The goo in a can has two things wrong from the start.
One is that it is just goo in a can.... (most make me
sneeze). YMMV...
The other issue that is very important. You can grab
the can slather the goo and try and shave. i.e. Way
too easy to rush the shave.
The process of cleaning your face, building a rich shave
lather and then shaving takes time and softening whiskers
also takes time. It is key to shaving the hard to shave face.
Try this.... splash some cool water on your face.
Grab that can of goo and look at it for 30 boring seconds.
Splash a little more cool-warm water on your face
Stare at that can of goo for another 30-40 boring seconds
another splash and then apply a small blob of goo to you other hand
and rub on your face. Does it smell boring? I think so. Grab an inexpensive shave
brush and lightly scrub your face lifting those whiskers up just a bit.
Rinse and apply another blob of goo then after a total of two or three
min shave. My gentle wager is that your shave will improve by a lot
but still be boring.
Now try the same sort of trick with a fine lathering shave
soap. You get a much wider range of fragrances
from none to OMG.... They seem to self time
the shave prep. They are also compounded to improve
the glide of a razor... If you read the latest razor junk
mail they have special glide strips... because the
goo in the can does not glide as well as a well made
classic shave soap lather...
OMG can be subtle and full of joy like Mitchell's wool fat soap,
or have an in your face punch. It can be pleasantly odd like Tobac,
it might have a hint of rose like Cella or spicy with menthol
and eucalyptus rich like Proraso. Burts Bee's shave soap
is full of in your face spices, cloves, bay, cinnamon that
it has a home here for Christmass and Thanksgiving. Our
sponsors have many more choices... read about them.
Do not get me wrong the goo in a can works. In fact it is OK for a lot
of folk - it is however BORING as heck, to me.
A nice selection of German, English, Italian and American
shave soaps and creams -- well just the spice of life. I am
a fan of the venerable brands. They are still made and sold because
they are simply "made right" for shaving, men and yes women
that like men.