I got an email from a PR group the other day extolling the virtues of a reformulated pre-shave oil from eShave. I admit I’m not a huge fan of pre-shave oils but they can have their place and the email piqued my interest so I got a bottle to try.
eShave Pre-Shave Oil
The eShave web page describes their pre-shave oil as:
“…[O]ur first paraben free and peanut free oil. it is renown around the world as an effective light weight oil and is the first step to efficiently prepare your skin for shaving.
- Protect your skin by creating a layer of oil over the skin
- Coat and soften your hair to allow the razor to glide easily
- Relieve shaving irritation by avoiding the direct contact between the skin and the blade
- Eliminate dryness by moisturizing while preparing skin for shaving”
It’s available in 4 scents: Orange Sandalwood, Verbena Lime and White Tea (for all skin types); and Cucumber for sensitive-to-normal skin.
I’m actually a fan of their White Tea shaving cream (I really like the scent and the cream performs really well for me) so I got the pre-shave oil in that scent too.
But what’s the reformulation?
NEW Ingredients: Cottonseed Oil (Gossypium Herbaceum Seed Oil), Sweet Almond Oil (Prunus amygdalus dulcis), Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), Safflower Oil (Carthamus tinctorius), Grape Seed Oil (Vitis vinifera), Fragrance (parfum), phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglicerin, Vitamin E (Tocopherol), Vitamin A (Retinol palmitate), Limonene, Linalool, Benzyl Benzoate.
Checking with archive.org‘s “Wayback Machine” I found an older web page and looked up the ingredient list:
OLD Ingredients: Peanut Oil (Arachis Hypogaea), Sweet Almond Oil (Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis), Castor Oil (Ricinus Communis), Safflower Oil (Carthamus Tinctorius), Grape Seed Oil (Vitis Vinifera), Essential Oils, Vitamin E (Tocopherol), Vitamin A (Retinol Palmitate), Limonene, Linalool, Benzyl Benzoate
So, mainly, they’ve gone from a peanut oil base to a cottonseed oil base. I guess that’s good news if you have a peanut allergy! It also looks like they moved from using essential oils to “parfum” fragrances. And assuming white tea (Camellia sinensis) was part of the “essential oils” mix, I think they may have mooted it’s benefits by transitioning to a “parfum” fragrance.
Interestingly, I don’t see a paraben ingredient listed in the old formula. Maybe it was part of another ingredient.
How Does It Perform?
But how well does eShave’s pre-shave oil work? As I mentioned earlier, I’m not a big fan of pre-shave oils generally–I think if you properly prepare the area to be shaved beforehand, and use a good quality shaving product, a pre-shave oil may not be necessary. But if you need to occasionally “cut corners” on your shave routine a pre-shave oil can help.
eShave’s pre-shave did it’s job: it added a little more lubrication to the shaving lather and didn’t clog up my razor. It’s lubrication benefits varied depending on the quality of the shave lather I was using: I noticed a bigger difference with a brushless lather and less of a difference with a traditional lather. But in all cases there was a better lubrication quality. The white tea scent was quite noticeable and pleasant to me (YMMV).
eShave’s pre-shave oil can also be sued as a beard and/or skin moisturizer as well.
So if you use pre-shave oils, eShave’s product is certainly worth your consideration.
Have you tried eShave products? What do you think of them? Leave a comment below!
Hmmm, I’m not sure with pre-shave oils either. Is it that the guys that don’t have sensitive skin saying you don’t need to use it and then the guys that do have sensitive skin say, they couldn’t live without it.
I guess if it works for you, it works for you…lol
I meant Somersets, not Simpson shave oil. My bad.
I have not tried the Eshave oil, but have tried samples of the AOS oil and agree with others here that it is quite nice. I’m currently using Simpsons, which is a nice vegetable based oil, and have even tried a shave with only the only (no soap), as they advertise you can do. It worked OK, but I find it better paired with a good soap, albeit a little sticky. I’ve also used regular Argan oil and added a drop of essential oil, and am wondering why couldn’t you even use a food grade coconut oil?? I have some Traders Joe’s coconut oil that I will try out. Maybe the sharpologist will accept a review from me;). All joking aside, I get better shaves when I use shave oil, especially on my neck area that is prone to razor burn even with the smoothest of blades and best tallow soaps. It makes for a much more comfortable shave IMO. Too many reviewers are down on the oils. I like them and will continue to use them. Great review Mantic.
Steve, I would absolutely encourage you to write an article!
I’m really disappointed that you seem to support PAA. Can you say otherwise!
I don’t see any reference to PAA in this post. Are you commenting on another post, by mistake?
In the old formulation, I found the eShave preshave oil to be a solid, but rather run-of-the-mill, product. In other words, fine but nothing particular special. I haven’t tried the new formulation.
AOS preshave oil remains at the top of the heap of the oils I’ve tried. Sommersets is pretty good, too. Another I have yet to try, but hear good things about, is Truefitt & Hill.
Razorock Pre Barba is slightly different than a tradition preshave oil, but is really a terrific product, IMO. I will have to do a direct comparison between the AOS and Razorock products, one day.
I understand that some do not see any real benefit from a preshave oil (or cream). But rest assured, for some of us who find a benefit, it has nothing to do with “cutting corners”. For me, it is an essential step in getting my best, and most comfortable shave. The oil helps boost the cushion, and slickness, of every cream/soap I’ve used. It softens and help condition the skin and beard. And, if used properly, the oil helps trap moisture in the skin, throughout the shave. Until I started using preshave oil regularly, I suffered from ingrown hairs. No more, though.
To me, “cutting corners” would be skipping the preshave oil.
If you like AOS you will probably be very disappointed in the T&H. It’s very thin and watery compared to the AOS.
Brian, have you tried Village Barber oil or Pacific Shaving oil?
I have used Pacific, but it’s been a few years. I think I found it a bit thin, but acceptable, with a bit too much menthol for my tastes. My memory is a bit iffy on this, though.
Frenchy, thanks for the T&F tip. At that price I’d prefer to be sure before pulling the trigger.
Interested in the White Tea Cream. Does it lather with a brush or is it a Cremo like product?
It’s a lathering cream.
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