Truefitt & Hill introduced the Pre-Shave Oil as part of its Ultimate Comfort line of products a few years ago. When I first picked up traditional wet shaving, I was introduced to the use of pre-shave oil as being a critical part of the preparation routine for shaving. As I learned more about proper shaving with a brush and moved away from cartridge razors to the double edge and eventually the straight razor, oils became less useful and I found myself getting a better shave without them. I've found that most pre-shave oil products are formulated with heavy base oils that leave a sticky and heavy texture on the face; however, the Ultimate Comfort Pre-Shave Oil is very different from the oils of other brands.
The T&H oil has a much thinner consistency that spreads in to the beard much easier than other products, such as oil from The Art of Shaving. The T&H oil also has a nice and light citrus fragrance to it with noticeable notes of bergamot. Because the T&H oil spread easily into the beard, I did not notice any getting in to my brush after applying lather over it. This can often be a concern with heavier oils as the badger hair can be damaged if exposed to oils and not properly washed out after shaving.
With single blade shaving I don’t find that any oil makes a noticeable difference in the quality of my shave. Cartridge (e.g., Mach 3, Fusion, etc.) users who are currently using oil as part of their routines may very likely benefit from this product, however. While I was still using my Mach 3 for my daily shaves, I found adding an oil to my routine to be very beneficial; however, the thicker and heavier oils had a tendency to clog the small gaps between the blades on the razor. Truefitt & Hill's oil does not have this problem. If you are an experienced shaver that prefers a double edge or straight, spend your money elsewhere. At $30.00 retail this product is not a great bargain; however, a 2 oz. bottle will last well over a month of daily use since such a small amount of product is required for each shave.
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