the possibilites of whole new product lines.....

Industrial Sludge Night Cream (it glows in the dark!)
Toxic Waste Intimate Lubricant
Spent Fuel Rod Natural Male Enhancement (may cause erections with a half-life of over 1500-yrs - see your physician)

-whatever

-Lou
06-03-2007, 04:06 PM
izlat

WTG, Lou - now quick on getting the TMs established - before someone steals these gems! :D

Btw, I think Kyle at B&B had an in-depth piece on conditioners - down by ingredients one should be looking for / avoiding. Turns out some conditioners actually strengthen the folicule, making the shave harder.

CHeers
Ivo
06-04-2007, 03:29 AM
scarface

Badger And Blade: How To: Pre-Shave Prep

...whew!...THAT took some diggin'...there's a lot of information there! Thanks for the heads-up, Ivo!:tu

-whatever

-Lou

EDIT: Note that there is absolutely no mention of cholesterol, much less industrial sludge, toxic waste or SFR's...so, until someone tells me I can't........
06-04-2007, 12:41 PM
Creel

I love this forum! Lou got me laughing so hard I got kicked out of the room and then scarface saved me some search time by finding a link to some sick preshave advice.

Well done lads.
06-04-2007, 03:36 PM
scarface
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyle@Badger & Blade

The Good:

Moisturizers – These are used to hold moisture in the hair. Typically, moisturizers are humectants which serve to absorb water from the air and force it into the hair.
Oils (EFAs – Essentially Fatty Acids) – these help your hair to become more soft and pliable. EFA’s mimic sebum which is the oil naturally produced by your body and released through your hair follicles.
Surfactants – These are wetting agents that lower the surface tension of a liquid, allowing easier spreading, and they act as an emulsifier which facilitates the blending of unblendable substances (such as oil and water).

The Bad and The Ugly:

Reconstructors – These are used to penetrate the hair and strengthen its structure.
Acidifiers – They keep the pH around 2.5-3.5 which causes the somewhat scaly cuticle to tighten up.
Detanglers, Thermal Protectors, Glossers – These act to again contribute to the acidic environment (tightening the cuticle) and to put a coating layer on the hair.
As you can see, depending on what exactly your hair conditioner contains, it very well could be making your job (shaving) much more difficult than is necessary.
and the ingredients of my Pantene Pro-V Classic Care Conditioner are listed as:

Ingredients
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Cetyl Alcohol, Quaternium-18, Stearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, PEG-2M, Polysorbate 60, Cetearyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Oleyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Fragrance, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Citric Acid, EDTA, Panthenol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone.
Now, I'm sorry, but I read that ingredient list, and all I see is:

water, blah-blah-blah, alcohol, blah-blah-blah, orange juice, blah-blah-blah

.....no way MY little pea-brain is going to correlate Kyle's list with the ingredients list.

Fortunately, I'm used to being confused.

-whatever

-Lou
06-08-2007, 02:41 AM
Creel

Quote:

and the ingredients of my Pantene Pro-V Classic Care Conditioner are listed as:
Ingredients
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Cetyl Alcohol, Quaternium-18, Stearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, PEG-2M, Polysorbate 60, Cetearyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Oleyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Fragrance, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Citric Acid, EDTA, Panthenol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone.

That is messed up! Ethyl ether?
http://ptcl.chem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/glossary/harmful.jpg http://ptcl.chem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/glossary/highly.flam.jpg That is like on the freak out and tear your clothes off if it gets on you msds forms at work, and Methylisothiazoline is an ingredient that is mutagenic and is presently being evaluated as cancer causing.

I think if your going to use a High ph conditioner you should probably follow it up with a acidic apres shave product to balance the skins protective mantle.

This should be fun working out what conditioners work best on the face.
06-08-2007, 03:07 AM
Gravitas

I've tried a number of conditioners on the beard and find that neutrogena triple moisture works best for me. I have a decently coarse beard and it's the only product that lets me shave ATG with relative ease and comfort. Hope this helps.
06-08-2007, 03:47 AM
matt

I have found that the only conditioners I have around the house actually strengthens the hair. I have yet to try one that would actually help the shave I am looking forward to it. I am unsure of what brand or type to look into though.