Thread: Pre-shave creams & oils

I think you can also use regular baby or massage oil. Will try...

How do you work the oil? Is it just aplied before shave, and the soap worked over it, or you have to work the lather, then aply to your face?

I tryed some oil a year ago, and worked the lather (from Nivea paste, or maybe a gel) with a boar brush, but the lather just didnt come right, and the brush was pain to clean after.

tried the T$H preshave oil for the first time, i never use preshave beroe thought id try it out i like it alot! used it with T&H shave cream. idk about baby oil? i think if you use that your gonna blind people trying to read your face.

Simon told me about a product called shave secret I got a bottle and tried it today as a preshave oil and was really impressed. Its avalible at Walmart if you get a chance give it a try!!!

I have tried a good few...

King Of Shaves
Shave Secret
Nuage Men
Ultra-calm lemonleaf wax
Aromatherapy oil...

Now the last three are available mostly in the UK along with TKOS..now for a wax by Molton Brown..awesome, however the oils IMHO were all excellent...however when it came to the shave....Secret shave blew all of them away..

goes on great with a few drops, doesnt smell bad, and you can shave with or without soap...obviously a preference thing there...and it was the only one that said you could use it after the shave too, and I believe it was great for me....the final point is value for money, Walmart sells it and it costs approx 4 bucks, and lasts for ages..

This is just my opinion, i didnt specifically review them just noted results, and i hate spending big money on oils, but SS is an excellent product at a great price and it performs well.

all the best Simon

For pre-shaves, I've tried:

• Proraso -- prefer it as post-shave. It didn't do anything for me as a pre-shave, but as post-shave it feels amazing on a fresh-shaven face.
• Molton Brown Lemon Leaf Shave Wax -- very slippery. I absolutely do not recommend this for straight razor shaving. You can't stretch the skin at all because it becomes so slippery and waxy. In fact, I damn near chopped my lip off trying to stretch skin with disastrous results. It's a shame because this stuff smells and fells good, but stricly for cartridge users I reckon.
• T&H Luxury Shave oil -- great stuff, absolutely worth it. It seems to moisturise the beard very well without making the skin slippery. It feels oily but thin, and is very easily washed off the hands with warm water. Doesn't seem to get in the way of stretching at all.
• DR Harris pre-shave splash -- stings, quite a lot, and that's BEFORE the shave! It does seem to be an effective astringent and scrinches up the skin like alum, takes all the natural grease off the face to leave it clean, smells great, but not convinced it did much for the shave.
• Katie's hair conditioner (Aussie Miracle Moist) -- fantastic shave! Of course, only feasible when you've got time for a shower first. Never felt such a soft beard, I even felt like growing it for a moment! COnsistently best prep method for me yet.

Somersets original shave oil - use it sometimes as a preshave, overall it's nice, helps with the shave but I used to prefer king of shaves kinexium. No slippery razor syndrome with somersets but I don't think I'd chance trying it without shaving cream. Good for the first pass if you tend to go over the same area a few times in spots for that bbs shave but otherwise just adding a bit of glycerin to the lather does the trick. The effect of the shave oil is gone by the second pass.

I tried Art of Shaving's Pre-Shave oil and it made a huge difference on my shave experience. I also combined it with a superlather (AoS cream and Coleen's Cavendish Black), and the shave was superb.

Originally Posted by Lynn

What brands of pre-shaves have you guys tried and what did you think of the results. Anyone get the slippery razor syndrome? Lynn

Good question cuz what i use as a "pre-shaving oil" is a hair oil or "brillantina" that i found in the shaving section at WalMart,here is the thread...


http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?t=18647










RPR.

I usually use the Truefitt & Hill pre-shave oil or the Art of Shaving one , and I am soooo glad they work for me. I have a very sensitive skin, and they are just working wonderfully good. When those will be finished, I'll try the one made by the The Gentlemens Refinery (seems they are also making very good stuff, specially the after shave)... or maybe I won't be able to wait...

I'm using the good 'ol' Nivea Cream (classic blue round box) as a pre-shave with excellent results. A very small amount will do. It's cheap and it's sold everywhere.