Real Shaving Co. Shave Oil
TEST STAGE:
- State: Out of the shower
- Razor: Gillette Fusion Proglide
- Blade: Gillette Fusion Proglide
- Pre-Shave: The Real Shaving Co. shave oil
- Shaving Cream: Proraso Sensitive shave foam
- After-Shave: Proraso Sensitive after-shave balm
I picked up a little bottle of the Real Shaving Co. shaving oil yesterday and was looking forward to see how an oil would be as a pre-shave option.
Up-front, the sensation is somewhat different on the face since this is an oil. No matter how good or light or tick it might be, you are still putting oil on your face. In many respect this is a completely different direction than anything else I have ever used on my face before. I can’t say that it is unpleasant or uncomfortable, but it does present a workability challenge as your fingers are oily as a result of the application. Scent wise, it is almost neutral but your nose will recognize it as a light oil. Think olive oil.
I then applied my Proraso sensitive shaving foam over top of the oil. Both products cohabitated without issues. Now onto the actual shaving. I will say that the blade certainly glided without any resistance and the process was quite comfortable. Perhaps , it even glided a tad better than usual.
Rinsing off the foam and oil combo took a bit more work than a simple wipe with a wet and warm face cloth. Most of the oil was removed by the blade during the shave but my skin still felt a tad oily and I could certainly still smell it. Keep in mind, the smell is very discreet. I can’t imagine that anyone else would have been able to smell it, but in my mind it was still odorant. Nevertheless, the skin felt clean enough to move onto the after-shave step. I applied the Proraso after-shave balm. Again, no adverse reaction or irritation between products.
To gauge the actual shave results or the difference between using a pre-shave oil or not…I can’t actually tell if there is a difference in the shave result. There is certainly a difference in the shaving experience as the oil offers an extra element of lubrification. In that sense the act of shaving is improved, but the end results is identical in my view. I would therefore say that this is an interesting addition to your shave regimen if you are currently finding the actual shave steps to not be offering you the necessary lube. In that aspect, adding an oil will help.
It has to be said; this is not a revolutionary product. It doesn’t have any cooling effect, or elements to raise your beard hair for a better shave. It’s a lubricant. So this will make sense to folks who find that their current shave solution is lacking in that area.
I want to make a note on the cost of this product. The Real Shaving company makes good quality products (in my opinion) and targets the common mortals. The bottle was some $7.50. There are other oil options out there that are easily triple that price and I have yet to test if there would be a reason to make that much of a dent in your budget for a middle-step-shaving product. My bottle was purchased at my local Shoppers Drug Mart / Pharmaprix.
My rating for this, where 5 is the best score: 3/5