The Original Pin
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| http://chicnsavvyreviews.net/tip-on-keeping-your-razors-lasting-longer-and-silky-smooth-skin |
This is not the only picture/pin with this information that I saw, but all the captions go something like this one: "Use Baby Oil to shave rather than shaving cream/gel: it will keep razor sharp longer, speed up shaving, and leave skin baby soft!" Some pins suggested regular baby oil, some suggested baby oil gel.
I decided that I'd test this out over a few weeks. My normal shaving "medium" is hair conditioner (I find I get fewer cuts, fewer ingrown hairs, and it makes my legs more smooth). So I decided I'd use baby oil and a new razor on my left leg, and the regular hair conditioner and a new razor on my right leg (new and separate razors so I could monitor the differences).
The Pinstrosity
I shaved my right leg with my conditioner first, and then went on to shave the left leg with the baby oil. The baby oil was a pain in the neck. The razor got gummed up so fast and, as it was now covered in oil, I had a hard time getting it "de-gunkified". But, I pushed on. Maybe it'd get better? Nope. It gunked up worse and worse every time. To boot, all the little cut hair pieces stuck to my leg and wouldn't wash off because the water just ran off the oil. It took forever to get the one leg shaved. And then, I had the worst razor burn ever, and after a day or so ingrown hairs (which I had to dig out with tweezers). Trial #1: Busted.
So, then I thought maybe shaving with the gel would make all the difference. Some of the pins said not to shave with oil, but to shave with the baby oil gel. So I decided it was worth it to try. Exact same results. Trial #2: Busted.
I thought I'd have to do this experiment over a few weeks to have any reportable results, but it only took one shave each for the regular baby oil and the baby oil gel to know that my conditioner routine was the one I'd be sticking with.
I did find one pin this morning though where the pinner said this: "Johnson's Baby Oil Gel, Shea & Cocoa Butter - just bought a bottle of this...for under $4 this is a steal! Great moisturization, fantastic scent, gentle to sensitive skin (if not "all natural") - I used it after shaving my legs and they're gleaming and not irritated like they get with some other lotions!". So perhaps people got confused with when to use it in their shaving routine. After. Use it after. Not during.
But, with that all said...Emilee has quite the different story to tell about shaving with baby oil. You can read about that here.
But, with that all said...Emilee has quite the different story to tell about shaving with baby oil. You can read about that here.
Odd. I switched from using hair conditioner to oil (coconut specifically) to shave my legs because it was so much better - yay for silky smooth legs! I guess I am lucky! Maybe it also depends on the brand of razor you use, that some will clog up differently? I dunno.
ReplyDeleteI used to use baby oil in college followed by baby lotion. I always had the softest legs after. I don't know if it kept my razor sharper longer but the results were good enough for me
ReplyDeleteOh, thanks for the information! I'm extremely unlucky with leg hair, it gets inflamed and ingrown even when it grows on its own, but shaving it turns my legs into open wounds (seriously, trousers all summer for me). It got a little better when I started shaving in the direction of growth and even better after I started using men's razors - specifically, Gillette Fusion. I guess they are designed to work in the hair direction? Maybe this helps you.
ReplyDeleteSo, when I saw where you were going with this post, I was screaming in my head (because I'm at work) "NO! Don't do it! It's a trap!" And then I giggled outloud thinking about what kind of trap would have baby oil as bait...
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I tried this once, worse week of my life. I had such irritated skin that I had to treat it like it was sunburned since most lotions just made my skin feel worse. Spread the word.
My husband gets terrible razor burn on his face and he uses a pre-shave oil, and I do the same for my legs when it's been awhile since I shaved them. A small amount of oil (just enough for a very thin coat on the skin), allow to absorb slightly, then use your regular shaving medium over that. The oil helps to further soften the hair and protect the skin, but I'm not sure if it does anything to keep blades sharp longer. The real key is that you need way less oil than you do anything else, in my experience.
ReplyDeleteI tried the baby oil method. I thought it worked great, but the next day I almost fell on my butt from the extra slippery oiled tub... :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you weren't hurt, but this made me laugh :)
DeleteUgh, I tried the whole baby oil gel thing, too, after seeing it on pinterest. Gunked up my razor blade, made everything feel all thick and gloppy. And I got a worse shave than I usually get with my Trader Joe's shaving cream. So I'm feeling your pain!!
