Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Pre-Shave Product Suggestions

  • tanelise

    Member
    January 18, 2018 at 9:09 pm

    @David08848, I haven’t read this entire thread but thought this might be useful. We carry Jack Black products in the spa where I work and they have something called Beard Lube Conditioning Shave. It’s pre-shave Oil - a light-weight emulsion. Thought I’d share the LOI with you in case you still need ideas.

    Water, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Macadamia Nut Oil, Jojoba Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Glycerin, Heather Extract, Peppermint Oil, Menthol, Eucalyptus Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Methylparaben, Benzoic Acid, Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Lecithin, Dimethiconol, zpropylene Glycol, Cyclomethicone.

    Good luck

  • oldperry

    Member
    January 18, 2018 at 11:25 pm

    That sure looks a lot like a standard hair conditioner.

  • belassi

    Member
    January 18, 2018 at 11:39 pm

    Yes I was thinking that, and also, why put on a cationic only to then put on an anionic (shaving cream)?

  • doreen

    Member
    January 19, 2018 at 9:56 am
    Do we have time for this, these days? It would have been a great idea in the 19th century, though.

    Belassi, you wouldn’t believe how popular it is!
    Here we even have old school barbershops again that are mainly doing beards, mustaches, sideburns etc. 
    Beards are hot these days! Even very young guys here are growing full beards (from wild to nicely trimmed). There is a whole new market for beard oil, mustache wax and indeed pre-shave products.

  • david08848

    Member
    January 19, 2018 at 2:03 pm

    tanelise - thanks for the suggestion!  I just found it a few days ago and had saved the info on it!  I didn’t realize that it is for “pre-shave” “shaving” and “post shave”  but it does have appeal…

    Perry - I was aware that BTMS and BTMS-50 are typically used for hair conditioners but have also found some formulas using it for pre-shave.  I am assuming it would “soften” the beard hair and make it easier to shave.

    Belassi - is there a reason why those two might not play well together?  I have limited knowledge of Anionic, Non-ionic, Cationic and Amphoteric but work with Anionic all the time.

    Doreen - You’re right that this is a big and popular market right now and that these kinds of products are very desired right now.  I just want to add that there are lots of newer products like the one tanelise mentioned but there are also “old” products like the shaving cream that was created in the 1920’s and 1930’s that I make and are still being made all over the world!

  • doreen

    Member
    January 19, 2018 at 8:00 pm

    David,
    Some links to a very popular old school men-only barbershop in my country. They shave traditionally with straight razors, hot towels and serve whiskey.
    Their site and also this one for their own brand of vintage looking products for customers from other countries (incl LOI’s of every product).
    I don’t know if their formulas are also vintage, or only the package/looks. You’ll be the judge of that. ;-)
    This is a LOI of a shaving cream (from their own site):

    Aqua, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Potassium Hydroxide, Aloe
    Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Cetyl Alcohol, Equisetum Arvense Extract,
    Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Rosmarinus
    Officinalis Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract,
    Stearyl Alcohol, Fragrance (Parfum), Hexyl Cinnamal, Caprylyl Glycol,
    Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid.

    Good luck with your product!


    p.s. @Belassi Hydrolyzed Quinoa, an idea for you? I see a lot of hydrolyzed grains, but first time that I see hydrolyzed quinoa.

  • belassi

    Member
    January 20, 2018 at 12:22 am

    Quinoa… I think I have some of that but it didn’t look very promising. I was in HEB earlier and I noticed they now stock a large number of organic powders, eg. matcha, oat flour, spirulina, etc. I’ve already tried the spirulina and although I was excited at first, I soon found that it is too unstable to be used in an off-the-shelf product. I’m still thinking about how it might be used. I make hydrolysed oats from the oat flour and it’s excellent as an anti-irritation ingredient. A typical after-shave item from me, if I were to design one, would probably include hydrolysed oat flour, aloe vera, calendula, a nice blend of oils such as chia and argan, some other herbs and EOs.

