Thread: at the risk of being tarred and feathered out of here

can i use regular shave gel to shave? what benefits does a cream/lather + brush + bowl set up offer?

Originally Posted by jehan60188

can i use regular shave gel to shave? what benefits does a cream/lather + brush + bowl set up offer?

You can use regular gel, but you can also use disposable blades.

Cream/soap + brush will save you money over the course of shaving. The soaps and creams offer better scents (IMHO) and they're also not using aerosol and a ton of chemicals. The brush helps get lather between hairs and also helps your skin, as far as I know.

It's also part of the fun!

The benefits of the traditional brush, soap/cream, bowl lather vs. gel/foam business? I don't have a clue in that I've never used the gel. I believe one smooges the gel on with one's fingers which is probably one of the reasons I won't try it. I just don't trust gel or soap slipperied fingers to securely hold a razor. Hence the brush and bowl with soap or cream is my morning magic for whisker depletion.

Your mileage will likely vary as I'm a pick up kinda guy, or YMWLVAIAPUKG.

The brush and puck of soap is cheaper in the long run if you don't go crazy buying brushes, soaps, creams and other accessories. IME it is a lot nicer on the skin and is one of the things I enjoy and look forward to daily.

I suggest trying it both ways. It is like night and day, seriously. When I made the switch I was planning to finish up the last few cans I had in the cabinet but after a few shaves with a puck I just couldn't do it, lol.

As an aside, when I started down the path of straight razors I was a little shocked at some of the brush prices. Of course you want to start with something good and when you first start looking at brush prices they might be $50 - $150. My first thought was "...for a brush? Really?"

I sucked it up and found a $40 badger brush which I've used almost exclusively since. Just recently I found an antique brush for a few bucks. Took it home and removed the old bristles. Went to Fountain Pen parts - NIBS, - Wholesale Fountain Pen Ink - Golden Nib AZ and ordered a badger hair knot, glued it in, and voila! Silver tip badger brush for less than $25!

The $40 brush I got from The Gentlemen's Quarter - Shaving, Bath and Body, Skincare, Home Fragrance, Brushes, Creams, Soaps (TGQ). The owner, Colleen, has a good selection of affordable brushes and more-importantly, you can pick up great homemade soaps and creams. Samples will run you about two dollars and change so you can test out the scents.

Canned product are designed to be fast, not good. In terms of the chemical used, they are similar to those used in traditional creams but the formulation is different. One thing to keep in mind is that the consistency of the lather that you obtain from a can is unsuitable for shaving as the lather is extremely dense and dry. Canned shaving cream is probably the culprit for most lathering problems and uncomfortable shaves that can be traced to lathering problems, even if you do not use a canned product. See, because we only see people using cans, we tend to think that lather should look and feel the way that canned shaving cream does, this could be a serious problem. The method of producing good quality lather has been almost lost due to the wide spread use of the can. The traditional method of forming lather would give you more control and if you chose good quality products, you will also obtain benefits in performance, particularly in terms of conditioning of the skin. Not to mention the differences in the scent, which were already stated. As mentioned before, using a traditional cream/soap + brush combination would save you money in a short time and exfoliate your skin but there is yet other reason to use the traditional method, it is also much better for the environment. The only thing is that the traditional method of forming lather requires skills, so please, make sure you work on your technique. There is a good section in the wiki describing the process: Category:Straight Razor Shaving - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Perhaps this thread would be useful: http://straightrazorpalace.com/newbi...oap-cream.html

Al raz.

thanks all, the information has been very helpful
the two big reasons i'm switching to straight razor is cost, and environmental impact, actually! also, the allure of using a straight razor is... alluring

I'm very new to straight razors, and because I am not confident I will continue shaving this way, I am working slowly into razors and products. I am doing this slowly, and on the cheap, not being altogether made of money. I shaved for a few weeks with "regular" shaving cream. It worked somewhat. But, I encountered several disadvantages to shaving cream. It was not wet enough, as was mentioned above, and the chemicals irritated my skin when left on too long.

Several days ago I bought a shaving mug and soap for $7 at Walmart. (I know, everyone will now petition the SRP "powers" to have me kicked off this website.) But, it was a mistake not doing this on day #1! I am going to spring for a better quality soap, and brush soon, now that I am enlightened.

My advice to you is to get shaving soap and mug ASAP!

tarred and feathered, GET HIM!!!!!!!!!

Just kidding, welcome. Good question.