Favorite "Modern" cream,soap,gel,foam, etc

[Chandu]

Since this is the home of the "modern" what is your lube of choice?

Mine is Schick Hydrosense Comfort Shave Cream. A little dab will do ya and the residual slickness is enough for all the passes and buffing you will ever want to do.

 

[ajkel64]

Either Nivea Sensitive Cream/Gel or Aldi’s Prince Sensitive. Both are canned products and are excellent IMHO.

 

[Uncle Brian]

I have Nivea Sensitive Gel, it's good stuff and better than the foam. I use a brush to build a nice lather but it works fine straight from the can.

 

[Joncr]

Trader Joe's Shave Cream, Kiss My Face. Are these modern? - most any TOBS, MWF.

 

[Whilliam]

Nivea or Dove for Men. I find they work about equally well.

 

[FaceScraper]

My fav modern creams are proraso red and green in a tube .


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[RayClem]

I have shaved with everything from bath and face soap bars, shampoo, canned foams and gels, traditional soaps and creams and artisan soaps. I have evaluated nearly 50 different soap bases and over 130 different products total. However, as there are over 1000 such products in the marketplace, I have still only tried fraction of what is available.

I have a tough beard and sensitive skin. I tend to use very aggressive razors to deal with my beard, including straight razors, so my criteria for an excellent soap tend to be more particular than many. The ones I enjoy most are easy to load the brush, easy to lather, have excellent primary slickness and residual slickness, excellent cushion/protection from the blade, and excellent post shave moisturizing and nourishment. There are numerous products that meet several of those criteria, but the only soaps that I have used that have excelled at all of those criteria are artisan soaps.

There are some traditional soaps like Mitchells Wool Fat and Tabac that are more difficult to lather, so they lose points on loading and lathering, but once lathered do an excellent job on the other criteria.

Many of the less expensive products may provide excellent primary slickness, but may not provide much in the way of residual slickness, cushion or post-shave conditioning. Depending upon your skin and the razors and blades you use, these criteria may be less important to you. I rate products like Cremo and Kiss My Face as "C" level products. Depending upon the formula, canned foams and gels would rate as either "C" or "D" level products according to my criteria.

Currently, my elite "A+" level soaps are: Murphy and McNeil Eisteacht base, Ariana & Evans yogurt base, Wholly Kaw Bufala base, Barrister & Mann Excelsior base, and Cold River Soap Works Glide base. There are several others: Captains' Choice, Caties Bubbles, Declaration Grooming, Grooming Department, Lisa's Natural, Noble Otter, Oleo Soapworks, and other soaps bases from the aforementioned artisans that I rate as "A" level soaps. They still provide an excellent shave, but fall slightly below the elite soaps on at least one of the criteria. Most of these artisan soaps are significantly more expensive than the products you can purchase in drugstore chains and discount stores, but the performance is far better. Only you can determine if improved performance is worth the cost.

 

[Chandu]

Most of these artisan soaps are significantly more expensive than the products you can purchase in drugstore chains and discount stores, but the performance is far better. Only you can determine if improved performance is worth the cost.

I have one of your "A" list that I'm trying to come to terms with. I think when the dust settles, I will prefer several C, D, E and F listers to it. It's a well known one that get's a LOT of attention and is typically sold out.

I didn't specifically exclude artisan soaps from my question, but I wasn't thinking of them. I was thinking of mass produced items, but should have stated that. Many artisan offerings are modern, no doubt about it.

So far I've only tried a few artisan offerings, but in every case, I've found mass produced items that I prefer.

 

[idan]

gel: Gillette Fusion Proglide shaving gel 1-2 / Gillette Fusion5 Ultra Sensitive Shaving gel.
Aftershave: Aqua Velva Ice Blue splash, Nivea Protect&Care Aftershave balm (Regular Version).
Razor: Gillette Fusion5 / Gillette Fusion Proglide.

 

[RayClem]

I have one of your "A" list that I'm trying to come to terms with. I think when the dust settles, I will prefer several C, D, E and F listers to it. It's a well known one that get's a LOT of attention and is typically sold out.

