Poll: Lathering vs canned aerosol gels for straight razor users

I came upon an interesting claim at https://aquajetrazor.com/blogs/news/...traight-razors by a cartridge razor marketer claiming that straight razors are less environmentally friendly. This is the oppiste of what I tell everyone so I queried it with them and their claim is that most straight razor users make use of aerosol gels or creams and very few actually lather with soap or cream.

So maybe I'm living all in my own bubble, but my experience wa sthe very opposite. All the video guides I watcehd for atright razor shaving, as well as text guides, and sites that sell straight razors, all seem to mainly mention lathering with soaps and creams. Those soaps and creams are generally far more environmentally friendly. I'm very doubtful about whether they can really recycle those cartridge baldes of theirs anyway as I see no details about that on their site.

So I know this may sound ludicrous to many, but I thought I would doa poll to get some feedback to assure myself I'm not wrong, and also to further respond to this site above. As far as I'm aware straight razor shaving is probably THE most environmentally friendly shaving you can do (apart from growing a beard).

So the poll is: As a Straight Razor user do you primarily use lathered soaps/cream, or do you use canned aerosol gels/creams? Or something completely different?

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Originally Posted by Danie

I came upon an interesting claim at https://aquajetrazor.com/blogs/news/...traight-razors by a cartridge razor marketer claiming that straight razors are less environmentally friendly. This is the oppiste of what I tell everyone so I queried it with them and their claim is that most straight razor users make use of aerosol gels or creams and very few actually lather with soap or cream.

So maybe I'm living all in my own bubble, but my experience wa sthe very opposite. All the video guides I watcehd for atright razor shaving, as well as text guides, and sites that sell straight razors, all seem to mainly mention lathering with soaps and creams. Those soaps and creams are generally far more environmentally friendly. I'm very doubtful about whether they can really recycle those cartridge baldes of theirs anyway as I see no details about that on their site.

So I know this may sound ludicrous to many, but I thought I would doa poll to get some feedback to assure myself I'm not wrong, and also to further respond to this site above. As far as I'm aware straight razor shaving is probably THE most environmentally friendly shaving you can do (apart from growing a beard).

So the poll is: As a Straight Razor user do you primarily use lathered soaps/cream, or do you use canned aerosol gels/creams? Or something completely different?

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Sorry Danie, I do realize this is your first post, but I just can’t be bothered to debunk something that is obviously a sales pitch for another replaceable cartridge razor.
Besides, if the manufacturer of this gadget makes such a claim, then the onus to deliver a proof is on them.
I find it also strange that in late 2019 the same manufacturer advised women using this product to ‘Foam up! Ensure you have a decent shaving cream or cleanser.’
(https://aquajetrazoronline.wordpress...y-use-a-razor/)


Just imagine, if we had taken everything serious that Gillette ever claimed and would have responded with a poll like: ‘Do you believe that Gillette is really the best a man can get?’


If you want an honest answer how people who regularly use safety and straight razors feel about gel and foam in pressurised cans, just use the search function on this and other shaving websites.
If you only want a quick idea just search for ‘goo in the can’, which pretty much tells you already in the question how people feel about it.


Regarding your poll: Thanks, but no thanks.



B.

Hi Danie, pleased to meet ya.

Stick around, you'll like it here.

I can say with certainty that none of us here, whether straight shaving or using a safety razor use canned lazy shave.
Part of the joy of shaving like we do is the fantastic range of excellent shaving soaps and scents, canned goo is not even shaving cream.

How do shave right now?
If you're using a cartridge razor and canned goo, prepare to be converted.

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Originally Posted by beluga

Sorry Danie, I do realize this is your first post, but I just can’t be bothered to debunk something that is obviously a sales pitch for another replaceable cartridge razor.
Besides, if the manufacturer of this gadget makes such a claim, then the onus to deliver a proof is on them.
I find it also strange that in late 2019 the same manufacturer advised women using this product to ‘Foam up! Ensure you have a decent shaving cream or cleanser.’
(https://aquajetrazoronline.wordpress...y-use-a-razor/)


Just imagine, if we had taken everything serious that Gillette ever claimed and would have responded with a poll like: ‘Do you believe that Gillette is really the best a man can get?’


If you want an honest answer how people who regularly use safety and straight razors feel about gel and foam in pressurised cans, just use the search function on this and other shaving websites.
If you only want a quick idea just search for ‘goo in the can’, which pretty much tells you already in the question how people feel about it.


Regarding your poll: Thanks, but no thanks.



B.

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I could not think of a nice way to say "don't feed the trolls", thanks.

Bob

For heaven’s sake, I have too much to do to waste my time on this poll. As for the site hustling that hair removing object over the straight razor, I haven’t had my morning coffee yet.

Thanks Steve, I have been a safety razor for a number of years, but about 6 months back moved to a straight razor. Have been lathering soaps all that time though, and I was pretty sure that was what everyone was doing, until this marrketing site had the cheek to claim no that was not so. I could at least agree with them that we are both opposed to aerosol goo.

I've vbeen updating my traditional shaving page at https://gadgeteer.co.za/myotherinter...al-wet-shaving since I started, and been tweaking what is working well, and where to source for mt fellow South Africans (as we don't have a lot of choices).

Thanks for that link about their other razor - I see they state too "Cartridges still should be discarded similarly as frequently" along with the word "eco". It is really very sad that companies that promote through such obviously false information.

Gillette of course did relaunch a version of their safety razor not so long ago, but yes agreed their "best one can get" has been a very relative terma nd unfortunatly believed by many. I was also going down that Gillette road with every new designs and more blades, until the price just got too much. My big eye opener was about two weeks after switching then to a safety razor, the ingrown hairs I'd had for 30 or so years, just cleared up. That was the end of Gillette for me.

