Pre-Shave Wash Important

I'm also a fan of Neutragena I work it into my face with my fingers then rinse most of it off with warmish water. I do have some Musgo Real Glycerine soap which I use occasionally but it seems to leave a bit of a greasy deposit especially if my beard is longer, which doesn't feel great.

Saying that when out and about a quick dash of warm water then crack on usually suffices.
 
Glycerin soap does not work for me. It causes me to break out & I have no real skin problems. As well, I have a tube of L'Oreal Men's Charcoal cleanser that literally strips my face bare and results in miserable shaves causing tugging even with proven blades & shave soaps.

I think there is far more to this than meets the blade. There is some real science going on here which IMO just may contribute more to a great shave than the blade used or shave soap/cream for that matter.
 
I always shower prior to shaving. In the shower I wash my face with bog standard bath soap, usually Cussons Imperial Leather. After i've dried myself I wet my face with warm water and then begin to lather on my face. After +50 years of following this routine I see no need to change it or to introduce any fancy pancy face washes.
 
I usually shave after a shower, and of late have been using Bulldog Face Wash which I find good for me. Not expensive and easily available in UK supermarkets etc. I don't use any specific pre-shave stuff. Tried a basic oil once and it did nothing for me. On the odd occasion I shave without showering first i just rinse with warm warm water and lather up, works fine too.
 
According to lore, "shaving soap" is soap based because you need to strip the hair of oil so that water can get in and soften it prior to the razor. The lather is a carrier of this moisture to the hair.

I notice a huge difference in my stubble pre/post washing it with BS Maka Root facewash. It really does strip the stubble ready for the lather.

I prefer to rely on the soap for slickness which means i can find some of the less slick soaps a bit of a challange.

It is a yes from me.
 
I think some may have misunderstood the theme in this thread. It's not about a pre-shave treatment cream/oil, but a pre-shave cleanser, i.e., facial wash. It's not about something you leave on your face, but rather wash off before applying shaving soap/cream. As I have stated before, I really do think this is a little talked about, and far less understood, factor in shaving. Just plain water rinses away salt and skin flakes, but oils and sebum are not affected by water, no matter how much you use. Food for thought.

Personally, I have noticed that my shaves are smoother after using a salicylic acid face wash. Not only does it work great as a chemical exfoliant, but it excels as removing excess sebum which seemingly allows the hair follicle to become more easily penetrated by a blade. At least that's my take on what is happening, but trained scientist I am not.

Feedback?
 
Hot water...plenty of, pears soap...left on whilst I fiddle with my hardware ( ohh! Matron ) rinse off in plenty hot water, prorasso pre..massaged in and again left for a min or 2... Start lather...lather over the prorasso...being particular to work it in well, smooth out...shave...re-apply lather as required for multi passes... Rinse in coldish water, pat dry my handsome face then apply whatever balm/AS/cologne I choose
Usually a cheap balm as it is night time i shave, or barts AS/lotion...the barts seems oily at first but very soon gets absorbed into the skin leaving you soft and smooth:)
 
Hot water...plenty of, pears soap...left on whilst I fiddle with my hardware ( ohh! Matron ) rinse off in plenty hot water, prorasso pre..massaged in and again left for a min or 2... Start lather...lather over the prorasso...being particular to work it in well, smooth out...shave...re-apply lather as required for multi passes... Rinse in coldish water, pat dry my handsome face then apply whatever balm/AS/cologne I choose
Usually a cheap balm as it is night time i shave, or barts AS/lotion...the barts seems oily at first but very soon gets absorbed into the skin leaving you soft and smooth:)

Bob reread my post just before your reply:

...It's not about a pre-shave treatment cream/oil, but a pre-shave cleanser, i.e., facial wash. It's not about something you leave on your face, but rather wash off before applying shaving soap/cream...
 
I normally use one of these as a face wash:
I normally decide on the day whether I want the scrub or the standard wash. Can't comment on the effectiveness of doing it before the shave though as it's something I've always done.
 
This is an important topic and one I think shouldn't be overlooked.

It's funny the original poster mentioned L'Oréal menXpert leaving your face stripped of all natural oils and being dry as a desert. I can agree with this after trying L'Oréal black charcoal face wash a few times. It sure does clean, but your face is left so stripped it actually squeaks. Dried my face out really badly so went in the bin after a week or so.

My exact routine I am trying to perfect, but currently in a hot shower I will wash my hair with any random shampoo, don't really care what it is although that may change... I then wash all over from face down with a nice bar soap, been through Wrights Coal Tar, Dove Beauty Cream Bar and now using Mitchell's Wool Fat Original Soap. I will then use clearasil Gentle skin perfecting wash on my face and neck only. It contains salicylic acid to help clean out the pores but also aloe and moisturising stuff so doesn't leave me dried out.

That's my every day routine, and I shower once in the morning, and usually in the evening after work. I am washing twice a day to try and help clear up my spot prone skin somewhat and it's working a treat.

Every other day, I will swap out the Clearasil gentle skin perfecting wash with Clearasil rapid action scrub which exfoliates real good.

I will always shave immediately after a shower and this is usually every 2 days, so 3 or 4 times a week. The only pre shave product I use is proraso green cream which goes on whilst I make up my lather.

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This is an important topic and one I think shouldn't be overlooked...

I will then use clearasil Gentle skin perfecting wash on my face and neck only. It contains salicylic acid to help clean out the pores but also aloe and moisturising stuff so doesn't leave me dried out...

It is so ironic that Clearasil does not sell this cleanser you mention here in the USA and the co. is HQ'd here!! Another line in the UK is Garnier, owned by L'Oreal, and with a much smaller line available here in the USA. The problem with salicylic acid in a cleanser is that it really isn't on your face long enough for one to reap the full benefits. That's where it shines as a post-shave toner after you have done your final face wash. Great stuff!! I have many different brands, but a good UK one is made by Nip+Fab. I have used half a bottle of the following and it is stellar!!

 
I've read all of the above posts and find them all genuinely interesting, but I think that this is why I gave up chasing the holy grail of the perfect shave. Perhaps I am missing out! But, there is so much paraphernalia and preparative treatments to perform AND that is before one decides upon the perfect razor and razor blade. This post and another has introduced me to the intriguing world of soaps, but before this I genuinely thought that the idea of washings one's face before shaving was so that the razor could actually gain some purchase on the beard in order to cut it off. Admittedly, I tried a DE SR for around six months before returning to a cartridge based system, as I prefer to shave every day and there is no way I could find either the time or inclination for a full DE experience on a day by day basis. In saying all of this, I will definitely, explore some of the soaps mentioned within both posts before (perhaps) ditching my Pears Soap, which has done the trick for me for many years; Pears Soap; wash off and pat dry; Gillette Sensitive Gel (hand applied) and in with the Cartridge Razor (Gillette Sensor, when available); usually one pass (unless it needs to be really special). I can hear a combined gasp, right now; but absolutely no offence intended!
 
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