Quote Originally Posted by ben.mid View Post
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