preshave oils

[peacefrog]

Last night I tried a sample of Anthony Logistics preshave oil. What a disaster! The stuff is thick and gooey, so it ended up sticking to my hands where it was difficult to remove. It didn't impart any appreciable benefit to my shave. The oil managed to stay on my face even through four passes. And the little bits of stubble that end up in the water in the sink ended up sticking to the sides of the sink where I had to vigorously scrub them off. What's the point? Are all preshave oils like this?

[rick]

My limited experience with PreShave oils
allows me to offer you this advice:
1: Make sure your face is WET
2: Wet your fingers with water b4 dipping them in the oil
3: Use VERY little oil

Hope this helps :D

[msandoval858]

I've used the Art of Shaving and Truefitt & Hill oils.

The AoS one is a heavy oil, but with a little water cut in, it actually worked pretty well. I wasn't converted over to DE at the time though and was still using their recommended system with the M3 razor... so probably not a fair review there.

The T&H one is actually really nice. It has a very slick texture and is quite watery compared to others. Also has a nice citric aroma and lubricates really well. The downside is that it's $22 for 2 oz, so not really cost effective.

[qhsdoitall]

I stopped using preshave oils and went to glycerin. Worked better for me. I would love to try Castle & Forbes pre-shave but at $40-$50 a bottle it's insane.

[bearbeard]

I found that Pre-shave oil works best for me when I add it to my cream along with water.

Either that or I put it on for a touch and cut, without putting shaving cream on over it. I have dry skin and this seems to help with moisturizing as well.

I have only used the AOS pso's. can make a shave a lot more comfortable if needed.

[TraderJoe]

Last night I tried a sample of Anthony Logistics preshave oil. What a disaster! The stuff is thick and gooey, so it ended up sticking to my hands where it was difficult to remove. It didn't impart any appreciable benefit to my shave. The oil managed to stay on my face even through four passes. And the little bits of stubble that end up in the water in the sink ended up sticking to the sides of the sink where I had to vigorously scrub them off. What's the point? Are all preshave oils like this?

Most, if not all, of the preshave oil products out there contain one or more ingredients that frankly...don't belong in a preshave treatment.

Olive oil -> too heavy :confused:
Castor oil -> too heavy :confused:
Grapeseed oil -> has astringent properties :confused:
Meadowfoam oil -> rejuvenates/heals hair :confused:
tBHQ -> chemical/carcinogenic :confused:

I happen to find that a good preshave oil is very beneficial to my shaves, especially in the winter when my skin tends to be dry. No matter how much hot water I splash on my face, its still dry and can lead to a crappy shave. Using the "right" oil/oils can not only allow you to shave dry/sensitive skin, but it will allow for poor technique (bad angle) or a bum-blade.

-> Part of the trick to making a preshave work is in the application as well. Its best to have wetted your face, and pour/drip some of the oil into a wetted hand (key) as well. If your hand is not wet, the oil will absorb into your hand rather than your face. ;) I feel this step right here is part of the reason why most people scoff at preshave oils - they never get the full benefit of them because they end up with oiled hands instead of face.

I've actually "refined" my own recipe to the point that its more of a gel than an oil, but still has the positive qualities of an oil.

[PottyDoctor]

Most, if not all, of the preshave oil products out there contain one or more ingredients that frankly...don't belong in a preshave treatment.

Olive oil -> too heavy :confused:
Castor oil -> too heavy :confused:
Grapeseed oil -> has astringent properties :confused:
Meadowfoam oil -> rejuvenates/heals hair :confused:
tBHQ -> chemical/carcinogenic :confused:

I happen to find that a good preshave oil is very beneficial to my shaves, especially in the winter when my skin tends to be dry. No matter how much hot water I splash on my face, its still dry and can lead to a crappy shave. Using the "right" oil/oils can not only allow you to shave dry/sensitive skin, but it will allow for poor technique (bad angle) or a bum-blade.

-> Part of the trick to making a preshave work is in the application as well. Its best to have wetted your face, and pour/drip some of the oil into a wetted hand (key) as well. If your hand is not wet, the oil will absorb into your hand rather than your face. ;) I feel this step right here is part of the reason why most people scoff at preshave oils - they never get the full benefit of them because they end up with oiled hands instead of face.
I've actually "refined" my own recipe to the point that its more of a gel than an oil, but still has the positive qualities of an oil.


I guess you read my mail! I found a couple of pre-shave oils I kind of liked but after applying them...I could not hold onto the razor!

