Closet "canned goo"-lover coming out.

[Paddan1000]

Since I started shaving with a DE razor last month I have been using a can of spray foam called "Wilkinson Sword Protect Foam" that I received as a free sample. Previously I had used "Nivea Sensitive Gel" with a Gillette Fusion, but I never used the Nivea with the DE razor.
Everyone on this forum praises traditional shaving soaps and creams, claiming that "canned goo" gives them dry skin, smells bad, is expensive, etcetra. I never had any of these problems with my Wilkinson foam (no dry skin, smells good, was free), but I still wanted to try a traditional soap. The only soap on sale locally was the Palmolive Shave Stick (European), so I bought one stick and ordered a $10 no-name chinese "badger"-brush from China.
My first shave with the soap felt like I was being skinned alive. The first WTG pass went well, except that there was more resistance and skipping than usual, but after the second XTG pass I started feeling razor burn and it only got worse from there with a lot of weepers and blood. After the shave my skin felt really dry and the razor burn persisted for several hours. I didn't like the scent either, or the fact that it smelled much stronger that the Wilkinson foam, but fortunately at least my wife liked it. The blade I used was a Shark Super Chrome, which is the blade that has been working best for me so far and it was not at fault since I used the same blade the next day with my usual foam with good results.
I assumed that my problem with the soap was either that I hadn't whipped the lather enough or that I had applied some extra soap with the stick directly to my face. I tried the soap for another shave, and this time I used distilled water instead of tap water (which is very hard in my area), I didn't apply concentrated soap to my face and I whipped the lather in the bowl until it wouldn't get any more foamy. I shaved and it went much better than last time, but still it didn't go as well as with the Wilkinson Sword Protect Foam. The only advantage to the soap was that it gave a somewhat closer shave, but that is no advantage to me if it comes with the price of more irritated skin.
When I compare the Palmolive Soap lather with the foam from a spray can, the canned foam feels much firmer and cushioning. The underlying surface is much slicker with the canned foam than with the soap and it feels like the soap lather doesn't form a protective film over the surface when I rub it with my finger. The best way I can describe the Palmolive Soap lather is that it feels like the foam of ordinary soap.
I figured that the Wilkinson Sword Protect Foam is some kind of super foam, unknown to the masses, but I went to the grocery store and bought a $2 can of the store's own brand shaving foam (ICA Basic Shaving Foam). Apart from the terrible scent of the cheap foam (although my wife liked this too, strange woman), it performed only marginally worse at shaving than the Wilkinson foam and much better than the Palmolive soap.

I have decided to give up my dream of finding a soap that is superior to the canned stuff. Instead I want to find the best foam or gel available. I can't get any more Wilkinson Sword foam when my free sample can is empty, since I don't want to subscribe to their cartridge razors. Therefore I need the help of other people who secretly love "canned goo" to find the perfect goo.

I'm ethnic Scandinavian and my skin is very sensitive and has never been tempered by the touch of hard weather or strong beverages. Shaving for me is like harvesting the dust from fairy wings. Fortunately, although I have dense beard growth, my whiskers are very soft and easily cut. Think of a younger Boromir from the Lord of the Rings movies (http://img-fan.theonering.net/~rolozo/images/baldassarre/boromir2.jpg) and what he would have looked like if he had a white collar job instead of being a seasoned warrior. That would be me! So which foam or gel would be the best for someone like me or Boromir?

It has to be locally available, and the following brand-name products are what I can find in the different supermarkets of my town:

Gillette Fusion Hydra Gel Sensitive Skin
Gillette Fusion Hydra Foam Sensitive Skin
Gillette Fusion Proglide Gel Hydrating
Gillette Fusion Proglide Gel Cooling
Gillette Series Gel Conditioning
Gillette Series Gel Sensitive Skin
Gillette Series Foam Sensitive Skin
Gillette Series 5 Irritation Defense
Gillette Gel Sensitive Skin
Gillette Foam Regular
Nivea Moisturizing Shaving Foam
Nivea Sensitive Shaving Gel
Nivea Skin Energy Shaving Gel
BIC Comfort Gel Sensitive
BIC Comfort Foam Sensitive
L'Oreal Men Expert Shaving Gel Anti-Irritation
L'Oreal Men Expert Shaving Gel Hydra Sensitive

Then there are numerous no-name products and stuff meant for women. I don't have access to Barbasol, which otherwise seems to be the most recommended canned product.

