Thread: Don't use shaving cream!

Originally Posted by monster69

Is what this article claims:
The Shaving Cream Racket by Jeffrey A. Tucker

Anything correct about it? Or is this just nonsense?

Not nonsense but it does not cover all the bases.

Shave cream in one of those cans is a racket. As
marketed and shown on TV it will not help get you
a good shave.

Most of us find that an early application of water does
most of the softening making it possible for the razor
to do what it should. After that it is the lather
that helps keep the blade sliding on skin as it
snips off our pre-soaked whiskers.

Many of us are no longer are the dirty crusty dirt farmers
where soap was so very important. Having said that
the process of building a good lather involves soap,
water and TIME.

The racket is that the cans of goo shortcut the soak time
and cleaning that so improves the shave. This shortcut
mandates that tossable blades have slick guards and
more to compensate for the lack of a well built lather. Medication
in the goo compensates in part for the lack of general
sanitation that a good wash and face lathering gives ya.
Anesthetics hide the pain when there should not be any.

Originally Posted by jeffegg2

I have read here that soap does have some negative effects for shaving, and it is best to use a skin cleanser before shaving. So perhaps there is a hint of merit, but I think I'll add that to the ignore advice column.

Using a skin cleanser before soap is probably a good idea...


Sorry for the wise crack... I just couldn't resist.
I'm going way out on a limb here, but I don't buy any of it.

And I would also say that I've gone straight from a dry face to applying lather and immediately following with a shave (today actually), and while not as relaxing as my normal routine... it still worked for me.

I'm amazed that no one responded to his remark about aftershaves as well. He doesn't understand the makeup nor the purpose of an aftershave.

Wow, that was tough. Since I read this article around noon (at work, no less) I've had to wait about 6 hours before I could comment on this tripe!

This isn't the first time this drivel has come up here lately. On member recently linked this article quoting the "esteemed" Dr. Oz, where the good "doc" proclaimed that shaving cream is not good for you because it clogs your pores! Read about it and other dubious so-called facts here: Hair Growth | Dr Oz | Doctor Oz Fans. Hopefully he was referring to lady leg shaving; my wife can get away with shaving her light leg hairs with water only. My face? Not so much.

I'm tempted to rant some more about this garbage, but I'm afraid I'd only be preaching to the converted....

I do think he has a bit of a point. All the stuff in the cans is just the same thing with a different marketing ploy.

One comes out as a gel, then turns to cream, which is better for some reason. One makes you irresistible to women. One is only for women. One will make your long lost dog return home, and you can stop living the shell of a life you have had ever since ol' sparky ran away.

No product, be it shaving cream or anything else, will ever live up to its claims.

I don't think the whole face-melting thing is realistic and he sure didn't back up his claims. Then again, maybe that is what actually happened to the Batman villain Two-Face.

And I would imagine using baby oil doesn't really solve the problem. Baby oil is surely just as much of a scam as shaving cream. I mean really, why would you even need to oil a baby? They rarely squeak.

Let's not give Mr. Tucker too much grief. I am familiar with some of his other writings and he is usually right on point. AND the website that article was published on is a great resource and lately has been a huge advocate of classic wet shaving (DE shaving, they haven't posted anything on SE yet). I read this website everyday and the DE articles are what led me back to classic wet shaving and ultimately to SRP; I used to shave with a DE, then after 9/11 when I couldn't carry the blades on an airplane, I switched to M3, I saw the error of my ways and now I am using a SE.

Originally Posted by linuxMoose

And I would imagine using baby oil doesn't really solve the problem.

And I couldn't imagine it being very safe either, especially when using a straight or a DE. Some guys have problems gripping their razors when their hands are wet with water only.

Originally Posted by phdjt

Let's not give Mr. Tucker too much grief.

I can't say I agree with you here. If you're going to make outrageous claims backed up with nothing but strange adjectives and bias then you'd better be willing to take the flak.

That being said I'm also a believer in freedom of choice. If Mr. Tucker chooses to rake up his face on a daily basis, fine. But don't advocate
that everyone else should indulge in such foolishness, like we are the ignorant ones who need to be shown the way.

Originally Posted by Bruce

I just use little suspenders to clip my jowls to my ears.

You conjure quite the picture Sir!!

Having read Mr. Tucker's article, my perception is that he talks about what we like to call "the caned goo", full of unspeakable chemicals and which many of us have either never used or, like myself, stopped using a few years back when discovering the beautiful world of real shave soaps and creams. It also appears that Mr. Tucker is not aware of those products we so love, otherwise he would maybe considering shaving with those instead of mineral oil or just hot water....
Just my own 2 cents....

He really is correct.

A friend of my dads had this exact thing happen to him: He used the canned stuff for years with no problems until one day WHAM! He was hit by a meteorite.

But that wasnt the end of this tragic tale. Alas, he was then captured by a crack team of secret military squirrels and held in their underground layer for years, with nothing to eat but pine cones.

So let that be a lesson to you new guys... Never shave with anything on your face or you too could be captured by secret military squirrels and hit by a HUGE FLAMING BALL OF ROCK FROM SPACE!!!!!

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Yeah, all I gotta say about that article is

I'll stick to my nice soaps and straight razors thanks, and he can scrape his face apart with an M3 and water.

Each to their own I guess!