Can some soaps or creams actually be too slick for a close shave?
Aloha!
Hey, I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but I've been shaving quite a bit with Cremo tube cream. Their trademark is "Impossibly Slick Formula". I believe that. For my straight razors, this is an unbelievably slick and comfortable product. But for my DE shaves, even with a new Feather blade, I find that the ultra-slick Cremo actually seems to inhibit a BBS shave. Meaning I really have to really work on it with multiple passes to even come close to a BBS shave with Cremo.
OK, so I've lost my mind, right? How can that possibly be? How can anyone possibly have too much cushion and slick protection from a soap or cream? I thought the same. But with Cremo, I truly do have to shave with multiple good passes to get anything near a BBS shave. Even with a new Feather blade. Recently, I experimented with that theory and used Lucky Tiger liquid soap, Proraso, and a variety of puck soaps and tube products comparing them directly to Cremo. I got a much closer shave in less passes with those other products than I did with Cremo with my DE razor and a new Feather blade installed every time for good comparison. The best was actually Lucky Tiger liquid soap. One pass with a new Feather blade and I was 90 percent close to BBS. One more quick touch-up pass it I was done.
Yes, I realize you can thin out products or thicken them up. I'm talking a "normal" abount of face suds here. What most would consider a standard pre-shave lather.
So to me, it seems possible that a soap or cream can give you too much cushion and be too slick for a close shave.
Mahalo!
-Zip