  • tanelise

    Member
    January 21, 2018 at 1:25 pm

    @David08848, if you’d like for me to send you a sample of the Jack Black Beard Lube send me a msg with your address.

  • david08848

    Member
    January 22, 2018 at 12:57 am

    tanelise, such a very kind offer!  I’m still not sure what direction I would like to take with this project and I appreciate the offer but I’ll pass.  As you said there is quite a market for all types for Men’s and Men’s Shaving Products now whether it be an old style product or something new and unusual so that makes it even more difficult to decide what is the best avenue to follow.  Do I want to use a product as inspiration or do I want to try something new.  I’ll still keep looking around and see what I can find and I’m always open to suggestions!  Thanks again for your support and kindness!
    David

  • tanelise

    Member
    January 22, 2018 at 1:07 am

    @David08848  you’re welcome. 

  • david08848

    Member
    January 24, 2018 at 2:21 pm

    I know what I know and I don’t know what I don’t know so I’ll put it right out there!  I am rethinking the potential products and right now the cleansing cream with similar anionic ingredients to the shaving cream which would leave behind some “slickness” to which the shaving cream could then be applied.  An after-shave “beard lube” type of product that is cationic and used after shaving the rinsing the face might be fine and have a nice smooth dry skin feel might work. 

    I could also endeavor to emulate that product that tanelise recommended for the purpose of offering a “pre-shave” “shaving” and “post shave” type product might not be a bad idea.  (One thing I have noticed on boards like this is that some people with knowledge of an ingredient like BMTS and BMTS-50, see it as a hair conditioning ingredient only but when you look around online and go to sites like Prospector, check out vendors who sell them and find that they have sample formulations for facial creams and other things that contain BMTS other than hair products!  Sometimes you have to think outside the box.)

    So either way, I could work on two products, one for pre-cleansing and the other post shave or I could work the cationic one for “pre-shave” “shaving” and “post shave” and have another product option for those who don’t like to lather shave and want to shave quickly and have a nice after-feel!  Sounds like a win win idea to me!  Suggestions? Observations?

  • david08848

    Member
    January 14, 2024 at 7:26 pm

    After taking a six year break, I decided to look batch at all this and see where I could go with it!

    In viewing my own shaving, using my own shaving cream formula inspired those originally made in the 1920’s, I found that my skin seemed to have more “slip and glide” which seemed to be coming from the glycerin in the formula and perhaps some of that was the KOH created soap as well! (after passing the razor over the face, I could feel the remaining moisture on my face with my fingers!)

    Since the shaving cream is an anionic, I should think of using a “pre-shave” formula containing those kind of ingredients! Glycerin, H2O, a small amount of oil or liquid fatty acid to create a “pre shave” that is applied just before the shave, so that it can help moisturize the skin before the soap is applied and lathered to make it so that the shaving cream (either created by lathering in a bowl or lathering the shaving cream on the face) can be applied to the skin without the shaving cream drying on the skin after it is applied! The oil and glycerin would attach themselves to the skin, moisturise it and some of the water may evaporate while applying it, but the oil and glycerin will remain and help the skin be more moist as the lathering is applied which takes place during the process!

    So it would be just a matter of choosing the right ingredients and selecting the proper percentages. I am assuming that I will need something like KOH to create an emulsion to combine the water, glycerin and oil etc. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, I will be grateful to have your input! Regards, David

  • Cafe33

    Member
    March 14, 2024 at 3:07 am

    The Proraso preshave cream/balm was my go to for years before I ever formulated a single cosmetic product. It was absolutely necessary for me because I have coarse facial hair and suffer from irritation. I did reverse engineer it and it works very well. I used colloidal oat and menthol.

  • david08848

    Member
    March 20, 2024 at 7:23 pm

    Cafe33, Thanks for your reply! It took a while to find the ingredients list for this product but I finally did today! The idea of something with Stearic Acid, Water, Glycerin, Potassium Hydroxide and other ingredients looks like a good option to go with my Shaving Cream! Time to start searching for formulations online like this type! I appreciate your input!

Page 2 of 2

Log in to reply.