Discussion: Pre and Post Shave Products Masking Poor Quality Soaps?

I used a pre-shave for quite some time, then it occurred to me that I shouldn't need to. Am I right? Are quality pre-shave products purely masking poor quality soaps?

Same for post shave. I typically use Thayer's and maybe an AS (mainly for the scent), but am I missing out on the post shave from some of these soaps?

I abandoned pre-shave products long ago. I don't think they are necessary. I can't name 5 "bad" soaps. 99.9% of all soaps on the market will get the job done. Heck, I can get a close shave with Dove soap.
In the end, if you are happy with your shave using these products, that's all that matters.

I abandoned pre-shave products long ago. I don't think they are necessary. I can't name 5 "bad" soaps. 99.9% of all soaps on the market will get the job done. Heck, I can get a close shave with Dove soap.
In the end, if you are happy with your shave using these products, that's all that matters.

+1

I used a pre-shave for quite some time, then it occurred to me that I shouldn't need to. Am I right? Are quality pre-shave products purely masking poor quality soaps?

Same for post shave. I typically use Thayer's and maybe an AS (mainly for the scent), but am I missing out on the post shave from some of these soaps?

IMO, pre shaves are completely unnecessary in today’s current market. Can using a $20 preshave better your experience? It’s debatable. Will buying a better quality soap improve your experience? Absolutely.

I do use a pre-shave and find that it does help, no matter what soap I am using.

I have never used a pre-shave product. It seems like a needless expense.
I sort of assumed that it's for people who don't have the time and/or patience to take a long hot shower, or do a hot towel wrap.
Since I shave in the evening, I have all the time in the world to take a prep shower.
It works for me no matter what soap I use.

 If a pre-shave product works so well, why don't they just put it in the soap?

Heck, I can get a close shave with Dove soap.

+1
BUT, after a couple of days of this "treatment" my skin is on fire.
 

I own and use virtually every accessory.
It all depends on the soap.

For me with skin problems, learning which synergies are the best has been a blessing.
But also and above all which soaps work best on my skin.

In theory, the better the soap, the less need for accessories.
But this is only true when there are no dermatological diseases.
For those who like me have it, it is not obvious.

In general, soaps that objectively do not perform the mechanical action correctly are rare.
The discourse on the conditioning abilities of the skin is quite different.
Besides being absolutely subjective.

Returning to the original question of the topic, my answer is yes.
Obviously, every accessory changes the result.
If well coordinated, all products work in synergy.
So the result will be greater than the sum of the parts.

A lot of people chose an inexpensive soap and then have to add pre-shave an post-shave products to compensate for properties lacking in their soap. My preference is to use a soap that is so good that that I do not need the extras. There are some wonderful pre-shave products and wonderful post-shave serums on the market, but there are also some wonderful soaps that work quite will without them.

I abandoned pre-shave products long ago. I don't think they are necessary. I can't name 5 "bad" soaps. 99.9% of all soaps on the market will get the job done. Heck, I can get a close shave with Dove soap.
In the end, if you are happy with your shave using these products, that's all that matters.

Sorry to burst the bubbles in your lather, but Dove is more of a detergent than a soap. It is labeled as a moisturizing beauty bar. The ingredients are: Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Tallowate Or Sodium Palmitate, Lauric Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Water, Sodium Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoate Or Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium Edta, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Maltol, Titanium Dioxide

The beauty bar does contain sodium tallowate or sodium palmitate and sodium cocoate or sodium palm kernelate, which are soaps, but the primary ingredient is sodium lauroyl Isethionate which is a detergent. One thing that bothers me about the ingredient list is that it is not fixed. The soaps in the formula can be either from tallow or palmitic acid and cocoa butter or palm kernal oil. Thus, there can be different versions of the product depending upon whichever fats are available at the time of manufacture. If you purchase a Dove beauty bar, you are buying a Dove "mystery" bar as you can never be certain what is in your product. 

I have shaved with Yardley of London Moisturizing bath bar with cocoa butter. The ingredients are:  Sodium Tallowate, Water (Aqua), Sodium Cocoate, Glycerin, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa), Seed Butter, Fragrance (Parfum), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Tocopheryl (Vitamin E), Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Iron Oxides, Yellow 5, Red 33.

The Yardley is a soap, not a detergent. It is primarily tallow based and contains other soaps and other skin-friendly fats such as cocoa butter and Shea not butter and Vitamin E. 
I have found that Yardley bath bar performs better than about a dozen soaps in my collection. Some of these shaving soaps are inexpensive. However, a few of these soaps are sold at a price point that implies they should perform far better than than a bath soap, yet they do not. 

If I use soaps that fall below Yardley in my evaluation, I do need to use either pre-shav and post-shave products to compensate for their inadequacies.

I abandoned pre-shave products long ago. I don't think they are necessary. I can't name 5 "bad" soaps. 99.9% of all soaps on the market will get the job done. Heck, I can get a close shave with Dove soap.
In the end, if you are happy with your shave using these products, that's all that matters.

Sorry to burst the bubbles in your lather, but Dove is more of a detergent than a soap. It is labeled as a moisturizing beauty bar. The ingredients are: Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Tallowate Or Sodium Palmitate, Lauric Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Water, Sodium Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoate Or Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium Edta, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Maltol, Titanium Dioxide

The beauty bar does contain sodium tallowate or sodium palmitate and sodium cocoate or sodium palm kernelate, which are soaps, but the primary ingredient is sodium lauroyl Isethionate which is a detergent. One thing that bothers me about the ingredient list is that it is not fixed. The soaps in the formula can be either from tallow or palmitic acid and cocoa butter or palm kernal oil. Thus, there can be different versions of the product depending upon whichever fats are available at the time of manufacture. If you purchase a Dove beauty bar, you are buying a Dove "mystery" bar as you can never be certain what is in your product. 

I have shaved with Yardley of London Moisturizing bath bar with cocoa butter. The ingredients are:  Sodium Tallowate, Water (Aqua), Sodium Cocoate, Glycerin, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa), Seed Butter, Fragrance (Parfum), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Tocopheryl (Vitamin E), Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Iron Oxides, Yellow 5, Red 33.

The Yardley is a soap, not a detergent. It is primarily tallow based and contains other soaps and other skin-friendly fats such as cocoa butter and Shea not butter and Vitamin E. 
I have found that Yardley bath bar performs better than about a dozen soaps in my collection. Some of these shaving soaps are inexpensive. However, a few of these soaps are sold at a price point that implies they should perform far better than than a bath soap, yet they do not. 

If I use soaps that fall below Yardley in my evaluation, I do need to use either pre-shav and post-shave products to compensate for their inadequacies.

Do I really have to explain sarcasm?