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Originally Posted by Danie

…I have been a safety razor for a number of years, but about 6 months back moved to a straight razor.

I've vbeen updating my traditional shaving page at https://gadgeteer.co.za/myotherinter...al-wet-shaving since I started, and…

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I have been deliberating since yesterday whether I should comment or not, as something about above post just did not sit well with me.
To be clear, it is not my intent to discourage an enthusiast, but at the same time I consider it important that information posted on the Internet should be authoritative, reliable and verifiable.

Like useless space junk in the Earth’s orbit, too much worthless, unverified information is mindlessly parroted on the Internet and drifts around seemingly forever, contaminating the environment.
And information about shaving with safety and straight razors is unfortunately no exception to this.

This makes it ever so hard for newcomers to identify trusted and reliable information that they can depend on and build their own experience with.

To my way of thinking, I would not have chosen to give advice on the subject of straight shaving with only six months’ experience, when my level of experience and knowledge did not yet allow me to differentiate the wheat from the chaff.
Instead of risking to point an unsuspecting beginner in the wrong direction, I would have tried to absorb more knowledge, identify and eliminate the rubbish and hearsay, and get a deeper understanding of the subject myself.

I believe that publishing tips and advice earlier, would not have been helpful to anybody - except maybe my ego.
But that is just me; and in the meantime the amount of space and Internet junk continues to grow.

As I said, it is not my intent to discourage any enthusiast with this post, but sometimes less is clearly more.
And I am the first to admit that - despite my best efforts to the contrary - from time to time I might talk some rubbish too… :angel:



B.

Welcome Danie.

Welcome to the forum. I did not check your link. I’ll give the the benefit of the doubt and respond.
I tell everyone that knows nothing about shaving outside of what the disposable industry tells them.
The first most significant change you can make to make your shaving more comfortable is to get a good brush and a nice puck of soap. Even Arko and a very cheap boar brush will net you a more comfortable shave and it’s way less expensive.

Thanks RezDog, yes I did cover a couple of the basics as I've been shaving with safety razors a good 10+ years now. I used the Arko sticks quite a lot when travelling, as they lather very easily in a hotel coffee mug. I've tried silvertip badger brushes etc, but with soaps like Mitchell's and similar that I use, I far prefer using boar bristle, or inmy case I discovered mine weas a synthetic boar brush - that stiffer backbone just works easier with soaps in my opinion. Traditional shaving equipmen lasts so long, it's not worth just comnpromising on buying super cheap either.

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Originally Posted by Danie

Thanks RezDog, yes I did cover a couple of the basics as I've been shaving with safety razors a good 10+ years now. I used the Arko sticks quite a lot when travelling, as they lather very easily in a hotel coffee mug. I've tried silvertip badger brushes etc, but with soaps like Mitchell's and similar that I use, I far prefer using boar bristle, or inmy case I discovered mine weas a synthetic boar brush - that stiffer backbone just works easier with soaps in my opinion. Traditional shaving equipmen lasts so long, it's not worth just comnpromising on buying super cheap either.

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Synthetic boar? I never heard of that. You can buy a boar for twenty bucks or less it makes no sense to make a synthetic boar. Maybe just synthetic period.

I didn't answer the survey but I would be shocked if anyone here said they use any canned stuff on any ongoing basis. 50 or more years ago I did.

Yes this one specifically at https://www.mantality.co.za/doubloon-shave-brush.html - you'll see it is not styled like an artificial Badger brush, but has the stiffer bristles like a boar brush.

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Originally Posted by Danie

their claim is that most straight razor users make use of aerosol gels or creams and very few actually lather with soap or cream.

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As opposed to people shaving with cartridge razors who use........... what?

If the tool is disposable, it creates garbage and requires continuous purchases, which requires continuous manufacturing etc. If the tool is not disposable, the same does not apply.

Hay Holli! :D

I see and can appreciate the point of the text. I do firmly believe that we should be good stewards of our resources if for no other reason than to prevent our own miserable hides from swimming in a sea of garbage which we now have to mine because we have used up some of the raw materials we need.

That notwithstanding that is not my primary motivation for using a cup, puck and brush or a straight razor. My motivation is that it's cooler. I still have several heirlooms from my Dad, one of which is his shaving mug: a Hazel Atlas milk glass mug. It is not fancy or valuable monetarily but to me it is invaluable because it reminds me of him. Every time I use it and the brush makes that "clink, clink, clink," sound it takes me back to being a little boy and watching him shave. That to me is more moving than any other reason....oh, and by the way, I would sooner shave dry than use that can-o-funk crap, not for "the planet" and some imagined moral superiority but because it SUUUUCCCKKKSSSSSSS!

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Originally Posted by Danie

Yes this one specifically at https://www.mantality.co.za/doubloon-shave-brush.html - you'll see it is not styled like an artificial Badger brush, but has the stiffer bristles like a boar brush.

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I think that brush is a Boar Brush not synthetic at all.

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I think that brush is a Boar Brush not synthetic at all.

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Yes exactly what I thought - but click on the "Other Info" tab and all is revealed. The give away probably was the lack of real boar hair smell.

Agreed I doubt many went into straight razor shaving specifically for the environment, but it's a plus, and pretty devious for anyone trying to present the opposite view (not being most environmentally friendly). I started out to save money off cartridge blades, and then the bonus for me was no more ingrown hairs.

Just a few of the many reasons to use a straight.

If I want backbone on a brush it ain’t boar, but I am a brush snob( I admit it) but this source could not have been any one over the age of 6

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Originally Posted by sharptonn

Hay Holli! :D

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Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!