Pre-shave lotions -do they work?

majortom

majortom

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It's interesting to look at SOTD and see quite a few people using pre-shave oils or gels, yet when you look back at previous discussions, most of us who use them or have used them in the past (including myself) are undecided on whether they actually contribute anything positive to the shave or not, and sometimes it seems as though they act detrimentally on the lather quality when used with certain creams or soaps. Yet we still continue to buy and use them. The power of advertising perhaps or maybe they are just a part of the soothing ritual of preparation we perform each day?
 
I'm awaiting village barbers oil to see if it helps with glide with my straight. I used Proraso pre/post for a while but don't find it adds much however if my skin feels dry before lather I like to use it.
 
I swear by Proraso pre/post - after I give my beard area a thorough wash with glycerine soap, I do a hot flannel prep for a minute or so, then rub the pre-post into my beard. I find that it helps maintain the softness while I make my lather - if I just leave my face damp, the hair seems to harden a bit. It also means that I only need to use the hot flannel for about a minute - I find the full three minutes rather tedious. Bear in mid that I have coarse beard hair, though - even after a near-BBS shave, I still have a faint shadow.
 
Well I loved the smell of the T+H oil so I bought a bottle on the strength of that... aside from the smell it actually doesn't do a great deal, but massaging it in is a pleasant enough thing to do, so why not. I mean, now that I have it, I may as well use it now and then!
I say now and then because I actually don't use it very often, maybe once every 10-14 days, so it's taken me 18 months so far to use half a bottle and because of that I probably wouldn't buy another pre shave product again.
It's nice, but as some regular members might know, I'm not someone who likes hundreds of products kicking around.
 
Majortom - you obviously looked at the previous threads - this subject seems to crop up about every 6 weeks (or maybe that's my imagination).

My take is this - they probably don't add a great deal to a DE shave because the blade is already coated and so thin that you should get a good shave even with minimal preparation.

My experience with SE and straight razors is that the additional thickness of the blade is helped by some form of oil. I haven't tried Proraso but it gets good reviews -of the three I've tried, T&H, Slickwater and Village Barber, I preferred the last in terms of smell, price and performance.

Another theory (of mine) is that some people benefit more than others purely based on their skin type - I happen to have quite dry skin so maybe this is a factor with me.

I definitely disagree that oils clog brushes, disrupt lather and leave a mess in the sink. I have yet to come across a lather problem from any of the range of soaps I have and these cover the entire price range. I use one brush and have not had to clean it. Maybe I don't get a sink problem because mine is flat which means I rinse as I'm going along under a running tap - not continuously I hasten to add.
 
In my opinion one of the very best pre shaves using a straight razor is Burt's Bees shave cream, I always use this, hot water wash with good quality soap then Burt's Bees shave cream then I lather over the top with my soap or cream of choice fantastic stuff.

Jamie.
 
I have to agree with UKrob that oil doesn't leave a mess or disrupt lather. I have been using oil on and off for a while until I posted a thread last week I only thought oils were a sort of cheating and not that people disliked them because of mess in sink, I have wondered if people use too much oil.
 
majortom said:
It's interesting to look at SOTD and see quite a few people using pre-shave oils or gels, yet when you look back at previous discussions, most of us who use them or have used them in the past (including myself) are undecided on whether they actually contribute anything positive to the shave or not, and sometimes it seems as though they act detrimentally on the lather quality when used with certain creams or soaps. Yet we still continue to buy and use them. The power of advertising perhaps or maybe they are just a part of the soothing ritual of preparation we perform each day?
Click to expand...

I can only speak for myself, I have always used a pre-shave balm and found that I get a better more comfortable shave using a pre-shave balm.

For the last four year's have used Castle Forbes pre-shave balm, apart from softening
the bristles. This CF balm is water soluble and will not harm the badger hairs or clog them.

Charles U.K
 
I'm not experienced enough to say this with real authority, however I think I have less irritation after using pre-shave oil. It also would make more of an impact, I think, if we were to be shaving without a massive amount of prep - e.g. with just hot towel prep rather than a long shower or a nice hot bath?
 
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