They all seem to be aimed toward people with sensitive skin, but which one is a notch above the rest? My main focus is on irritation, but hydrating properties and slickness is welcome too. Softening the beard would be overkill and I don't like products that smell strongly.

 

[rand77]

Out of that list I've only tried Gillette Fusion Proglide (a few variants). In all honesty, the lubricating properties were not that bad, it compared well with traditional lather. If you are set on canned, try Barbasol, it's the best canned shave cream I've tried. It's widely available here in North America, but I'm not sure if its available around the world.

However I would recommend you try a traditional soap or cream again. The brush / soap combination you used isn't the greatest, and your troubles could possible be caused by factors other than the lather (aggressive razor, wrong blade choice, bad lather, bad technique, or your face isn't adapted to DE shaving yet). I say try a traditional cream, they are easy to lather (Taylor of Old Bond is an easy choice), use a more forgiving blade as well.

I know my first DE shave wasn't the most comfortable, my face needed to get accustomed to the blade.

 

[Paddan1000]

Out of that list I've only tried Gillette Fusion Proglide (a few variants). In all honesty, the lubricating properties were not that bad, it compared well with traditional lather.

However I would recommend you try a traditional soap or cream again. The brush / soap combination you used isn't the greatest, and your troubles could possible be caused by factors other than the lather (aggressive razor, wrong blade choice, bad lather, bad technique, or your face isn't adapted to DE shaving yet). I say try a traditional cream, they are easy to lather (Taylor of Old Bond is an easy choice), use a more forgiving blade as well.

I know my first DE shave wasn't the most comfortable, my face needed to get accustomed to the blade.

I will occasionally go back and try soaps and creams again, but as far as I know the only ones available cheaply where I live are the Palmolive ones, pushed back into a dark corner of the shaving shelf at a single one of my local supermarkets. I could order on-line, but then the cost would be much higher and I would have no easy way to smell or feel the soap before i buy it.
But I have had almost no problems with the canned stuff and right now I just want to find the perfect can of foam or gel to be the backbone of my shaving until I feel ready to tackle the soaps again. Even if I my technique still need some improvement, I can easily recognize which products work for me and which ones don't.
When I tried the soap I only switched the lather and nothing else, so I know no other factor could have affected the results.

 

[michiganlover]

See if you can track down some Aveeno. It has a nice almond scent, and is one of the best canned gels I have tried.

Too bad you don't have access to Barbasol. At roughly $1 per can, it's the best value in canned foam, and one of the best canned products period.

 

[vegaskid74]

I have decided to give up my dream of finding a soap that is superior to the canned stuff.

Are you sure you want to give up on your dream after trying only one soap? All of us can name a soap or two that don't work nearly as well for us (irritation, lack of slickness, etc.) as they seem to for everyone else. Euro Palmolive gets great reviews, but it might be one of those soaps that just isn't for you.

 

[kingfisher]

Of the ones you listed I think the Nivea sensitive foam is one of the best.

 

[bryan1980]

Don't give up on soaps just yet. I've only used three so far, and I was lucky enough to like all three. Now, the best soaps aren't usually locally available, but if you're doing wetshaving, you're just going to have to get used to ordering products. Also, try some of the tubed creams (Proraso, Musgo Real, etc.).

Some of your soap problems may be with your lathering technique. For me, the hardest part is adding the right amount of water to the mix. That'll have to come with pratice, but the results will be worth it.

 

[Paddan1000]

Of the ones you listed I think the Nivea sensitive foam is one of the best.

I will try it, then. I used the Nivea gel when I was using cartridges and I liked it very much. Which is the best one, gel or foam?

I apparently only have four companies to choose between; Gillette, Nivea, BIC and L'Oreal. Any comments about a specific company in general? Is there any company or product that I should avoid or that is known to be mediocre?

 

[k2clones29]

Are you sure you want to give up on your dream after trying only one soap? All of us can name a soap or two that don't work nearly as well for us (irritation, lack of slickness, etc.) as they seem to for everyone else. Euro Palmolive gets great reviews, but it might be one of those soaps that just isn't for you.

