I often get asked for my take on the various oils used in shaving products from Olive oil to silicon based lubricants and what benefit, if any, they have on the skin.

Then too, I am frequently delighted to receive phenomenal feedback from wetshave enthusiasts and fellow professionals alike after they've tried my own Village Barber brand of Shaving Oil and I'm asked "What makes your Shaving Oil so exceptional?"

So, I decided to ask Christos Katsis, a clinical aromatherapist and aromacoligist with over 30 years experience as a product designer and natural product maker to give me his professional view on the matter.

Christos states: "If all you want is something to ease the glide of the razor over the skin then it doesn't much matter whether you use Olive Oil, Silicon based lubricant, chip pan fat or lard - all will give glide to the razor.

OLIVE OIL
Olive Oil, for instance, in dietary terms lowers cholesterol and blood pressure and is good for the heart generally.

In terms of topical application, it can be good for burns and relieves some itching from stings and bites.

In terms of cosmetics - the ancient Greek Athlete's used it for "scraping" - rubbing it onto the body then scraping with a sharp knife to clean the skin and remove body hair before competing in the Olympics.

As far as shaving the beard with it is concerned however, it is very thick and tacky and provides little glide. Plus, even the smallest required amount needed would clog the razor with the first pass - pretty useless in other words as a practicable shaving agent.

Olive is also a weak astringent which I guess is a benefit.

The Birth of Village Barber Shaving Oil
Any plausible shaving oil must be about more than just glide. Indeed, most men know from experience the problems that can arise as a result of shaving - from razor burn and skin irritation through to various skin problems arising out of the daily stripping away of naturally produced oils from the skin.Therefore, even the most accomplished shaver needs help if he is to restore the correct balance of oils in his skin, and that is where Village Barber Shaving Oil comes to the fore.

Village Barber Shaving Oil and Aftershave Balm are the result of the collaboration between Iain Kane, a top professional Barber for over 30 years, and myself. The Oil and Balm have been field tested by Iain and evaluated by industry and market professionals and, without exception, feedback has been universally positive and the products have already proved to be award winners.

Base Oils - Benefits
Whilst the base oils used in Village Barber Shaving Oil - Extra virgin and unrefined Avocado oil (Persea gratissima) and Virgin, Cold-pressed Sweet Almond (Prunus amygdalus dulcis ) - do give wonderful glide to the razor, the oils themselves are also naturally rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, D and E. The combination of both is an excellent emollient (skin softener), is anti-inflammatory, moisturising and highly nourishing to the skin promoting healthy and young looking skin.

Avocado and Avocado extracts are key ingredients in many anti-wrinkle and anti-ageing creams - Avocado is well known for promoting both healthy skin regeneration and skin rejuvenation. Avocado has a higher degree of skin penetration than almost any other oil and effectively promotes suppleness of the skin - Avocado, as any nutritionist will confirm, is a complete food in itself.

Sweet Almond is so gentle and anti-inflammatory that it is widely used to treat nappy rash in babies, sunburn and relieves itchy skin caused by conditions such as dermatitis.

Perfect Blend
I hope you can see why we have combined these two wonderful, therapeutic grade oils to make the base for the Village Barber Shaving Oil but it doesn't end there. To the wonderful combination of Virgin Sweet Almond and unrefined, extra virgin Avocado we have added a synergistic blend of 14 therapeutic grade essential oils.

The synergistic blend of the carefully selected 14 therapeutic grade essential oils (individual oils used can be seen on the ingredients page of this website and, of course, on the labelled product itself) brings together a wide range of well known therapeutic properties inherent in the individual oils - anti-inflammatory, anti-irritant, anti-bacterial, skin regenerating, skin balancing, cleansing, moisturising, sebum balancing, anaesthetic and antiseptic - and it smells great too!!

So, whilst shaving with chip pan fat will give razor glide, it is hoped that you will agree that over 60 years of combined experience in the worlds of professional Barbering and Clinical Aromatherapy have produced two products that will deliver the perfect shave and so very much more!”

Copyright - Village Barber Shaving Products 2012