Thread: Preshave oil

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.

Originally Posted by KristofferBodvin

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

Have you used Proraso? I was wondering if there's a difference. I just ordered some CF myself.

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