Agree. It's odd that you're willing to try so many types of gels but only one or two traditional soaps/creams. Give a few more a chance and do some test lathers before you shave so you have the system down. If price is an issue, get some Proraso and/or RazoRock, both excellent, both cheap. Once you get the lather down, you may start to notice a difference. If not, then gel it is.

 

[Paddan1000]

Don't give up on soaps just yet. I've only used three so far, and I was lucky enough to like all three. Now, the best soaps aren't usually locally available, but if you're doing wetshaving, you're just going to have to get used to ordering products. Also, try some of the tubed creams (Proraso, Musgo Real, etc.).

Some of your soap problems may be with your lathering technique. For me, the hardest part is adding the right amount of water to the mix. That'll have to come with pratice, but the results will be worth it.

I will try the soaps again some time in the future. It's just too much of an investment right now, since there are no soap sample packs that I know of.
I tried to mix the Palmolive soap with different amounts of water and saved a splash of lather from each batch for comparison. None of the splashes had satisfactory properties.
But sure, I'll try the Palmolive soap again this weekend. I have a few ideas I want to try. Perhaps if I use a bigger bowl I can whip the lather more efficiently, or I could try heating the water some more.

I live in Sweden, by the way. That's why I don't have access to the stuff that is plentiful in the USA.

 

[Galengwath]

I would second those who've suggested you don't give up on soaps quite yet. Learning to build lather is a skill that takes time - only the very fortunate get it right immediately. As far as not wanting to order soaps without being able to smell them first, many of us know your pain since we live places where there are not many locally available shaving soaps.

 

[bladebuff]

Gillette, Nivea, BIC or L'oreal foams should all work about the same, just pick one you like the best. If possible try and track down canned Noxzema shave cream, they make a nice line over in Europe which is different to what we get here in North America. I prefer canned shave cream to gel but have had a nice shave of two from Nivea Sensitive Shaving Gel.

 

[Paddan1000]

Here, I made some Palmolive lather for you to inspect and give me feedback. I started out with too much water which made the lather runny, but then I added more and more soap until the lather wouldn't get any firmer.
On the second picture I built two "snowmen" from Palmolive soap (left) and no-name canned foam (right). I built them as tall as I could without them falling over. As you can see, the canned foam stays erect, while the Palmolive lather looks tired and sagging. After the picture was taken, the Palmolive lather slowly collapsed and slid of the edge while the canned foam kept its shape until I removed it half an hour later.
Since the canned foam is firmer, it forms a thicker film on my face when I'm shaving thus giving more protection and more lubrication. The Palmolive soap just slides off my face when pushed by the razor.

I have a fun idea. Someone with a soap that gives a really firm lather could build a snowman like mine and post a picture of it, so I can see what lather built by a pro with a professional soap looks like.

 

[AdrianR]

All I can add to this is - YMMV

If canned goo works for you and you are happy to pay the price then go for it! But, as others observed, the joy of 'traditional' soap and brush comes from the huge range of scents and soaps one can buy. Technique - lather building and shaving - is more important than when using canned soap, however.

I use to use Aveeno when I was a Gillette cartridge shaver. Since switching to DE and straights I use Proraso in tube, Kiss My Face and Arko sticks. All of them are cheaper than canned goop, smell better and are just plain nicer to use.

 

[Jclifton]

I don't mind the 'canned goo' I use it when I am in spots where toting my brush along just isn't practical or convient. Now saying that, I much prefer the traditional hard shaving soaps and my brush, I think it makes shaving tons, tons more enjoyable.
i am not entirely convinced you save money with hard soaps as opposed to the canned stuff, bu that is not eh I use tem in the first place.
anyway, I like barbrasol, it is fairly inexpensive, i get I at my local dollar store. But in the years prior to switching to the soaps I use now, I just used whatever ultra moisturizing shave gel that my wif uses, however, I think I have her warming up to the idea of using hard soap and a brush.
aAt any rate if you find the canned goo works better for you, then just stick with it.

