Pre-shave oil: yay or nay? Also, some newbie questions.

[Wickeh]

Having tried both a preshave oil (Taylor's) and a shaving oil (Williams) I think I can give my view on it and add mine to this collection of opinions . I've bought the Williams shaving oil out of curiosity and it seemed very inexpensive, sadly the shave seemed to reflect that. The menthol in it gave an insane cooling effect during the entire shave (which was quite smooth) but my face burned like never before after I finished, for a few days as far as I recall it. The result was quite some ingrowns and razor burn to cope with while it hadn't even been that a close shave, with my Mach 3 (godawful times ). A horrible experience and I quickly threw it in the garbage.

About the Taylor's preshave oil, I bought this along with the hypo-allergenic cream they offer, and a Merkur HD to start out with. The shaving oil felt very weird for me, as if it had no effect at all and after trying shaves with/without it for a few weeks I can say that, for me, it actually does not make any difference. The shave is just as good without it. So, personally, I wouldn't buy it because you just lose a few bucks and a minute of your precious morning time.

Regards,
Geert

[GrantPark]

Absenteemessiah,

The product I prefer is plain old Nivea Face Cream in the blue tin - the same stuff your mother, grandmother and great grandmother have probably used. After washing my face with soap and warm water, I dab a small amount of the Nivea on my face before applying a shaving cream/soap by brush.
Ren

It happens that my girlfriend has a tin of this stuff. I tried it and I think it does work well. However, it's so thick that it's a bit difficult to spread around a just small amount of it. How exactly do you apply it?

[P4P GQ]

I know this topic is old, but I want to try the nivea idea. How exactly do you apply the cream. Wet face? dry face? Once on do you splash water on your face to keep it moist? Just kind of confused how/when to apply it.

[Grim Reaper]

Absenteemessiah,
Like most wetshaving enthusiasts I have tried various pre-shave applications in the quest for a better shave, from preshave oil to hair conditioner to aloe vera gel to other lotions and potions. While I don't believe preshave products make a noticeable difference in the softening of the whiskers, I believe they do help protect the skin from razor burn.

The product I prefer is plain old Nivea Face Cream in the blue tin - the same stuff your mother, grandmother and great grandmother have probably used. After washing my face with soap and warm water, I dab a small amount of the Nivea on my face before applying a shaving cream/soap by brush.

I believe razor burn tends to occur when we overwork the same area without a protective barrier. Even though we reapply the shaving lather in between "passes", we don't reapply shaving lather in between "strokes". Ah, there's the "rub". Since the Nivea is not water soluble, it remains on your face as a protective barrier after the shaving lather has been removed by the razor and by rinsing with water.

INMHO Nivea face cream rises head and shoulders above any other preshave product. Used sparingly, it will protect your skin, afford you a close shave and leave your skin feeling soft and moisturized.


Ren

Ren,
There are lots of nivea creams, do you think you could be so kind as to put a picture up of the one you are praising please mate.

[Grim Reaper]

Cheers Ren