Why I shave with olive oil
Posted by Chris Inch on Sept. 5th, 2007
Shaving is a fact of life for most. Both men and women have felt the need to chop off hair as close as possible to their skin for thousands of years. I am no exception. Seeing as I shave my face almost every day and realizing that there's millions of other things I would rather be doing at 7:00AM, I have made it my mission to find the best, most comfortable, fastest and generally most enjoyable method of shaving available. I have tried disposable razors, fancy razors with up to 6 blades, straight razors, shaving cream, shaving gel, shaving soap and for a period of time I even just gave up and let my beard grow. This has all changed now though, because I found olive oil.
It all started when I read an article called The Shaving Cream Racket that explains that shaving cream does more harm for your skin than good. In the article, it says that you should shave with baby oil or mineral oil instead of the foamy cream most people use. At the time, I wasn't ready to make the switch. I only had this one article and no real proof that shaving with oil was actually good for you.
A few months later, I was walking through the shaving section at the drug store, and I noticed that they were selling shaving oil in tiny little bottles. It was at this time that I realized that people must actually shave with oil and decided to give it a try. The instructions were pretty simple: "Wet face and hands. Put 4 or 5 drops of oil in your hands and rub into skin. Shave and admire." The ingredients were even simpler: A few natural oils, including sunflower oil and grapeseed oil, vitamin E and aloe vera. No olive oil though.
It was pretty weird at first, because I was used to lathering up my face and then shaving nice lines through the foam. Now, however, my face looked bare, and I was shaving through nothing. The feel of the shave is a bit more sticky although I'm sure there's a better way to describe that feeling. It has less glide than using shaving cream, but it is still smooth. I didn't find that it was any harder to shave with oil. Cleanup, however, was much easier. There were no globs of shaving cream on the counter or hidden behind my earlobe. I didn't have to wash my face all over again. I only wiped off a few hairs and I was good to go.
The little bottle of shaving oil lasted surprisingly long. A few months at least. During this time, I read another article which listed several interesting uses for olive oil. Number 21 in the list states "Soften your skin. Rub olive oil daily on notoriously dry areas, such as your feet or elbows, especially after a shower, shaving, or waxing."
I realize this doesn't directly state that you should shave with olive oil, but once my little bottle of shaving oil was done, I thought that I'd give it a try anyway. I poured a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a dish and used the little bottle to suck it up. I then had a small bottle of olive-shaving-oil ready for use. The shave is the same as if I was using the store-bought oil mixture, however, there are several advantages to using straight up EVOO.
- Cost. You're paying far less for a huge bottle of olive oil than if you were to buy the little shaving oil bottles which can cost between $5 and $10 each.
- Health benefits. Olive oil is well known to have many health benefits. Even Jeanne Calment who lived to 122 years of age claimed she rubbed olive oil into her skin which contributed to her longevity.
- Less oily than mineral oils. This goes against what the first article suggested. I have never tried shaving with baby oil or mineral oil, but probably never will.
In addition to the above, you're getting all the other benefits of shaving with an oil. It's faster, cleaner and leaves your skin feeling smoother. I don't use aftershave and I often purposefully leave the oil on my skin without rinsing when I'm done shaving.
I urge you to give it a shot. Have a hot shower, then while your face and hands are still wet, rub in 4 or 5 drops of extra virgin olive oil into your skin. Or, for women, try rubbing it on your legs. Then just shave it off using your favourite razor. Stick with it for a month or two and see how you feel. I think you'll agree that olive oil is better than what you're using now.
Comments
#2 Jeff commented on March 23rd, 2010 at 7:18 p.m.:
Great tip on the olive oil. Thanks.
Pre-shave? Naw. It's fine by itself. Free yourself from your metrosexual silliness.
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#4 Andre Lemieux commented on July 12th, 2010 at 10:26 a.m.:
I have been using shaving oil for the last fifteen year and cannot understand why it has not been adopted as the only way to shave. The benefits are so overwhelming.
#5 Date Girl commented on Aug. 2nd, 2010 at 11:36 a.m.:
I just tried this a few weeks ago and I was amazed by how smooth my skin was from just plain olive oil. Couple of issues I found were that it makes the bath tub extremely slippery-watch out! Also, my razor blades got really clogged up from the oil, so perhaps I was using too much. I think next time I do it, I'll shave outside the shower and then shower off when I'm done. Great article, glad I'm not the only one using EVOO for shaving! :-)
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#12 Erik commented on Sept. 28th, 2010 at 1:34 a.m.:
Just bought a straight razor, I haven't used anything to shave for years, but with the straight razor I'm going to try almond oil.
#13 Chris commented on Sept. 28th, 2010 at 8:54 p.m.:
Erik, what type of straight razor did you buy? Let me know how it goes with almond oil.
#14 cstcb commented on Oct. 3rd, 2010 at 3:31 a.m.:
I've been shaving with olive oil for about two years or so, and will never use shaving cream again. I've got very sensitive skin and since I started using olive oil, I haven't had one ingrown hair, pimple, cut or any irritation. I love it! It's amazing how smooth my face is after shaving.
#15 Chris DeArmitt commented on Oct. 12th, 2010 at 2:13 p.m.:
I agree that shaving oil is great. I tried King of Shaves then Baby Oil, olive oil, grape seed oil and so on. Eventually I found the perfect oil that out performs all of those and I just started marketing it this week.
