Thread: Shaving oil

Yesterday I came across shaving oil at the chemist's. Small 10 ml bottle. On the box it said to rub 4 drops on a wet face before shaving, to be used instead of shaving soap or cream.
Anyone tried this? Did you like it?

Hey there!

I actually just picked some up- I should mention its Cromwell & Cruthers. The whole reason I logged on was to share info about it. I just got done shaving with it.

I'll be honest, I shaved this morning, so there really wasnt much to shave off. I'll give it a good and true test tomorrow, but I was seriously underwhelmed.
I used about 5 or 6 drops, rubbed it all over my face and found both the smell and texture revolting. It is- how should I put this- tacky. It's slick, but it needs to be watered down. I put some water on my hands and rubbed again and it got a little better.

Now for the actual shave itself, I was not so impressed either. Not only do I find whipping up later a nice way to wake up in the morning, but once you get good at it you also get used to making it your own way. You can't do that with oil. Once the later is on, you remove it with the blade. The oil doesn't really come off with the razor. It leaves a film. Combine that with the fact that you have no clear idea of where you have already shaved (built in bonus of soaps/creams), and it really was an underwhelming thing to behold.

Now some good points! If one were travelling, this might be the way to go. Packs very light- small bottle. No mug, no brush, no soap. Can't get much simpler than a small bottle of oil. That's the reason I didn't throw it directly into the bin after using it. I am surely also going to try combining this with my regular lather. I hypothesize that shave oil, while it doesnt stand on its own for me at least, might be a nice base layer. Perhaps you could rub some on, then apply lather over top. Might add a little extra glide to the lather and you would still get the familiar cushion of the soap. I'm aure someone has tried this before- feel free to chime in if you have because Im curious.

All in all though, i feel like I just applied my aftershave onto a layer of oil, notwithstanding the fact that I used soap and water to try and get the last of it off. I refuse to press hard enough to remove it all during the shave- especially on the second shave of the day. Razor burn city- population: me.

Do I recommend it? Nope. Can't say I personally do. I only tried it once though, and I'm only one person. I'm not saying its conclusively rubbish, but it didnt do anything for me.