Thread: Anyone else that likes low cushion

Originally Posted by BobH

Well then, I think I prefer slickness to cushion.

Bob

To me a sign of good slickness is when you splash your face with water after your shave and it still fills slippery.

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

To me a sign of good slickness is when you splash your face with water after your shave and it still fills slippery.

No, that's the blood from the shave. it's very slippery

Har har.

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

To me a sign of good slickness is when you splash your face with water after your shave and it still fills slippery.

Yup, I'd say so too.

Bob

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

To me a sign of good slickness is when you splash your face with water after your shave and it still fills slippery.

I’m guessing you might like the glycerin heavy soaps over a tallow soaps then? At least I find glycerin based soaps still feel slippery and provide great glide by adding water - even after the blade has passed.

Originally Posted by earcutter

I’m guessing you might like the glycerin heavy soaps over a tallow soaps then? At least I find glycerin based soaps still feel slippery and provide great glide by adding water - even after the blade has passed.

Yep, I just checked the ingredients on some of my favourite soaps and they all contain a good amount of glycerin. Never really thought of that before. Obviously a well hydrated lather plays a massive part of how slick a soap/cream is.

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

Yep, I just checked the ingredients on some of my favourite soaps and they all contain a good amount of glycerin. Never really thought of that before. Obviously a well hydrated lather plays a massive part of how slick a soap/cream is.

That’s cool that you figured it out then. You can keep it in mind when you shop for your next soap(s).

I really figured out what glycerin did in my “Uber Lathers” (cream, soap and some extra glycerin) making days. That extra glycerin really made a difference. I used to put some drops in every lather I made, but somehow it fell out of favor.

I’ll say this, I bought a small bottle at the pharmacy for 5 bucks or something like 10 years ago, and it’s still going strong. Best investment ever lol.

But yeah, if you add glycerin, you’ll need to add more water. At least that’s what I found.

Sounds to me that most of us would rather be lacking in cusion to have slickness. Glad im not an odd one out. Slick is so much more important to me.

If you want to really know how a lack of cushion feels just shave with water. As long as you keep wetting your face you will have basic lube and absolutely no cushion.

Glide vs Cushion...

I think we all know what glide is, and what it gets us. It’s indispensable when it comes to shaving. Glide by itself, can provide awesome shaves. This stuff (see below) is a glycerin heavy product, is my wholly grail of glides! Used in the shower with tons oh water and steam, there’s nothing that even comes close to its performance. But that’s in a very wet environment!




Moreover, a glycerin heavy product will make for some soft skin after continued use! It traps water! But ultimately, the film coats the skin which helps you push down a bit and cut closer.

So what is cushion then? Well cushion is everything else you know about a shaving cream that isn’t scent or glide. It’s the millions of micro bubbles that actually condition your beard and make it softer. This aids glide in that a weakened beard allows for a more speedy glide.

Cushion in some cases also conditions the face for the shave by tightening it up a bit. A pre shave like Proraso doesn’t aid glide, it tightens the skin and holds the whiskers for a clean cut. This is cushion too! And it’s lovely.

It’s all that conditions your face and beard. Sure a greasy tallow and/or a slippery glycerin that help slide, also soften, but on thier own, I find they dry the skin too much and do nothing to soften or prepthe beard.

All said and done, glide without cushion kind of sucks. And cushion without glide bites. The closest shaves I get come from a soap that provides good cushion and conditioning... with ample slide to allow me to push down a bit.

Ive never liked pushing down a bit. If the blade dont slip thru the whiskers with no pressure than it goes in the honing cup. Never pressure is my way!