What kind of pre-shave do you guys use/what do you do...

Kazaam · Post by **Kazaam** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 12:28 am

...for pre-shave?

I've heard a lot of people saying that they put some conditioner on their skin before they shave. Also I've seen some people use pre-shave oil, but a lot of people say it doesn't do anything for them. What do you guys like to do/use?

Zennmaster · Post by **Zennmaster** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 12:39 am

Suave or Alberto v05 conditioner in the shower, and then Noxema. Noxema again after the shave, with Body Shop Razor Relief.

That is all,

-Michael

AACJ · Post by **AACJ** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 12:39 am

Shower, use wash cloth and soap then rinse. Lather up....shave!

Very simple setup for me.

The Truthinator · Post by **The Truthinator** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 4:02 am

After having tried out some pre-shave oils, Musgo's lime soap and even the Coral Skinfood by Trumper's, I have come to the conclusion (a few months ago), that this whole pre-shave procedure is just a waste of time and money.

Here are my two cents:

Take a warm-to-hot shower, rinse your face with hot water and then lather it.
But most importantly, improve your technique and make sure you got the right tools.
Take me for example, after more than one and a half years of shaving with a DE-razor, I just recently found the perfect one for me (the Merkur Progress).

Big Ren · Post by **Big Ren** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 5:00 am

I use preshave products depending on how hydrated my skin is. In the winter, when my skin tends to get drier, I like to use a very small dab of Noxzema face cream. This serves as a skin conditioner, helping to prevent the minor nicks and cuts associated with dry skin. In the warmer months, I find that no preshave product is really necessary, but I still use a concoction of Proraso aftershave splash bolstered by some glycerin. I was tired of having the bottle of glycerin take up space in my medicine cabinet, so I poured the remaining contents into a half-full bottle of Dopobarba splash. Works for me.

Ren

jww · Post by **jww** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 6:42 am

I wash in the shower with The Body Shop seaweed deep-cleansing face wash and always let the warm water run all over my face for at least a minute or so at the end. Lately I have been using skin food as a pre-shave, and it's helped providing some added lubrication. I'd like to try some pre-shave oil one of these days as well.

mparker762 · Post by **mparker762** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 7:02 am

I used to have varying flavors of elaborate pre-shave routines, but nowadays the most I'll ever do is wash my face with a good olive oil soap. Usually I'll just splash on some water and lather up. But dry skin isn't really a problem here in Houston.

Aztecface · Post by **Aztecface** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:48 pm

I could do an entire thread on this but for now I'll keep it short. During warmer months i notice preshave oils do a lot of good but now during colder months... Prep, Proraso pre/post and several other concotions undergoing tedious testing are used. A few of them seem to to a lot of good. For now though, I'm in a testing phase.

prism · Post by **prism** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:21 pm

I like to use PREP. I smear a little over my beard before I make my lather. The combination of menthol, peppermint, and oil of wintergreen really cools my face off and sets it up very nicely for the lather. It also makes the first pass a lot smoother!

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:27 pm

There are different purposes - when you choose, try to be clear on what you want.

Skin protection - often something greasy and sticky

Beard softening - often a detergent or soap product

Some products offer a bit of both.

Leisureguy · Post by **Leisureguy** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:54 pm

I live in a mild climate, so I don't have to worry about the effect of winter on the skin.

My pre-shave routine is to shower first---and when I shampoo, I also use a bit of the (conditioning) shampoo on my beard, then rinse.

At the sink, I was the beard well with Musgo Real Glyce Lime Oil soap, a soap specifically for pre-shaving. I scrub up a good lather, then rinse.

Then I build the lather on my beard and take my time (now, having learned my lesson) brushing it, adding a driblet of water as needed to get a wet, dense lather, then brushing it some more, into and over the beard.

Finally, I begin to shave and, of course, re-lather before each pass.

jAk440 · Post by **jAk440** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 2:06 pm

prism wrote:I like to use PREP. I smear a little over my beard before I make my lather. The combination of menthol, peppermint, and oil of wintergreen really cools my face off and sets it up very nicely for the lather. It also makes the first pass a lot smoother!

I've never seen or heard of this stuff. Probably somewhat similar to Proraso Pre/Post. Where do you get it?

prism · Post by **prism** » Mon Oct 08, 2007 2:44 pm

Hi Jordan, I've never used the Proraso pre/post, so i cannot compare the two. PREP has been around for a long time (1929,) and only recently did I get around to trying it. I really like it, it goes especially well with mentholated creams and soaps. I buy PREP at http://www.razorandbrush.com/barberiaaftsha.html

jAk440 · Post by **jAk440** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 5:49 pm

Vic -- The Proraso Pre/Post stuff is $4 less than Prep (at least from Giovanni) for the same amount. You might want to give it a try. It's very good, and certainly fits your preference for mentholated stuff.

Mottern Man · Post by **Mottern Man** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:58 pm

Noxzema Face wash, hot towl.

All the fancy pre-shaves do nothing for me.

Beckham23 · Post by **Beckham23** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 7:01 pm

I to like the proraso pre shave. The cooling and conditioning effect makes it a better shave. I have tried oils, soaps and etc but keep coming back to proraso. Give it a try.

AZwildcat · Post by **AZwildcat** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 7:03 pm

I don't use a preshave, and I definitely do not wash my face before shaving.

drumana · Post by **drumana** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 7:47 pm

. . . simple set up for me:

I shower and wash my face with Cetaphyl then go to the sink, lather up and get to shavin'!

prism · Post by **prism** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 8:17 pm

jAk440 wrote:Vic -- The Proraso Pre/Post stuff is $4 less than Prep (at least from Giovanni) for the same amount. You might want to give it a try. It's very good, and certainly fits your preference for mentholated stuff.

I'm definitely going to try the Proraso pre-and-post Jordan! It's going to be a while though; I only got the PREP a couple of months ago and it's going to last a last a long time! I went with the PREP because I had always wanted to try it, but never did. There was always something else to buy first, and I figured it would always be available. Boy, was I wrong. It started disappearing about 3 years ago, and it did'nt take long before I was'nt able to find it anywhere. I made the same mistake with Coates. It was always on the list, but was pulled before I got to it. Damn shame, I'd have loved to try the Lavender and the Lime. Maybe someday..........

innotivity · Post by **innotivity** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 10:50 pm

Proraso because I like the menthol. I shower then use it. I also tried conditioner with good results. But I'm too cheap to blow a buck on a bottle of conditioner when I can get proraso for ten.

Yes, I tried that on the little woman but couldn't slip it past the defenses. You have to try....

db