Having loved the scent of l'occitane cade after shave balm, I went on to purchase the preshave oil. Now I'm not really sure how much to apply or how long to wait before lathering, never used preshave oil before. what's the proper way to go about it?
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Having loved the scent of l'occitane cade after shave balm, I went on to purchase the preshave oil. Now I'm not really sure how much to apply or how long to wait before lathering, never used preshave oil before. what's the proper way to go about it?
I use it like this;
Out of shower, measure up a a teaspoon in one hand, distribute and massage it into your damp/wet face.
Start preping you lather and razor, you don't need to let the lather sit so long on your face when you use oil so just go ahead in any particular order.
If you use a thick oil you will be ok with just applying it once before shaving, if it's a bit thinner you may want to reapply between passes. Some barbers apply this oil in wast quantities before every lathering, but with thick oils like AOS's for example this is just a waste of money since your skin will feel oiled after 4 passes and good know's how many rinses.
Hope this helps!
I shave in two pases - WTG and XTG/ATG. I've experimented with King of Shaves' Alphaoil recently and it works best for me if I apply it before the second pass. I only use a few drops of oil.
Tomorrow I'm gonna experiment with shaving just with oil as a final make-good pass. I'll report back with how it went... :)
Hot tips guys:Try out the CF preshave(and the creams,and the AfterLotions) I just did today.Sweet stuff! And its water based to, so it doesn't mess up the lather.
Kristoffer
I've been using Proraso for some time now. It reminds of a product called "Noxema" cold cream. Anyway, I use a very small amount, I just dab my fingers into the jar and apply it to my face. A little goes a long way, I rub it in until it's gone, then apply a hot towel, lather up, re apply hot towel, strop, shave. I just ordered some Castle Forbes pre shave to experiment with. I not sure what the pre shave is doing anyway. I know what it's supposed to do. To be honest, I'm not sure I notice a difference. Some people may.
Have you used Proraso? I was wondering if there's a difference. I just ordered some CF myself.Quote:
Originally Posted by KristofferBodvin
nope, no proraso as of yet.Will get some at my next shopping frenzy at SRD.
Kristoffer
I use Kiehl's...it is pretty good stuff. The AOS oils are also pretty nice.
Since I started using the pre-shave oils, my shaves have vastly improved, and I'm able to get a better shave in just 2 passes, instead of my former three.
I second the Castle Forbes pre-shave oil recommendation. I've tried it several times; tbh there is no vast improvement, but it being water based avoids it clogging the pores and preventing the lather from swelling up the skin / hair.
The way the barber shop I went to once did it is this: put hot towel on face, let skin and beard soften. Remove towel, put back towel in hot water to make it warm again, apply pre-shave oil, put hot towel back onto pre-shave oiled face to "help the pre-shave penetrate the skin" (not sure if that helps much, but that's what they said). Remove towel and apply previously made and warmed lather on face :)
I use the Casswell-Massey "1752" Sandalwood pre shave oil. Very thick and does a good job. Where can I get some Castle Forbes at? Thanks
Vintage Blades sells a small bottle of Castle Forbes pre shave which is great if you want to try it. That's what I got.Quote:
Originally Posted by rrp1501
I'm new at this, but I found pre-shave oil to be of great benefit in the shave. I even reapply after the first pass. I'm cheap. so I made mine with 1 part olive oil, two parts castor oil with essential oils added. However, the oil has made my soap funky. It no longer dries out and is kind of sticky. I read one comment that the oil might harm the brush, too. Anyone else have this happen?
I have never liked preshave oil. It left a greasy feel on my face and gunked up my brush..
If you are going to use a preshave oil (and I do on occasion), you should not use more than 4-5 drops. This should be plenty to form a thin film over your face and to soften the beard hairs. Most of the problems people have noted (greasy feel, gunked up razor and/or brush) are due to the application of excessive amounts of oil.
You can use any oil, but you will get the best results from one that is easily absorbed into your skin. Most of these "oils" are actually liquid waxes, examples include lanolin and jojoba. Common oils such as olive oil are fats, and will be less well absorbed. If your skin feels greasy after application, you probably have the wrong oil.
I've just used EVOO as a shave oil in the past and as a blade buffing lubricant on my touch ups.
Worked better than any Preshave oil I have ever used. And it's better for your skin than most shave oils that cost an arm and a leg. This was with my DE razors though, not with my straight. I am unsure how that'd effect the blade.