27 thoughts on “Shaving Cream”

  1. I’ve never used the stuff, because I never used a razor. I’ve always used electric shavers. Remingtons. My first was a white elephant given to my Dad, who always used a safety razor and shaving cream.

    OTOH, I do have in my bathroom a gift from my maternal grandfather, a mug intended for use with shaving cream. It’s white porcelain with gold trim. (I don’t remember if it came with a brush.) I use it to hold my toothbrush and toothpaste.

    (Later) Not sure what brand of shaving cream my grandfather used. Colgate?

    1. I use an electric razor as well.

      I get cut all over when using a regular blade. Skin is too irregular and bumpy. The shaving cream makes it worse sure but it is still a bloody mess without using it. After shaving I wash with water and soap and/or use aftershave. I did this next to a guy once and he was surprised I did not get a rash from not using any aftershave. But the thing is if you wash with soap after the shave, more often than not, aftershave is not required at all.

      The best shaves I have done with a blade were those where I just splashed my face with water and used a double-edged safety razor. It is a lot faster too because those multiple-blade models easily clump up.

  2. Shaving is an unnatural act, possibly punishable by God. Hair started growing on my face when I was 12 years old. Obviously, God wanted me to have hair on my face. For years, schools and the military made me defy His will. Ever since I got out of the military in 1992, I have never shaved my full face. I do keep it trimmed and shave parts of it to shape things the way I like but never with shaving cream.

    1. The Egyptians shaved all their hair off to prevent the growth of parasites.

      Shaving is a Western tradition. The Romans were major proponents of it. For them shaving was considered more practical and clean than having a beard. Peter the Great of Russia rather famously forced courtiers and the military to shave and taxed long beards.

      In the case of the military shaving and cutting hair very short serves a couple of useful purposes. It prevents the growth of parasites like lice. It can also be used to make the army look more homogeneous in appearance to boost esprit de corps.

        1. I recall back about ’85 when the Navy finally decided no more beards…the excuse was you couldn’t get a good seal with your EAB (emergency air breathing apparatus) I was clean shaven (get bad pimples if I let it grow) but some of the guys I had never seen beardless. Beards do a lot to improve an ugly mug…

  3. I shave in the shower with soap no mirror and never a nick. As the link says, I was presented with razor and cream when I started, but soon figured out that the hassle of dealing with the can in the shower (one more thing in the shower), the cost of the cream, yet I couldn’t figure out what it actually did better than either soap or just plain water. I shaved completely dry several times and got better results than using cream.

    I also wonder what people do to get cuts. I got one once with an old blade. That’s it. Are there really people who get cuts routinely?

    1. I, too, shave in the shower, and don’t use shaving cream. Been doing that for 25 years. I only rarely get a cut, and my blades last quite a bit longer than they did when I used shaving cream.

  5. I’ve tried shaving with and without shaving cream, and I’ll stick with the latter. I’ve done the comparison recommended and shaving cream works a lot better for me. I’ve tried aftershave too but could never figure out what benefit it is supposed to provide.

    1. Okay, I’ll give it up on my face, but my crotch? Never.

      But seriously . . .

      According to guides on grooming I’ve read, shaving cream doesn’t do all that much by itself, but the purpose is to hold what moisture you’ve presumably put on your face BEFORE applying the cream. These guides say most men do not put enough pre-cream warm water on their face, and we should probably wet the face for a minute or so before applying the cream. That’s what I’ve been doing since I’ve read that, and for me, it really works. I’d be hesitant to go “commando” when I shave because I have the world’s tenderest skin coupled with the world’s wiriest beard. (It’s like a stubble made of barbed wire.)

      Annoying Old Guy, I don’t use after-shave unless I cut myself (which I hardly ever do anymore), to disinfect the cut with the alcohol. With my skin, the best after-shave I know is aloe vera gel. Bob Hoffman, the barbell and protein-powder king, used to sell an aloe-vera based sun-tan lotion that I used to use as an after-shave, and it was the best. (The best, Jerry! The best!) However, I haven’t seen it in years and I’m not sure the Hoffman empire is even extant. But Dollar Tree sells an aloe-vera gel that I find almost an acceptable substitute.

