My husband has a thick, tough beard combined with very sensitive skin. He allowed his beard to get pretty long before trying out The Art of Shaving Full Size Kit. He has never used a full kit like this before. The only conditioning he had done previously was to put a warm washcloth on his skin. It was with some anticipation that he used the lavender oil to help condition his skin prior to shaving. It felt very different from anything that he had done before. It smelled good and made his face oily. Then he dipped the brush into the cream and applied it generously all over his face and began to shave with his regular disposable razor. It shaved closer than anything he had experienced before. Not one nick or cut. No razor burn. Putting the aftershave lotion on his face kept his skin from drying out and gave him no discomfort whatsoever. He usually shies away from any lotion or aftershave because it exacerbates his sensitive skin but this went on comfortably and didn't irritate his skin. It was the best shave of his life.