pre-shave oil or pre-shave soap?

do you use one or the other or both? are they both supposed to do the same thing?

I use pre-shave oil, not pre-shave soap. I like that very thin bit of extra protection it offers though some think it is a waste.

I wash my face daily with Cerave hydrating cleanser which coincidentally has glycerin high in the ingredients list and since I always shower before I shave I guess that helps similar to other pre shave glycerin soaps. I have also found for me that a light pre shave oil does benefit my skin not in the area of slickness but as an added layer of protection. For the price I've settled on the Maggards house brand Unscented pre shave oil which has a nice combo of oils in it but is much thinner than AOS. And while you can make your own for cheap...you also have to buy more than you need to tinker with a recipe until you get it right. For around $7 the Maggard brand does fine and has lasted for a long time. 3-4 drops only per shave and my bottle has lasted for a long time. It doesn't seem to interfere either with my lather or with clogging my razor or sink.

When I use soap that lack the kind of slickness I look for, I wash my face with Mystic Water goat milk soap. I think it does a good job, but it may well be placebo effect.

Oils. About half the time I dispense with soap entirely as I find shave oil gets the job done.

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I always wash my face before shaving in order to remove any bad bacteria that I don't want introduced to my blood stream while shaving.

Most of the time I don't use shaving oil. When learning to wet shave, I used it and think it helped. Once I mastered wet shaving with a safety razor I stopped using it. Now, I'm learning to shave with a straight and am using it again.

Also, If I shower and can't shave immediately, I'll put oil on to keep the hair hydrated.

I do a pre-touchup oil.

Like many here, I'm in the habit of doing some touching up after rinsing off all the soap. Recently I've started slapping on some RazoRock shaving oil after rinsing & I've found it to help with the touch-up.

bumping this.

I'm going to experiment with a sample of pre-shave soap I have here. I think I only tried an actual pre-shave soap once and it burned me up good so I can't recall ever using one again...that soap was ach brito glyce lime soap.

does anyone else regularly use pre-shave soaps and if so, do you have any preferences? have you seen any benefits from it?

I often do this with my own oil. One or two passes on my head with shaving soap and a touch up pass with oil only I find takes care of stubborn stubble most effectively.

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Going back to the original post, pre-shave soap and pre-shave oil serve two different purposes.

I use my regular artisan soap as pre-shave soap. I think it is smart to wash my face before shaving to get rid bad bacteria and other things that I don't want getting into the micro cuts when shaving. As well, washing gets oil off my whiskers so they can absorb water and soften.

Pre-shave oil holds in the water that soaked into the whiskers during washing or bathing. The oil also softens the whiskers and provides additional glide during the first pass. It's so hot here in the summer that my showers are tepid. Because of this, my whiskers aren't prepped after the shower. I put pre-shave oil on and do other tasks, like putting on deoderant, while it does its magic. Then, when I shave its close, comfortable and easy.