So, I gave up on all of them!

I thought Em's PreShave Oil was good and I also liked the Nancy Boy PreShave Oil.

[Mottern Man]

PSO actually HINDERS my shave :(

[crackstar]

PSO doesn't work for me either, Doc. In fact, it irritates my skin a little. :( :(

[Mottern Man]

PSO doesn't work for me either, Doc. In fact, it irritates my skin a little. :( :(

A few of them Really tore me up, BAD.

I also used regular Olive Oil, Glycerin, CHL, AOS, etc. and they did not do a single ting for me just gummed up my blade.

[PottyDoctor]

Some shavers claim that applying Hair Conditioner to the whiskers and allowing it to soak a few minutes works better than pre-shave oils. I've tried it and it did seem to soften the whiskers somewhat. I just never bothered to buy more conditioner when I ran out. Maybe I'll pickup another bottle...it would certainly be an inexpensive pre-shave.

I think the conditioner thing would be more suited to those who shower before they shave, as it could get messy applying conditioner at the sink. Then again, I've also read comments that some apply it directly onto the face and lather right over the top of it, however I cannot vouch for the efficiency of such an idea, since I've never tried it that way.

Something else to try! Never a dull moment in wetshaving! :D

[Mottern Man]

I can't do that either Ron :(

Conditioner always makes my beard tough (the ones I have tried anyway including the one Mark used in his famous off Broadway production of BEARD PREP! :rofl )

[peacefrog]

I've actually "refined" my own recipe to the point that its more of a gel than an oil, but still has the positive qualities of an oil.

Joe, you were talking a while back about marketing your concoction. Is that still in the works? I'd give your stuff a shot, but otherwise I think I'll give oils a pass from now on.

[SSLSTudio...]

Oh Wow !

Thanks guys for all the feed back im actually going to work on a new pre-shave oil . going to be called BSO if it passes the tests.

This helps me alot , Oil is something evil you dont want too much in a pre shave oil im not even talking about the clogged pores risk.

Peacefrog you obviously have something similar that I have it calls itself a shaving oil aswell and its so thick im thinking I should perhaps throw it into my engine car and it will do miracles for my engine block instead ! :eek:
What I do is while I brush my teeth I will use it VERY Sparse with lots of water on the face and still its too thick...but starts to weaken the beard then I will take a shower and try to use shampoo on my face to get the oily part off.
I know exactly what happend to you ,happned to me aswell and the oil sticks to your sink like flies on shit... :eek:
These so called shaving oils proclaim to be used instead of lathering up your face well I havent found any shaving oil that can replace fresh lather.

Thanks TJ for the heads up on the evil in PSO I'll make sure we wont use that part. I havent used many shave oils only the Mr Cleancut lime/menthol one thats the engine oil one and PSO , I love PSO it just becomes slippery enough on the face to get rid of micro stubble and allways gives me a BBS result.

The T&H yellow bottle I have seen it and now I def. need to try it.

[fritz]

I don't know if you call it a pre-shave "oil" or not, but I have used Jason's Aloe Vera 84% as an "undercoat" prior to applying lather. It's mainly Aloe Vera, glycerin, sunflower seed and almond oil (plus the usual combination of other chemicals). I suspect the glycerin does the most good. In any case, the razor just glideeeeees over your skin.

[Smedley]

My experimenting with oils uses the following regime:

- wet face
- wet hands
- put 4-6 drops of oil on hands, rub across hands
- rub hands on face
- massage oil into whiskers
- wait maybe 30 seconds
- start the hot towels treatment

I don't want oil on my skin during the shave, and I am using the hot towels to help soak the oil into the pores, but also to try and gently wash off as much as possible.

I've only done this twice, so more time will be needed before I can honestly say whether it is helping.

[Mottern Man]

I don't know if you call it a pre-shave "oil" or not, but I have used Jason's Aloe Vera 84% as an "undercoat" prior to applying lather. It's mainly Aloe Vera, glycerin, sunflower seed and almond oil (plus the usual combination of other chemicals). I suspect the glycerin does the most good. In any case, the razor just glideeeeees over your skin.

I think what you are doing is making the skin soft and aid in healing when the save is going on, the glycerin is probably helping with slickness.

Either way A good Idea. :signs107

[DirtyDave]

I like to use some glycerin or olive oil soap before I put on the shave cream. Softens my beard very nicely and I aids in making the razor glide over the skin. It's also cheap.

[Mottern Man]

Welcome to TSD DAVE! ::

OO soap, as in you wash your face and not rinse off, then lather?