I've just got the site up and fingers crossed for my first sale!
#16 IronHammer commented on Oct. 25th, 2010 at 1:44 p.m.:
Chris DeArmitt,
I am interested in your product. I am trying the few shaving oils that are on the market. What is your website?
#17 Head Shaving Ph.D commented on Nov. 29th, 2010 at 2:55 p.m.:
I've been shaving my head with x. virgin olive oil (5-6 drops) with the Proglide. Best combo IMO. I've used every commercial product out there and there simply is no better substitute.
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#20 Mr. Lee commented on Jan. 15th, 2011 at 6:26 p.m.:
I just started using Aura Cacia sweet almond oil for my skin right out the shower for my body. On a whim, I used it to shave my head instead of my usual shave stuff. Never going back. For the hair clogging up in a multi-blade razor, have a little cup of water and soap with you to dip into to remove the hair stuck to the oil stuck to the blade. I use Dr. Bonners castille soap. Works like a charm.
#21 ScottyW commented on Jan. 29th, 2011 at 3:11 p.m.:
Olive oil shave is the best I have had. I used to use it to shave the edges of my beard and especially goatee. Now even better for clean shave.. the downside is the hair clumping on the razor. I run a small sink of hot soApy water and rinse frequently -
#22 eymen kolus commented on Feb. 3rd, 2011 at 11:39 p.m.:
I ll give it a try :)
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#27 Daniel Warner commented on May 23rd, 2011 at 12:53 p.m.:
I tried this, on your advice, and OMG its amazing, I am never using shaving foam EVER again, and olive oil is so much cheaper than the stores available shaving products, I cant believe that this isn't more widely known about! I have a friend who is a dermatologist, I asked him what he thought about me using olive oil as a shaving product, he said that olive oil is full of good stuff for the skin and he can't see any reason it would be bad, he said he was going to try it, and now it's all he uses himself! .....thanks for this article, you set me free.
#28 cstcb commented on May 24th, 2011 at 4:28 a.m.:
I've been shaving with olive oil for over two years now. I will never, ever go back to shaving cream. My skin looks younger than it did before I started using it, it's much smoother and I'd rather have olive oil seeping into my skin that the crap that's in shaving cream. The lady who lived to be 122 was on to something.
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#30 Mario Cormier commented on June 13th, 2011 at 6:28 a.m.:
I've been using olive oil for three years now and it's working great. Saving lots of money and using a healthy product. Hey Christ I like your three word...Innovation, practicality and creativity.
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#31 Bonnie commented on Sept. 22nd, 2011 at 11:40 p.m.:
WOW this article was very intriguing, I will start shaving my legs with EVOO soon and see how it goes. I also read somewhere that you can just leave your razor in a cup of EVOO, and it'll help preserve it for a while longer. But this definitely sounds good. Can't wait to try it out!
#32 Michael Murray commented on Sept. 23rd, 2011 at 9:39 p.m.:
This answers all of my questions. Tomorrow I will try it.
#33 Michael Murray commented on Sept. 24th, 2011 at 9:46 a.m.:
Just finished shaving. My head was raw with razorburn from yesterday when I shaved with shaving soap. I applied olive oil to my head and face and magic happened. Gliding the razor over my skin was smooth and clean. No new razor burn. Even the burn from yesterday has subsided drastically. Skin is soft and smooth.
This is amazing. Thanks to all of you!
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#36 Mc commented on Oct. 20th, 2011 at 2:27 a.m.:
Great Article,
Do we have to apply olive oil and wait to soak the hairs for some time to shave, as it is very rough to work directly.
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#39 Mario Cormier commented on Nov. 11th, 2011 at 12:02 p.m.:
Love this stuff, I've been using EVOO for 2 years now and it's working very good and i'm saving lots of money....
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#44 JD commented on Nov. 29th, 2011 at 12:39 p.m.:
I started using the EVOO to shave my head and face about a month ago, and I absolutely LOVE the results. No razor burn or minor cuts, it's quick, and cost effective. But, by far, the best aspect of using the EVOO is the lack of shine on the surface of my head and face. Everyone's skin is different, so I can't speak for everyone. My skin used to be very shiny and oily and I could never find a product to "dull" it down. Voila, EVOO!! Shiny upon application, but once it absorbs, I have a smooth, healthy, and dull finish. Never would have though to add oil to lessen my shean. Inch, you are da'man!! Thanks boss!
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#1 michael nilsen commented on Dec. 3rd, 2007 at 3:44 a.m.:
Olive oil is a good idea, but it should be used as a pre-shave. straight up olive oil probably doesn't do the job 100% for someone with sensitive skin. I would recommend using the olive oil as a primer, then putting a small bit of shave cream on top of it (good shaving cream: art of shaving, anthony, zhur, lab) never use the store bought crap, that stuff is chemical garbage and is terrable for your skin. you get what you pay for.
i myself use Art Of Shaving. You only need to use a dab, and it covers the whole face great. this company also sells a shave oil...ingredients are a joke: olive oil, castor oil, and essential oils (for smell i assume) and that is 22.00 a bottle. good call on the EVOO though.