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Shaving oils are well-kept shaving accessories secret. Not many know about them and even fewer use them. However for those few, their trusted shaving oil is a critical component allowing them to achieve a complete, comfortable shave.
Oils are massaged into the face prior to the lathering and the shave. Their primary functions are three: to help soften the beard, protect the face and lubricate the shaving action. They accomplish these goals by providing an extra layer of skin protection keeping the active ingredients in shaving creams, soaps and gels, designed to soften your facial hair, from being too harsh. Using shaving oil provides protection from razor burn by allowing blades to run over your skin more smoothly, and thereby preventing irritation to areas like dry patches and bumps. The principal components of oils also provide conditioning properties that are absorbed by and soften the whiskers.
At a very basic level shaving oils are simply oils with a touch of glycerin added. But they can expand well beyond that, as a quick review of the wide array of product currently on the market will attest. If you’re simply interested in the face protection and lubrication benefits, literally any old oil will do. Baby oil, Olive oil or even vegetable oil will give you adequate protection. If you’re looking for a bit more, and the idea of eating what you shave with puts you off a bit, then we need to dig a little deeper. Most if not all shaving oils are composed of three elements. The first is what’s called a “carrying oil”. The second is one or more essential oils and the final component is glycerin. The “carrying oil” is just that, a vehicle that carries the other ingredients. Different manufactures employ different ones. Some examples are almond oil, coconut oil, palm oil and jojoba oil. Too this are added the essentials oils, a highly concentrated extract of the source material, usually a plant of some sort. The list here is virtually endless. Three of the most common are sandalwood, lavender and orange. Many of the essential oils do possess some conditioning properties in addition to their pleasant and/or invigoration aromas. The final ingredient, glycerin, is really the work horse in shaving oils. It lubricates and moisturizes by actually drawing moisture up from and attracting it to the skin. Plus it slows the rate of water evaporation.
There are a wide array of shaving oils on the market. I took a look on Amazon and found that the top three selling brands in the category were “All Natural Shaving Oil” followed by “The Art of Shaving Pre-shave Oil” and “The King of Shaves for Men Kinexium Shaving Oil”. Prices on these three range from $7 to $22.
If you have dry skin or frequently suffer from razor burn, do yourself a favor and try one of these shaving accessories out and see if it doesn’t give you a better more comfortable shave.
Tags: glycerin, shaving, Shaving Accessories, Shaving Cream, shaving oils, shaving soap