Pre-season routine. Over the top or not?

ajmw89

ajmw89

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188
Location
Sutton, Surrey
I usually shave in the evening. Mainly because I'd rather have the extra time in bed of a morning on a week day!

I generally shave every 2-3 days as my beard grows quite slowly.
Anyway, my usual pre-shave routine includes washing with a face wash for oily skin every time, and an exfoliating face wash every other time. After that I'll use a hot flannel and then put on a pre-shave oil. I let that sit for a couple of minutes and make up my lather. Once that's done, I'll hot towel again before I lather up and shave.

Question is, do I need to hot towel and oil? Is that a bit OTT? Sometimes I find I get a better shave with the oil, sometimes without and it doesn't seem to be blade or razor specific.

What are your pre shave routines?

Answers on the back of a postcard please!

Confused of South West London!
 
I wash with a good soap, rinse well and then lather up. I steam for three minutes after which I rinse well again before starting the shave.
I don't think this is over the top, just a requirement for a good shave. I think the right prep is crucial for a good shave. I usually shave in the evening too.
 
Just for a moment there I was absolutely convinced Bret Easton Ellis simply must be contributing to these threads ! Short answer, if what you do works for you and you enjoy it, just relax and go for it. I just wash with a glycerine based cleanser in lukewarm water, apply noxzema or myrsol emulsion if I feel the skin a bit tender, lather up, one wtg, one agt grain, rinse with lukewarm water with a dash of mal vinegar, pat dry & I'm good to go. Or, as Vinny (not Joe ) says, give the old heid a wobble and think, " You'll do. "

JohnnyO. o/
 
Sounds similar to my prep, minus the hot flannel and oil.

To be honest IMO prep is everything, if I go to the gym and shave, I'll spend 20 minutes in the steam room to soften my stubble and open my pores. This results in closer shaves in my case. However, at a cost. The shave has to be spot on in this case, enough cushion, slickness and good post shave or I get irritation /dry tight skin. No pressure whatsoever with the razor and a decent blade.

Try and figure out which products you need to use the pre shave oil with. Or if you just need to add extra water to the mix. Using a face wash pre shave is a good idea to clean out your pores and exfoliating every other day is also something I do.

So in essence if it works for you continue with your prep setup. If you find it minimal then try and adapt your technique/lather you may find it becomes equally as good.
 
Tried all the pre shave routines - hot towels, pre shave oils and creams.

Now it's just a shower, lather and 2 pass shave and I'm done. And I can't say my shave or skin is any worse than it was with the faff.
 
Greetings

My view on pre shave oils is that I suspect they probably work better with canned goo. My reasoning (which may be flawed) is that with canned goo you tend to just dab the stuff on in blobs and gently smooth it around your face; whereas with a brush and lather, especially if you are a face latherer you just emulsify the oil with the shaving soap and brush and in effect destroy it and I suspect most if not all of it's effect.

I would liken this to washing engine oil off your hands, you squirt on (or rub on in the case of bar soap) the soap and rub your hands together, the oil is broken down by the soap.

I have tried a whole shed load of different pre shave washes and a couple of oils and IMHO for me they don't seem to make any difference, my personal prep is I wash my face with a sponge the same as the rest of my body in the shower with shower gel and I have not found any more prep than this to add anything.

Having said all of this the wet shaving 'ritual' is full of mumbo jumbo, black arts and other nonsense that work only on the shavers mind and not his face and I am guilty of practising some of them!

regards
Dick.
 
You're overcomplicating and overexfoliating.

My routine: two or three drops of oil (currently argan but at some point I'll investigate rosehip and marula) that I rinse off in the shower using a muslin cloth.
 
Wet face with hot water, lather up, let it sit for a couple of mins, partially wash lather off, lather up again and 2 pass with touch up. I find rinsing the first lather off and re-lathering gives me a slicker shave.
 
I find rinsing the first lather off and re-lathering gives me a slicker shave.
Click to expand...

Same here

Gym, shower, oil, lather, 2 pass, Witch Hazel, moisturiser......cup of tea

I do prefer a pre-shave oil, but it's just me and good, bad or indifferent I enjoy. I also have this thing where I lather and shave one third of my face at a time and obviously repeat...otherwise I'd look a right daft bugger.
 
Hot shower involving a damn good scrub of the dial using a shower brush and a decent soap that gives a rich lubricating lather. The brush is much scrubbier than any shaving brush, but less harsh than any currently available body brush I've tried (been looking for a replacement since this one is 20-odd years old). After that, a cold rinse and liberal slap of glycerine – more to prevent dry skin than for any other reason.
 
I wash my face with glycerine soap, apply a hot flannel for a minute or so, rub on some Proraso pre-shave cream and lather-up. I envy those who can shave comfortably after nothing more than a splash of hot water on their face, but I'm not one of them. IMO, exfoliating is a bit excessive - the combination of a shaving brush followed by at least two passes of a razor blade is surely enough exfoliation as most of us need?
 
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