I didn't specifically exclude artisan soaps from my question, but I wasn't thinking of them. I was thinking of mass produced items, but should have stated that. Many artisan offerings are modern, no doubt about it.

So far I've only tried a few artisan offerings, but in every case, I've found mass produced items that I prefer.

When I state my top soaps, I always state the criteria I use in evaluating them I realize that many people will have criteria that differ from mine; that is perfectly fine by me. I have a friend who has oily skin and he avoids many of my elite soaps because he needs a soap that removes oils from his skin. Some folks prefer a lather with limited cushion as they believe they get a closer shave without extra cushion; my sensitive skin needs all the protection it can get. So I do understand why some folks do not agree with my rankings.

 

[ZJ68]

Van Der Hagen shave butter and Jack Black beard lube.

 

[StuMcB]

Latley I've been using a new product by erasmic. Its an Alovera no foam gel in a small tube. It has no real scent but leaves the skin feeling refreshed without a menthol kick and very smooth. Best is it only cost 79p from my local savers store.

 

[AZBronco]

My preferred gel is Aveeno, but the only gel I have right now is a Gillette Fusion Pro Glide that was a gift. I don't like the Gillette mostly for the scent but it gets the job done when I'm in a rush. For travel, I prefer the little travel Barbasol--it works great. Sometime I might try the Proraso shave foam in a can.

 

[Chandu]

Van Der Hagen shave butter and Jack Black beard lube.

I'll have to give the VDH a try. I do like their soap puck. I have the Deluxe one.

A couple I have not seen named that I like a lot. 1. Duke Cannon Superior Grade Shaving Cream 2. Dorco D Creme Shave Cream. If you like menthol, I highly recommend it.

 

[Chandu]

When I state my top soaps, I always state the criteria I use in evaluating them I realize that many people will have criteria that differ from mine; that is perfectly fine by me. I have a friend who has oily skin and he avoids many of my elite soaps because he needs a soap that removes oils from his skin. Some folks prefer a lather with limited cushion as they believe they get a closer shave without extra cushion; my sensitive skin needs all the protection it can get. So I do understand why some folks do not agree with my rankings.

I understand it's all a YMMV. But many of the things you look for, I do too. My tops are slickness and residual slickness. Cushion, I don't care about, and want less of it the more blades I have on the cart. Lots of times I won't re-lather for the second pass. Just water on the soap residue. I'm just frustrated when a $25 soap performs no better for me than many soaps that cost under $6. I understand diminishing returns, but for the additional $19 I expect some difference I can distinguish. I think with some soaps there is a strong case of gazing upon the emperor's new suit.

To be fair I did use the soap I alluded to earlier in the thread yesterday and it did better. The lather may need to be wetter than I originally thought.

 

[turkish]

Harry's

 

[Beakerz]

Before I switched to a brush and soap/cream, I used Zirh almost exclusively. Really was good stuff, but the scent left something to be desired.

 

[Sabre]

I tend to just use traditional soaps and creams. However, I am building up a stock of L'Occitane shaving gels. They are always including in their free promotional gift bags. I should either use them or flog them on eBay.

 

[Badgerstate36]

So Im guessing were talking whats commerically available in supermarkets, not artisan soaps. For that, Id have to go with good ole Barbasol or Gillette Foamy.
Im not a big fan of brushless creams or gels. I dont like the brushless stuff because theres no lather and I cant tell where I havent shaved yet and I dont like gels because they tend to gum up my razors.
With Barbasol/Foamy, its dirt cheap, lasts a long time (a golf ball sized amount per pass is plenty for me) and if you add a bit of water to it you can get lots of slickness out of it.

 

[Chandu]

I dont like the brushless stuff because theres no lather and I cant tell where I havent shaved yet and I dont like gels because they tend to gum up my razors.

I do like the brushless and prefer the slickness of them to many others, but canned is great too and as you say with some water it gets slick. You are right about most brushless being hard to see. Some are a little whiter than others.

I'm a full face shaver so like the white coating so I can see where I've been, but honestly clear works just fine as I have a pretty much set pattern I shave in and really don't need to "sight shave" that much. The counter point to this is I see a lot of the beard guys that are doing neck and cheek cleanup, like the clear because they can see the lines of their beard clearly and not shave into it.