Less prep?

[JonnyBGood]

Has anybody else found that less pre shave prep is more?

I’d normally shower, pre shave cream, hot towels, bloom water, more hot towels, pre shave cream - in various combinations trying to find the best possible pre shave ritual for my face.

Recently I was forced Into having to shave on the fly with little chance of any real pre shave routine so I simply rinsed my face with hot water, applied a hot wet towel for about 30 seconds, rubbed my bloom water on and set about shaving.

Expecting poor results, a dodgy post shave feel and a rush job getting done I feared the worst!

Well the result was outstanding - I only had time to do 2 passes - wtg and atg - and a wee touch up around my neck - but it felt great afterwards and absolutely no need for any post shave care at all. No irritation nothing at all to suggest it was a mistake.

Think I might have been wasting so much effort unnecessarily prepping my face because it certainly feels like less is more for me!

Anyone else experience this?

Oh and Happy Xmas everyone - hope you’ve all had a merry old time!!

 

[Chris]

No, but only because I’ve never gone in for that much pre-shave faff. Shower / face wash and have at it.

My routine: Shower, face lather, shave, rinse, done.

Some of you chaps could complicate putting on a hat.

 

[Thomas]

Oh my side it has always been shower, bloom water and shave, so pretty basic.

For the last few shaves I’ve applied Aloe Verra gel before the bloom water and I felt like it added a tad more glide, at least to the first pass so I might add this one step to my routine.

Cheers

 

[culcreuch]

I probably don't need to use a pre shave cream. A face wash with a glycerine soap (a recent introduction) may be adequate now on its own. I do notice a change for the worse if I use nothing.

 

[R181]

Never used to do a pre shave routine till I joined some shaving forums. Tried it and thought it was a waste of my time. I reverted back to my decades old routine of waking up and stumbling into the bathroom, splashing my face with water, face lathering and shaving. The only change was switching to cold water. Post shave it is rinse face, apply alum, rinse face again and apply aftershave. I do leisurely 4 pass shaves.

Bob

 

[Deleted member 1881]

If I use hot water my skin gets really sensitive and prine to razor burn.
So I just rinse with warm water apply or not pre shave, and start lathering.

But if I spend more time on face lathering, it helps me soften the beard better.

 

[Dr Watson]

Like Bob above i'm an advocate of the cold water no prep shave, occasionally I'll rub the soaps bloom water into my stubble but forget most of the time. All these hot towels and stuff just make my face puffy and irritated, a crap shave always follows.

 

[JayGee]

I've kinda found the same thing this holiday, staying with the outlaws & unable to hog the bathroom as I can at home.
I've taken to using a sainsburys tea tree bar & a warm flannel as prep, cold water splash, face lather & go, does the job marvellously.

The sainsburys tea tree bars work really well as shampoo too.

 

[Deleted member 1881]

Like Bob above i'm an advocate of the cold water no prep shave, occasionally I'll rub the soaps bloom water into my stubble but forget most of the time. All these hot towels and stuff just make my face puffy and irritated, a crap shave always follows.

I have to add here that it doesn't matter if the beard is more days bigger, the cold or warm water works well for prep.

 

[MntnMan62]

I do use a pre-shave oil on my face. Besides that and showering before my shave, I don't do any other pre-shave prep. I don't bloom soaps. Even the hard ones. I just make sure the brush is sufficiently wet and spend at least about a minute to a minute and a half loading the brush for the hardest soaps. Usually a minute though. I've often thought about eliminating the pre-shave oil but when I have skipped this step, I feel the shave doesn't go as well, even though I can't say what exactly didn't go as well. So I'll admit the benefit to the pre-shave oil could be entirely psychological.

 

[JonnyBGood]

Well I did it again - no prep - warm water rinse, 30 seconds with a warm wet towel and straight into the shave - 3 pass - no irritation, burn, cuts and no need for any real post shave care other than a preference for a touch of splash

Definitely less is more for me!!

 

[Wayne]

No prep for me. I shave with cold water as I feel it keeps the face's natural oils in the skin better. I stopped blooming my soaps as well. These days I just swirl a damp brush on the puck then build the lather on my face and shave. My face usually feels great post shave.

 

[Holyzeus]

I warm the brush and razor, that’s it

 

[Deleted member 1881]

No prep for me. I shave with cold water as I feel it keeps the face's natural oils in the skin better. I stopped blooming my soaps as well. These days I just swirl a damp brush on the puck then build the lather on my face and shave. My face usually feels great post shave.

Any razor dragging when using cold water? I must try it..

 

[Burgundy]

It took me a year or two of faff before settling into the routine that works best for me.

I wash my face in the shower and face lather (cold water). That’s all the ‘prep’ I need.

Two passes, rinse between them, a touch-up around the chin, another rinse, clean everything away, apply balm, leave.