Friday, January 30, 2009

Shaving Oil

Shaving oil is by far the best of the methods of shaving. There are many kinds of shaving oil, and they all basically do the same thing. They provide a lubricant for the razor to glide more smoothly over the face; however, unlike most shaving creams, shaving oil provides much more lubrication. This results in a closer shave with less cuts and nicks.

I tried every cream and gel out there, and I found shaving oil to be the best. I have sensitive skin, so every time I shaved it resulted in nicks and painful razor burn. If you have to shave everyday, then the razor burn is an endless cycle. The burn has no time to heal so you are continuously irritating the razor burn. Shaving oil can eliminate this immediately and forever.

Shaving oil is also very economical. Most of the shave oils only require 3 or 4 drops to work properly. How can that be you ask? I know it sounds a little far fetched; however, think about how slick a drop of oil is rubbed between you fingers. Shaving oils work by wetting your face with warm water and then applying those 3 or 4 drops into the palm of your hand. You then work the shaving oil all over your face with your fingertips. Those 3 or 4 drops really do go a long way. You can learn how to Shave With Oil in this post. A bottle of shaving oil lasts forever because you can use so very little. That is why shaving oil is one of those must have shaving products. No shaving kit should be without some sort of oil.

There are many companies that sell shaving oil. Some of the better know firms are Pacific Shaving Company, King of Shaves, American Crew, Somerset, and Shave Secret to name a few. Most all of the oils contain the same type of ingredients. They will have some sort of base oil carrier and then they very the essential oils they add to make their product unique. So you probably can’t go wrong no matter what shaving oil you decide on.

There are plenty of homemade shaving oil recipes on the internet; however, I have never found one that comes close to the store bought varieties. I think the shaving oil companies just use better ingredients in their shave oils. If you have ever looked, you know that essential oils are very expensive, and it is usually not economical to make your own shaving oil. Shaving oil companies are able to buy in bulk and bring costs down. It is better to bite the bullet and purchase some. Remember, it is very cheap and lasts forever.

Try shave oil just once and you will never go back to creams or gels. They are less messy, and the cleanup is a breeze. Shaving oil will charge your shaving habits forever.

How to Shave With Shaving Oil

Shave oil can provide one of the closest shaves you have ever experienced. Not only does shaving oil produce a great shave, it is also one of the cheapest shaving products you will need. A few small drops go along way with this method of shaving.

First, you will need to prepare your skin for shaving. If time permits, you should wash your face with a good facial cleanser to remove dead skin cells and skin oil. Dead skin can cause friction to the blade and produce an inferior shave. Next, I like to place a hot towel on my face for one to two minutes. This opens your pores and softens the beard. It also stands the whiskers up allowing a smoother shave.

Next, you want to wet your face with hot water. Now apply 3 or 4 drops of your shaving oil to the palm of your hand. With the other hand, use your fingertips to rub the shaving oil over your entire beard. Then I like to wet the palm of my hand that I used to place the shaving oil in and rub it over my entire beard. This just uses the little bit of oil that is left on your hand. Finally, you want to re-wet your face with warm water. Now you are ready to shave.

When shaving, I also like to prepare my razor similarly to my skin. I like to hold the razor under hot running water for a minute or so. I have read that this will make the blade a little sharper. I don’t know if this is true or not, but it seems like my shaves are closer when I do.

Now just shave as normal. If you need to go back over a place, don’t add more shaving oil. All you have to do is add a little more water to the area and wet your blade. I told you it is economical. When you are done shaving there is no need to wash your face again. Shave oil contains essential oils that are really beneficial to the skin, so you can just wipe your face off with a towel. If you are not using shaving oil for your daily shave, then you are really missing out.