[Rufus]

Try using a little bit of Noxzema Original instead. After I've wet my face I apply a liitle bit of the cream to my face and lather right over it; as it's water soluable it's not a "gunky" as many oils are. I also use it as a post-shave after washing my face with cold water and before applying AS, ASB, etc.

[Exeter]

Last night I tried a sample of Anthony Logistics preshave oil. What a disaster! The stuff is thick and gooey, so it ended up sticking to my hands where it was difficult to remove. It didn't impart any appreciable benefit to my shave. The oil managed to stay on my face even through four passes. And the little bits of stubble that end up in the water in the sink ended up sticking to the sides of the sink where I had to vigorously scrub them off. What's the point? Are all preshave oils like this?

I had a very positive shaving experience just a few moments ago with the AL Pre-Shave oil. I've had it for quite a while as a part of the "Best Shave Pack" from AL and I had read some disparaging remarks on these forums about it, so I put it to the side for a while. Well, my face is very thin and my bony jawline and chin ALWAYS presents a problem when I'm trying to shave. WTG passes do not provide satisfactory closeness when shaving in these areas, as a proper angle for any type of pass is very difficult to attain. I often find myself slicing my skin open in these areas, and especially on my clefted chin. I always have tugging and sometimes some intense irritation on my neck area, but if I only do WTG passes, again, it looks like I haven't even shaved. The AL Pre-Shave oil allowed for great ease in making ATG and XTG passes on my neck and chin, especially just under my jawline. Not a bit of irritation resulted and while I did get one tiny nick from a pre-existing bump, it was almost flawless. BBS as well. It's practically a godsend for my neck, which I'm never happy with because its too sensitive for XTG or ATG passes without intense lubrication, and water alone doesn't do the job.

[JayKay]

Steve was nice enough to send me the AoS Lavender PSO a few weeks back. I was interested because I like lavender and wanted to try some other preshave. I like using the GFT Lime skin food but its amazingly expensive, and I'll just make my own with Lime EO when I have the chance. As for the AoS. I actually apply it in the shower. As soon as I get in I leave my face rinsing in the hot water for a couple minutes and than wash it with some Anthony Logistics non-foaming facial cleansor. After a nice wash and scrub, with my face all wet, I'll pour a little dribbing in the the palm of my hand and smear it all over my wet face. I leave it there for the rest of the shower and try my best not to rinse it off. Its pretty thick so it stays on rather well. I rewet my face with a splash in the sink and face lather. The shaves lately have been great. I'll have to try making my own skin food becaus all the pre-made shave oils tend to be a tad expensive.

[Exeter]

What are the ingredients in the AoS oil?

edit: day two of using the AL Pre-Shave Oil and the results are even better than the first. I did it like JayKay did with his AoS oil, and man, the extra lubrication has been just what I need to go ATG without any irritation. Finally getting real BBS shaves on my neck, chin, and jawline instead of just on my cheeks. I don't see how anyone could find the extra lubrication (it moves much quicker, I don't see how it "gummed up [your] blade" or caused any tugging) a detraction! Sure I guess it'd be different for everyone, but this has made shaving way better for me.

[JayKay]

I agree that it does make it much slicker when put on in the shower. As for doing an "oil pass" to finish my shave, it just dosnt work for me. I do wind up with some tugging and gunking when I just slap some oil on and try to do a pass. A+ for the shower pre shave and letting it sit though.

[VetsJetsnGuns]

TOTALLY disliked pre-shave oils.
did that olive oil treatment thing that worked ok, providing enough time and other preps are employed....
ABSOLUTELY settled on the Trumpers Skin Food as a pre shave. Hot towel, Hot towel, skin food, lather and shave. works good for me.

[crackstar]

The oil I tried was Somerset's. Yuck--not for me! :(

[ChargerFan]

Just finished up a sample of the GR pso. The stuff smells great. I usually apply, then stick a hot towel on for 30 sec. or so. then wipe off and prepare lather. The only other I had used previously was AOS, and I think that stuff stinks. I don't know if i'll spend the money on it again. Anyone compare TGR with say..t&H?

[Single Wedge]

I used one while I was in the disposable phase. I used it with no cream in the shower. It was wonderful. Lots of Menthol. I'll find a link an post it. I t did gum the blades but washing the blades helped that.

[smooth_n_slick]

I tried this product and I found it crappy, I would break out with zitz the next day, tried all 4 times had same problem...threw it in the trash.