Pre shave

Hey there,

The only preshave that I use is Proraso, I really enjoy the scent and the feel of it but I only use it once in a while. What kind do you use?

A cheapy alternative to preshave is old style Noxema with eucalyptus. It as least as good as Proraso (although has a scent requiring patience) but not as good as GD and others

I've been through a few, so far but I'm really still in the experiment phase. I've used Stirling menthol soap, Stirling post shave balm (as a Preshave), and now I'm playing around with CeraVe facial bar soap.

I guess the last is just a wash, but it's facial soap so I'd imagine it's going to (1) clean well, (2) not clog pores, and (3) moisturize the skin.

It's still experiment time, but I definitely feel some Preshave routine is a bonus for me.

A cheapy alternative to preshave is old style Noxema with eucalyptus.  It as least as good as Proraso (although has a scent requiring patience) but not as good as GD and others

Dan by any chance have you every tried the GD preshave after the shave? I was looking at the ingredients list and trying to figure out if it might work well for that.

It works quite well. Neck and neck for best performer as a preshave. Never tried it as a post shave but suspect it wouldn’t equal GD postshave products let alone the best

There are a lot of excellent products out there, depending on budget, of course. Among the best I've tried are GD, A&E Slick Stick, Ethos First Lather and SMN. There are others, too but the ones previously mentioned are my top picks. I also used GD Rejuvenating Serum as a preshave and it worked just fine, didn't provide ultra slickness, but the skin was conditioned and the whiskers softer than usual, which added protection and provided better postshave. It's worth a try.

Been using PAA cube 2.0

I've tried 4-5 different pre-shave products and to be honest haven't really noticed much of a difference in the final result and have found that I really don't care to use them. I have found for myself the best 'pre-shave' is a shower right before shaving and then using a good post shave product.

Fwiw, I ended up sticking with the Stirling post shave as a Preshave, too. I don't know that it does a lot for the shave, but it definitely hydrates and makes my skin softer? I also like the menthol start. It's gone by time its shave time, but it feels good as a beginning and an end of a shave. Also, I already have it on hand, so I am not juggling two products. Keeping it simple as can be.

If you're just looking for something that softens your skin to protect it from nicks, then a couple of drops of pre-shave or beard oil will do the trick. If you're looking for some sort of a lather boost, or something that's going to help hydrate the beard, then the Cube is a good option.