Thread: Baby oil as preshave?

I love using preshave oil because it makes the my skin feel much better before and after the shave but I find the prices to be ridiculous. That stuff can't be that expensive to mix up and then resell to us at $2048/gallon (Truefitt & Hill). I was thinking that good old fashioned baby oil should do the trick. Whats your input on this? Anyone using babyoil as preshave?

Hi.
I'm no expert in this, but I have used it several times.
For me, it does excactly what I'm looking for.
A smoother ride for the razor and a softer beard.
YMMV

Personally, though I tried several oils when I first started wet shaving they didn't do anything for me. However if I was going to use one I would think any light oil should do the trick. As long as it washes off easily and doesn't gunk up your brush it should be fine.

I don't understand how the brush gets affected by the oil. I mean, you'd have to be applying a lot of oil to really affect the brush. A little goes along way with the stuff.

Be careful to get the unscented stuff!

I thought I had, and then I ended up reeking of baby for the rest of the day. Unpleasant, that was.

The only thing with baby oil is: That old joke, What do they make baby oil from? Hard to shave while laughing.

Originally Posted by dudewithnofood

I love using preshave oil because it makes the my skin feel much better before and after the shave but I find the prices to be ridiculous. That stuff can't be that expensive to mix up and then resell to us at $2048/gallon (Truefitt & Hill). I was thinking that good old fashioned baby oil should do the trick. Whats your input on this? Anyone using babyoil as preshave?

Hello, dudewithnofood:

I have never used baby oil as a pre-shave, but I assume it would work, since it is a lubricant. Obviously, you don't want to overdo it. Use a tiny bit, a couple drops, maybe. Too much of that stuff will kill the lather, the shave, and possibly the brush over a period of time.

Regards,
Obie

Just plain castor oil might work better, and better for your skin too.

Just recently i thought to try preshave oil.... went to rite aid and they had "One Planet" 100% natural shave oil $3 1/2 off, so i only cost me like $1.50.... Ingredients are as listed: sunflower seed oil, grape seed oil, castor seed oil, aloe leaf juice, tea tree leaf oil, peppermint oil, spearmint leaf oil, thyme oil, lavender oil, eucalyptus leaf oil, grapefruit peel oil, olive oil, and menthol.

I tried baby/mineral oil just to compare it to. Baby oil feels heavier and doesn't get as close of a shave imho. Plus the store shaving oil smells much better. The only positive thing i can say about using the shave oil is that my skin doesn't dry out as bad as before. The down side was my de and shavette constantly gets clogged. I simply just wipe my blade between every pass. Imo it's not really worth buying store stuff. I believe most people on here make their own or simply use olive oil... yes, the same stuff in your kitchen.

I now use Baby Oil as a pre shave almost every day now. I learned a pre shave routine from this guy, Capt. Frank, and B.O. is the finishing step in the pre shave. It goes like this;

Put antiseptic soap on brush and apply to face. Put a small amount of Hand cream (Oil of O'lay or similar) and work it into face well. He also says you can use a dab of toothpaste, your choice, at this time. Then put some Baby Oil over all this. I then use a hot towel for about 20 seconds, being careful not to wipe everything off. And go from there.

I haven't used the toothpaste, just can't seem to see the benefit to it. But I do the rest almost every day, and my face is in great shape after I'm done!

Don't laugh, it works!