i am new to traditional shaving i have used canned foam and cartridge razors for some agonizing and unclose shaves....now i am trying to transform myself to de shaving please i want to know what the shave cream does to the beard in helping to shave.. also what should i look for in a good shave cream. One more which one to choose from in case of after-shave. I have used after shave balms but curious about old spice/ aqua velva or witch hazel.. I appreciate all replies.
importance of a shave cream or soap.....what should i look for when getting one?
- Thread starter vhlx
- Start date
Welcome! The cream/soap/canned goop all do the same thing some just do it better. Lubrication, cushioning, moisturizing. I've never tried a cream but there are lots of good soaps out there. Just a matter of what you like. Be aware that some may not agree with your skin because of fragrance or other ingredients. Many love Arko and it is cheap. I get VanDerHagen (VDH) at the local big box mart and it works well for me. Mitchell's Wool Fat is another favorite of many but some are sensitive to the lanolin in it.
Welcome to B&B! There are lot of opinions flying around on this forum regarding these topics and inspite of receiving very specific answers to your personal question here on this thread, you will still have to try out many of the popular creams and soaps for yourself to form your own opinion. There are some excellent creams and soaps.
1. Not pricey but A+: Proraso, Speick, Musgo
2. Big names - Trumpers, T&H, Taylor of Old Bond.
3. Artisan- Mama Bear's, QCS, Mike's Natural, Mystic Water
To understand what the cream does to the beard? Let's get practical - try Proraso
... and Mike's 
Try all of these and you will understand for your own.
1. Not pricey but A+: Proraso, Speick, Musgo
2. Big names - Trumpers, T&H, Taylor of Old Bond.
3. Artisan- Mama Bear's, QCS, Mike's Natural, Mystic Water
To understand what the cream does to the beard? Let's get practical - try Proraso
... and Mike's Try all of these and you will understand for your own.
Then there are old 'Classics' that are both low cost and many still have in rotation, and may be easy way to start to experiment, such as Palmolive and Erasmic.
Last edited:
I'm still pretty new to this myself. I started with Tabac because I heard it was easy to build a lather with. After a lot of reading about Tabac here I found there is a love/hate relationship with the smell. I personally love the smell and think it is great. As far as building a lather, it's a piece of cake.
In all honesty, I'd try to start with a few samples from the Artisans of B&B. You can always find the over the counter stuff but, samples will be cheaper and let you try out different types of soaps/creams without breaking the bank. This will give you a good idea of how each soap will work for your skin/hair. And if you can't find something you like, expand to the big names. But you'll never have the options of scent or form that you will with Artisans.
With respect to creams, one factor is how slippery they are. The really slippery ones leave your face quite slippery after you've rinsed them off, so that you can go back and safely shave any bits you may have missed or not gotten to well enough, without having to reapply lather.
Of the creams I've tried so far, Trumpers creams are the most slippery, closely followed by Crabtree& Evelyn Nomad and Art Of Shaving creams. Erasmic cream is less slippery, but still slippery. Other creams like Arko and Dr.Lewinns were decidedly unslippery in comparison, as were most soap pucks and shave sticks I've tried.
Arko soap sticks are great, but Arko Regular cream isn't in the same league as far as I'm concerned. Whereas Erasmic sticks and Erasmic cream are different but I like both.
Regards,
Renato
Of the creams I've tried so far, Trumpers creams are the most slippery, closely followed by Crabtree& Evelyn Nomad and Art Of Shaving creams. Erasmic cream is less slippery, but still slippery. Other creams like Arko and Dr.Lewinns were decidedly unslippery in comparison, as were most soap pucks and shave sticks I've tried.
Arko soap sticks are great, but Arko Regular cream isn't in the same league as far as I'm concerned. Whereas Erasmic sticks and Erasmic cream are different but I like both.
Regards,
Renato
Last edited:
Just get a stick of Arko, smush it into a mug, and get busy. Get some pinaud clubman or AV as.
If you're anxious to try something out, you should be able to pick up a tube of Proraso cream at your local Bath and Body Works under the name C.O. Bigelow for about five bucks. It's definitely a great cream, and will give you an idea of what a quality cream/soap lather can do for your shave.