ReplyDeleteI've used baby oil for shaving for a few months. it helps to exfoliate/scrub your legs BEFORE you shave, to cut down on the "gunk" I can't really say I've noticed an increase in ingrown hairs, since i've always gotten them no matter what i use. as for blades lasting longer, it would probably be better if i didn't wait so long between shaves (no one's seeing these legs but me anyway)
ReplyDeleteI make myself a coconut oil, olive oil, sugar, and cocoa skin scrub when I want to have skin smoother than a baby's butt. But you are right- it gunks the bejeezus out of your razors. I wash my skin with soap/body wash afterward I use the scrub and it still leaves my skin plenty moisturized. It still gunks up the razor, but considerably less. I noticed that if the razor has more space in between the blades then I have better luck. I've tried a Target generic 4 bladed razor against my usual Bic Soleil Bella 4 bladed razors and I *have* to use the name brand or else I can never rinse all the gunk out. Then again, I've tried a lot of other razors to try and save money cause the Bic ones can be expensive but nothing can even come close to the Bella ones. It's also super helpful when you can remove the razor head and rinse it under a stream of high pressure water. I don't know if it helps keep your razors sharper longer, but it would make sense. It's suggested that before gardeners put their sharp tools away for the winter that they should wipe them off with oil, so I'd imagine this is the same idea.
ReplyDeleteI also get the best results with conditioner, but have used oil a few times. But you can sharpen the blades by running it against denim in the opposite direction from shaving. Have to do that about 50 times, but it goes quick
ReplyDeleteI too hate shaving with Baby oil it not only gums up your razor and leaves you with all of that mess to clean up but it made the bottom of our shower slicker than snot. My husband was not a fan on the ice skating rink it turned the shower into. I must admit that every time I heard him sliding around and almost falling I would giggle as shouldn't he have topay a smallprice for beauty as well........
ReplyDeleteI really hate reading Pintrosities that do not follow key parts of the instructions. Why would you save first with conditioner than with oil? This of course isn't going to work or do anything other than leave your legs over-shaved.
ReplyDeleteOh! I went back and read what I wrote and saw how what I said could have been misconstrued into it sounding like I shaved twice, first with conditioner and then with baby oil. I fixed the wording. I first shaved my right leg with the conditioner, and then I shaved the left leg with baby oil. Each leg only got one shave with one shaving "medium". No two shaves here. That would definitely leave an over-shaved mess of razor burn and ingrown hairs. Ouch. I'm sorry for the confusion in my wording; I hope I got that updated to reflect what really went on.
DeleteYeegh. I tried shaving with baby oil. Once. Most gunked up razor ever, and shaving took HOURS! Ended up grabbing a tooth brush to try and scrub the crap out of the blades after every stroke.
ReplyDeleteNot sure it's exactly Pinstrosity worthy, but you guys should try shaving with glycerin soap. I've tried conditioner, lotion, white soap, shaving cream, everything, but dang, does glycerin soap make that razor glide. I just hold the bar in one hand and the razor in the other, and swipe one after the other whenever I need more soap. If anyone tries it out, I'd love to hear if it works for others, or if it's just me!
I think that the type of razor you're using might also be a factor. I've found that some razors get hair stuck in them worse than others. I've found that for me, Bic razors get gummed up and end up with stuck clumps of hair the most and venus razors stay the cleanest. I've never tried shaving with baby oil but I tried using coconut oil last week and it was incredible. Easily the best shave I've ever had. My legs were so smooth and soft after and I didn't cut myself or get any ingrown hairs. I only tried it once but I'll definitely be using this again in the future.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Amy on this one. Any time I've used Bic, I have issues. For regular use, I have a Venus razor and haven't had any problems (that I've noticed - I'll pay closer attention) with my razor getting "gummed up". I also think, before shaving with the oil, it might help to exfoliate your legs with a good scrub. ... What I've found to keep my legs the smoothest for the longest is, sugar scrub first (MAKE SURE you've got ALL the scrub washed off before using the razor!!!!), using oil to shave (I use a cheap olive oil), then, pat dry (after shower) and then more olive oil while my legs are still warm and sorta damp. I haven't had any issues with a slippery tub, but I don't use that much oil in the shower, either... My hands don't even get slippery. Maybe that's the key item? Good luck, if you decide to try it again. I know how frustrating it is to have something work for 1 person and not have it work for you... but try to think of it as getting a perm. Some people look GREAT with them. Others (me for instance) look like a poodle on a bad hair day!! :) It's a joy to read your blog!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
DeleteI tried the baby oil for a while and loved it, but it did not make my hair grow less or my legs softer. The only reason I stopped was because it made my razor slip out of the handle!! Everytime I went to shave the blade part would pop off! Now I had to buy a whole new razor!
ReplyDeleteI shave with coconut oil, best thing ever.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had read this before I bought baby oil and tried it out - I unfortunately had the same results as you!! I'm glad I'm not alone in this lol
ReplyDelete