Thread: pre-Shave oils?

Hi all , i am after some advice on pre-shave oils to use under the lather to give the blade extra glide.
i have been using bog standard king of shave's pre shave oil from the shop, but fell this is not doing justice to the 4 shaving creams i have brought in the 4 weeks of str8 shaving (RAD and now SAD looking forward to HAD)

Can anyone shead some light on good oils ?

many happy returns in advance
stan

AOS makes a good product but is very heavy (olive oil type feel). Not a bad price at $22 USD.

Truefitt & Hill makes a lighter oil with a nice scent but is quite pricey, you can sometimes find it in the B/S/T forum.

Kiehl's makes a decent product as well.

Are the pre shave oils really a must? Im just making the switch to brush and soap from brushless cream and the thought of having to spend even more money is depressing. Guess i just see how the shave feels with just the soap. Then I can save up the money I would of spent on oil for say 10 years and get me a Joe Chandler

If I use a pre-shave oil at all I use the Truefitt&Hill variety. I rarely use it, however, since switching to straight razors. For one thing, I don't like it on my hands when I'm using a straight so I need to add a "wash hands" step to the routine. I also feel that there is less of a benefit (in terms of smoothness or glide) when oil is used with a straight rather than a DE. No scientific data, just my opinion based on my experience.

I think a lot of guys add a little glycerine to their lather in order to get a bit more glide so you might try that as well. Me? I have been very happy with Castle Forbes creams and, lately, SRD soap in addition to MWF soap.

Good luck.

Im lucky enough to live about 2 hours drive away from Castle Forbes. Thinking of going up there next weekend to see if I can get any deals buying straight from their perfumery. And to have a nose around of course.

Have you read this? There you might find some ideas.

Get a better shaving result by improving your preparation - Straight Razor Place Wiki

I suggest to try trumpers skin food or American Crew pre shave oil

Originally Posted by nobby

Are the pre shave oils really a must? Im just making the switch to brush and soap from brushless cream and the thought of having to spend even more money is depressing. Guess i just see how the shave feels with just the soap. Then I can save up the money I would of spent on oil for say 10 years and get me a Joe Chandler

No, pre shave oils are not necessary. While some find it beneficial, I would say that most routines I've read here do not include oils. IMHO, they are a creation to help separate you from your money. With good prep and good lather, they are not needed. YMMV and all that.

Jordan

Originally Posted by TonyJ

I suggest to try trumpers skin food or American Crew pre shave oil

+1 on the Trumper's Skin Food. Very good product both as a pre and post shave lotion/conditioner.

I tried several preshave oils when moving from cartridge to DE/straights. Personally, I have not found any extra shave benefit with the oils. If you have good prep and lather, I don't think the preshave oil adds anything. You might try a few shaves without any preshave oil to see how it goes. If you think one is helpful to you, then of the ones I tried TGR and Grooming Lounge had the best.

I really like just plain extra virgin olive oil as a preshave oil. I actually use it as a touch up pass lubricant to get those wiry hard to get neck and chin hairs with my straight. I can do a whole pass ATG With olive oil and no lather and end up with an awesome shave too.

For some, Oils aren't needed, but for guys like me (started shaving when I was THIRTEEN) my hair is so thick and wiry that I need extra lubricant to get anything done.