Thread: Shaving oil - Can it be used to prevent rust on straights?

I know that occasionally you should put some oil on your razors to prevent rust and keep them in good shape. As I am new to this, I'm loathe to spend more on razor oil and shipping and whatnot. I was cleaning out my bathroom drawers today and found a small bottle of shaving oil. I got it at shoppers and it apparently can be used instead of shaving cream. Anyways, I don't use it and the ingredients have some oil, other stuff and menthol. Would I be able to use it on my straights to prevent rust or will these kinds of oils cause damage?

Thanks

I use baby oil. It's cheap, it protects the blade and it works as a preshave oil.

I would not use preshave oil. No telling what it may do longterm. I'd use something plain and stable.

Originally Posted by MattCastle

I know that occasionally you should put some oil on your razors to prevent rust and keep them in good shape.

Hmmm. Occasionally? I don't know what your area's typical humidity is, but I'd say it's far more prudent to make a habit of applying a very light application of the plain and stable oil to the razor's edge every time you put the razor away. I have a little dropper bottle (squeeze dropper built into the screw cap) of mineral oil, it will last me a loooong time. I use simple q-tips; each tip lasts many oil applications. Actually, because there is enough residual oil in the tip from using a single drop (which is a lot considering how little surface area there is to a typical razor's edge and bevel (+ a huge milimeter or three)) I don't use a drop more than a few times a month. It's easy if you've got the right equipment.

Originally Posted by MattCastle

As I am new to this, I'm loathe to spend more on razor oil and shipping and whatnot. I was cleaning out my bathroom drawers today and found a small bottle of shaving oil. I got it at shoppers and it apparently can be used instead of shaving cream. Anyways, I don't use it and the ingredients have some oil, other stuff and menthol. Would I be able to use it on my straights to prevent rust or will these kinds of oils cause damage?

Thanks

Your intuition is most likely correct. Oils with other ingredients can form a sort of "scaffold" or landscape that helps trap and keep undesirable moisture on the edge. Even if you thoroughly dry the razor's edge with humidity you can have the crap provide real estate for condensation to take up residence.

The same stuff I use on my cutting boards goes on my open razors.

Thanks for the advice everybody, I think I'll take the tips and see what I have laying around the house.

this is likely the only time you'll hear me saying "thankfully, I live and work in the Middle East" where the humidity rarely gets over 35% unless it's actually raining...so...I don't actually use any oil for my blades at this point...however, when I finish up out here and go back stateside (probably back to the South) I'd likely use a gun oil or maybe some baby oil unless someone chimes in with a better idea...which I'm of course open to...