Believe it or not I can get a DFS with just about any cream or soap from my $2 Arko cream to my $16+ English creams. Some may require more or less water and some may need a slightly larger snurdle (portion). There are some bargains to be found but the luxury creams sure do smell good and may perform just a tiny bit better. I keep a bottle of vegetable glycerin on hand and sometimes add a few drops for a "uberlather". Bargain bets for under 10 bucks are Ersamic, any Arko cream or soap, Palmolive cream and stick, proraso/bigelow, Speick, and all Razorocks. Any so-called luxury cream or soap should perform well and most scents are heavenly but personally I have a hard time paying more than $15 for a cream or soap. That said Taylor of Bond Street and Salter's creams are an excellent value when taking into consideration their cost per ounce.
Last edited:
This is one of those "just pick up anything* you can find locally or use to top up an order for free shipping and start using it" situations.
You have no basis for comparison yet, so you just need to try a bunch of different soaps and creams, find out what works for you.
The worst thing you can do is overanalyze up front and hit paralysis through analysis.
* by anything I mean any product that is well recommended on the boards.
You have no basis for comparison yet, so you just need to try a bunch of different soaps and creams, find out what works for you.
The worst thing you can do is overanalyze up front and hit paralysis through analysis.
* by anything I mean any product that is well recommended on the boards.
The soap or cream should smell nice if you prefer it scented. It should lather very well with reasonable effort. It should provide a slick surface for the razor to glide on. It should not cause any undue irritation to your skin. It should leave your skin feeling refreshed, soft and... OK, like a million bucks once you're done.
In both cases, simply reading ingredients or reading opinions won't really answer your question. You really need to have some experience with the options that are out there so you can get a feel for what you like and what you don't like. Without any experience it's difficult for you to ask the questions you need to ask and you can't really provide the answers that others need to give you good recommendations that are directly relevant to you. Try looking into samples if you're just starting out. Or read up in the cream subforum and see if you can find ones that sound like they would be suited to you. Again, experience is your best bet with all DE shaving stuff.
Always keep in mind that this is YMMV. There's no one single shave cream and no one single AS for everyone out there.
Last edited:
Try Kiss My Face shave cream. It's available at a lot of grocery stores (depending on where you are located) it's cheap, easy to use, and a very effective shave cream.
What Chris said. You have to start somewhere or you won't start at all.
Try some BB, or Floris, or any of the T&H line. Remember, the difference in cost between a superb, luxurys Cream and Arko is four lattes
I will say that using a shaving cream or soap is not about getting a better shave (what I just said there is actually entirely untrue), it's about feeling luxurious. You can use your canned goo and get a good shave with it, or you can pick up a brush and make yourself a bowl of lather that smells awesome and will leave you feeling invigorated and satisfied.
The problem with creams and pucks is that they last forever and if you buy just one you'll have saved yourself a ton of money and you'll have to wait eight months to try something else, so I suggest you get more than one. Proraso is great and so far my only experience with a cream (C.O Bigelow is just proraso under another name) But I'll be buying some more stuff just so that I can switch it up and keep the experience new, especially now that I know a lot more about what I'm doing than when I started.
There really is no limit to the amount of things you can change or experiment with when it comes to shaving. Try and tell that to someone who is a slave of gillette cartridges and canned go, they'll look at you like you're crazy.
The problem with creams and pucks is that they last forever and if you buy just one you'll have saved yourself a ton of money and you'll have to wait eight months to try something else, so I suggest you get more than one. Proraso is great and so far my only experience with a cream (C.O Bigelow is just proraso under another name) But I'll be buying some more stuff just so that I can switch it up and keep the experience new, especially now that I know a lot more about what I'm doing than when I started.
There really is no limit to the amount of things you can change or experiment with when it comes to shaving. Try and tell that to someone who is a slave of gillette cartridges and canned go, they'll look at you like you're crazy.
I generally looked at something that was a good price, sounded like it smelled good and had good reviews.
I ended up with RazoRock Third Eye soap as my first..and I am quite pleased with it.
I ended up with RazoRock Third Eye soap as my first..and I am quite pleased with it.
go to the vendors forum and check out Gary's Sample Shop
Similar threads