      2. Interesting. I usually shave at the end of a shower, precisely to make sure my stubble is maximally hydrated. I’ve done dry shaving (no water, no shaving cream) and that leaves my face looking like it met some asphalt at high speed, not to mention leaving my skin itchy and sore.

        All I can say is that my experience is the exact opposite of the cited article – my skin looks and feels great after a shave with shaving cream, and sorely abused without it. Of course, this wouldn’t be the only way my physical reactions seem opposite to 90+% of the population.

  6. The real racket is the blades. I use a Mach 3 and those blades come with a strip of something next to the blades they claim is to help your skin. As the strip started to wear off, it hurt my face. Was it the blades or the goop that was supposed to help? I scraped off the rest of the strip and the irritation went away. I have been using the same blade for years now that I know that one simple trick.

  7. “One word: wax.”

    Soooo . . . that’s why you see some guys walkin’ kinda funny?

      1. Ya know how in ST:TOS the men used a cream that stops follicle growth and causes it to fall out when washed with hot water? That stuff exists. It’s marketed as “spa clay”. I’ve always been tempted to try it on my face and, if it works, rebrand it for hairy Trekkers (as if there’s any other kind.)

  8. Forget shaving cream, but a high quality shaving soap, applied with a good brush…my perpetual 5’oclock shadow has disappeared and my face has never been smoother. Sometimes I still shave in the shower with nothing but hot water, but the shaving soap is still better for me.

  9. I’m with Leland and Ed, I just shave in the shower and have since I gave up my beard twenty years ago. These days I tend to grow a new one every year when I am in the field, I’m a geologist, and I used to use cream to get that off, but about ten years ago on a dare from a Latinist friend I coated my three months of growth in olive oil and it came off easier than I can really describe, so I can really vouch for the oil tbing too.

  10. Excuse me for being skeptical, but why should I listen to a guy who spent all his post waxing poetical and provided no real data to back up his claim? Sounds like a warmist to me. 🙂

    I’ve seen too many blog discussions about shaving to take any one method as the “best” or only “correct” way. Some folks don’t shave, others use an old-school safety razor, while others go all the way back to a straight razor. Ditto for soap/foam preferences.

    I expect much of what the writer relates comes from over-used, dull blades as to anything else. Given how expensive name-brand refills are these days, it’s only natural to use them as long as possible.

  11. So, suppose you’re on a fairly long space voyage and you’re recycling as much as you can. What do you do with all the whiskers, toenail and fingernail clippings, stray hairs? polymerize them and use as a plastic?

  13. I started out using an electric razor. But about 15 years ago I was headed to France for a conference and rather than buy the converter I decided to try a blade razor. The electrics never gave me a close shave. I liked the blades so much I continue to use them.

    I h=shave in the shower, too. I use a brush and shaving soap. But this morning, just for fun, I tried it without the soap. Seems about the same. I’ll give it a week and see if there is any major difference.

  14. When I first went to the Middle East in ’03 I went for a hair cut in town. The guy whipped out a straight razor, I thought the last words I was going to hear would be “Ahlua Akbar”. Fortunately he was a Sri Lankan and gave me a regular shave. The thing is I did not like it after, my whiskers were sharp and stabbed me.
    I always had a problem with shaving as I have what could almost pass for piano wire growing from my face, back, chest (everywhere except the top of my head go figure). I used to attribute it to riding submarines (most of the guys had follicle control issues) my wife says its because of my extra testicle. Regardless, I finally found a razor that works for me the hydro 5 by Shtick.

  15. Razor blades are made of stainless steel to prevent rust.

    Blades become dull because the thin edge folds over (becomes “out off true”). With a knife, you can bring it back by honing. (For a while. Eventually, the blade becomes worn. Then you have to grind it down and put on a new edge.)

    Safety razors are not designed to be honed, and stainless steel knives are a #%&! to sharpen.

Comments are closed.