Thread: Vendor shaving tip from Mama Bear

I always assumed that the longer your face was wet before you shaved, the softer the facial hair was....thus a smoother, easier shave.

As far as facial oils go, I never thought of that improving the shave. I have dry skin though, so maybe that's why I get a better shave after washing my face?

hmm, maybe somebody should make this a poll? My curiosity is getting piqued.

There seems to be mixed opinions on this. Some say, as advised by Mama Bear, don't wash away the oils & allow them to help with razor glide. Other advice suggests that by washing the oils away the beard is better able to absorb water, & therefore soften. Personally i've tried both & find the latter to be preferable, by quite a margin. I guess it's like every other conceivable variable with shaving. Experiment & find out what works best for you!
Ben

Originally Posted by ben.mid

There seems to be mixed opinions on this. Some say, as advised by Mama Bear, don't wash away the oils & allow them to help with razor glide. Other advice suggests that by washing the oils away the beard is better able to absorb water, & therefore soften. Personally i've tried both & find the latter to be preferable, by quite a margin. I guess it's like every other conceivable variable with shaving. Experiment & find out what works best for you!
Ben

I agree with Ben on this one

I use a hot towel over lather as my prep before shaving. This works extremely well for me and I will continue to do this.

I realize that this procedure probably removes oils, but, hey, it works!

* I've been using "uberlather" with my Georgetown scuttle. I will add a cream to the inside walls of my scuttle and fill with hot water. I then will apply a hard glycerin or triple milled soap and lather on my face. I use this lather as my prep with hot towel. After the towel, I take the brush (A Rooney), which has plenty of lather, and mix with the cream that is sitting in the scuttle. This method works really well for me, and with the exception of a few minor changes, I don't see myself "not washing the oils off my face".

Steve

Originally Posted by Mama Bear

I have had a bunch of gentlemen convince me this was the holy grail to shaving.... but I know darn well nothing beats a hot towel.

Can we discuss? I don't mind having my head on the chopping block if someone learns something!!

Bear Hugs! Sue

I think it depends on the gentleman. Personally, I make sure that my face is well hydrated and warm before applying lather. Sometimes this includes washing it and at other times it also entails a hot towel. I do believe that if one creates quality lather that it will not matter whether the 'natural' oils have been washed away or not.

I always wash my face in the shower and then later up. Recently I got some pre shave oil frm. Art of shaving. It looks to be mostly castor and olive oil, so it's really thick (only need a drop or two).
What do others think of this pre oiling? I seen it said the wot water is absorbed into the beard, if so does the oil or does the oil simply coat the skin?
I tried it on one side and no oil on the other. The oiled seemed to give a better shave, also left a slight film I hope will moisturize.
Al

I wash my face with soap to degrease the hairs so they will absorb water. Then I use the hot towel. Then I apply shave oil. The hot towel won't work very well if you don't degrease the hairs first.

Originally Posted by albertpotash

I always wash my face in the shower and then later up. Recently I got some pre shave oil frm. Art of shaving. It looks to be mostly castor and olive oil, so it's really thick (only need a drop or two).
What do others think of this pre oiling? I seen it said the wot water is absorbed into the beard, if so does the oil or does the oil simply coat the skin?
I tried it on one side and no oil on the other. The oiled seemed to give a better shave, also left a slight film I hope will moisturize.
Al

Pre shave oil is another of those things that is really YMMV. Many swear by it and many say its worthless. Personally I've tried it and it's done nothing for me but if it works for you then its good. Just make sure you really wash your brush out thoroughly. You don't want oil residue on your brush.

The only other thing I wanted to add that washing your face before shaving and use of a hot towel are really standard prep procedures for straight and DE shaves. if you go into any barber shop for a shave both now or in the past you will have coats of soap applied and removed and hot towels applied before and maybe after shaving too. Its almost in the same category as always strop before shaving though I guess there are some who don't strop before shaving and seem to do fine.

So like everything else the moral of the story is do whatever works for you.

I will have to try this as I have always shaved after a hot shower.. Humm does this mean more men won't bath....

Use shaving soap before, during and after shaving