Thread: Shaving cream?

Do people ever use shaving cream. Not the stuff you lather up in your bowl but the stuff that you spray out of the can and lather it on your face. It seems most people who shave with a straight razor or DE razor use soap/cream and brush.

That's because tho canned goo dosen't do the job. Not good for wetting the whiskers, and poor lube. Also it is so thick you can't see where you are going.

Went away from the canned stuff even before I started using a straight razor. When I started using soap/cream and brush I noticed the huge difference the very first shave. Been giving my extra stock pile of canned shaving cream to my son as he needs it so as not to waste it. I'll never go back.

i quit using the goo soon as i got a straight and a brush

Much of the appeal of using a straigt is that it harkens back to a bygone era. Using "modern" canned shaving foam defeats the element of nostalgia we derive from using our "outmoded" shaving utensils.

I stopped using gel-foam (or something like that) as soon as I tried my father's shaving cream. The blade just does not slide as easy as when I use shaving cream. And the feeling after the shave is different.

Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

You should be teaching him to use a straight, and real soaps/creams too. Just give the canned goo to your enemies.

@OP. Canned goo just doesn't do the job right, plus it's not as fun to just squirt some foam in your hands and slap it on your face. The enjoyment comes from whipping up a lather yourself.

LOL. He just started shaving in the past year, so I figured I let him go the easy way for now. Besides he has mostly just chin whiskers. Probably not the best area to start with a straight.

I did once in a pinch (left my soap and brush at home on a trip). It can be made to work, but just barely.

Originally Posted by sffone

Much of the appeal of using a straigt is that it harkens back to a bygone era. Using "modern" canned shaving foam defeats the element of nostalgia we derive from using our "outmoded" shaving utensils.

I couldn't agree more.

Go pick up a container of Castle Forbes Lime essential oil cream. It will cost you, but you will never go back.

Creams and soaps in the bowl with the brush are all part of the experience and pleasure.

I used Edge Gel for tough beards for years. When I first tried a straight razor, I used that stuff. I made a second trip to The Art of Shaving and bought a bowl of their lemon soap in a wood bowl and a silver tip badger brush. After my first shave with that two days later, I immediately put the Costco 5 pack sans 1 can in my wife's SUV for transport to my sister-in-law's house to give them to my brother-in-law. The other went straight to the garbage can. That "over the counter" shaving cream you get at the supermarket or drug store that comes from a can is "for the masses" mass marketing junk! There's no tradition or pride involved in making(er......producing) it.

I have acquired so many soaps and creams since then. The SRD glycerin based soaps are among my favorites. I got a Moss scuttle for Christmas and I'll be trying Mitchell's Wool Fat on New Years Day. If the scuttle is great, I'll get another for the Tabac......haven't tried either yet. Every time I open the medicine cabinet I'm tempted to put them in a shaving bowl and try them but the SRD scents are a no-brainer for me. The rose otto scent is more mild than I thought it would be, but it is the slickest stuff I've tried yet. Great stuff!

I bought a tube of Truefitt and Hill 1805 shaving cream and liked it. Next time I'll add some glycerin to make it a little slicker. The Proraso cream is all right, not my favorite but great nonetheless.