 

[RobAtSGH]

If canned goo works for you and you are happy to pay the price then go for it! But, as others observed, the joy of 'traditional' soap and brush comes from the huge range of scents and soaps one can buy. Technique - lather building and shaving - is more important than when using canned soap, however.

Exactly.

For the most part, lather from a quality soap or cream is never going to be identical to shaving foam from a can. For several reasons.

First of all, canned shaving foam typically contains foam stabilizers that creams/soaps don't. Second, canned products are expanded with butane, iso-butane, or some other HC propellant, so they achieve a density and bubble structure that's very different from what you get from whipping air into a soap lather.

That being said, I get better, slicker, more protective lather from a good cream and brush than from a can. Canned foam/gel gets sticky very quickly, to me. I made a Proraso lather just for comparison purposes that filled my hand, was dense yet still glossy and wet, not runny, and formed an excellent cushion between my two palms when pressed together. But it'll never pile a foot high and hang around for a half hour because it's not full of stabilizers, only water. The lather you show in your photo looks too "loose" - too much water to too little soap. Sure, you can get volume, but it's very thin with larger bubbles.

I'm assuming that since you mention ICA, you're in Sweden? Any other Swedes out there who can point this gentleman to other B&M options/products?

If you can lay your hands on some Proraso, Omega, La Toja, Musgo Real, or Erasmic cream, you might have more success. Shave sticks, boar brushes, and face lathering can be individually challenging to start out with, much less the combination of all three.

When building lather with a brush, it's usually best to start with more product than you need, and add water in small amounts as you work it. That way, you can see how the lather changes with the proportion of soap to water. Start with too little soap, and the proper ratio is such a narrow band that you can go from too little water to too much in a heartbeat.

 

[winston61]

the best canned cream I've tried is Aveeno Therapeutic Shave Gel. An exellent product and a good value.

 

[Paddan1000]

I could get a number of shave creams, but the cheapest ones (Tabac, Proraso and Taylor of Bond Street) cost 20-25 dollars with shipping included. I could buy one, but without feeling out the product first I wouldn't know which one I like best and it would break my shaving budget and my marriage if I bought all of them just to try them out. For comparison, a tube of Palmolive shave cream, which is the only one I can buy directly from a store, costs 4 dollars. The Palmolive soap stick costs 3 dollars and a can of the most expensive canned stuff (all of the Gillette Fusion) costs 7 dollars. A can of Nivea is more reasonably priced at 5 dollars.
Sometimes I can find Arko soap sticks at Swedish Ebay for 6 dollars or more, but I don't think I could stand the scent since lemons always remind me of death (it's a long story).

I've searched for Aveeno and Barbasol, but neither is available anywhere in Sweden. Not even from online stores...

EDIT: I just found Erasmic for sale in an online store. With shipping, the soap costs only 13 dollars and the cream only 10 dollars. I'll buy that, I think. Does it smell pleasantly and discrete?
Still, keep recommending "canned goo" for my back-up.

 

[MrDentini]

@paddan Do you want to try a PANNACREMA sample? It will paint your face

 

[vegaskid74]

Here, I made some Palmolive lather for you to inspect and give me feedback. I started out with too much water which made the lather runny, but then I added more and more soap until the lather wouldn't get any firmer.
On the second picture I built two "snowmen" from Palmolive soap (left) and no-name canned foam (right). I built them as tall as I could without them falling over. As you can see, the canned foam stays erect, while the Palmolive lather looks tired and sagging. After the picture was taken, the Palmolive lather slowly collapsed and slid of the edge while the canned foam kept its shape until I removed it half an hour later.
Since the canned foam is firmer, it forms a thicker film on my face when I'm shaving thus giving more protection and more lubrication. The Palmolive soap just slides off my face when pushed by the razor.

I have a fun idea. Someone with a soap that gives a really firm lather could build a snowman like mine and post a picture of it, so I can see what lather built by a pro with a professional soap looks like.

View attachment 263721

View attachment 263722

I regularly get lather as dense as the sample on the right appears to be using Arko, Cella, Tabac, MdC, Proraso, and several other soaps. The sample on the left looks like what I usually get with MWF. Zing! As others have mentioned, technique is critical and takes time to develop. I think the effort is worth it, others may not.