Most Men ruin a shave with too much foam - 1961
- Thread starter jb4647
- Start date
Nice ad thanks for posting!
I love these old ads!
Wow. A very informative ad from that era.
I hate it when there's too much starch in my beard (or my shirts for that matter.)
I hate it when there's too much starch in my beard (or my shirts for that matter.)
I like how the add says you only need one teaspoon but there appears to be at least 2 tablespoons of cream on the hand in the picture. Unless it is a very, very tiny hand.
Where are you finding those ads? They're great. Thanks for posting.
mmmmm 1960's creamy goodness 
"Most men ruin a shave with too much foam"...
Even then they were gently telling you that canned goo was crap...
Even then they were gently telling you that canned goo was crap...
Maybe they meant 1 teaspoon per pass 2 tablespoons is enough for a 4 pass shave
2 Tbs = 6 tsp.
- Thread starter
- #11
Browsing the 'net.
Am I using too much?
Those old adds are great
Those old adds are great
Ads today are completely contrary, they would tell you to use more product!
I love that ad! How often do you see this kind of honesty in advertising? Thanks for sharing!
Can you give an example of a search inquiry???
Uh, google "old shaving adds"
Nice.
These days, your friendly multi-national conglomerate is likely to try selling you shaving foam in a vibrating battery powered container (that uses their proprietary batteries best of course) with the pitch "shaken not stirred".
These days, your friendly multi-national conglomerate is likely to try selling you shaving foam in a vibrating battery powered container (that uses their proprietary batteries best of course) with the pitch "shaken not stirred".
You don't say....
Well, the ad is not being completely honest. What they are exploiting is something that has hitherto disappeared from most men's shaving complaints: product to water ratio problems and water quality issues that exacerbated this. This is something that we here are still familiar with (especially shaving soap users). Back in those days most men still used shaving soap and just like guys here some days were an off day where too much soap was used and a dry lather ensued with flakes etc or just an unsatisfactory lather that wasn't slick and protective enough because of poor water quality. Such a thing can starch the beard because the overabundance of product seeks to draw water from wherever it can, meaning the wet whiskers. And just like some newbies here some guys back in the day just didn't acquire the skills to make a proper lather and always got inconsistent results. Many, if not most, of these problems were highly exacerbated or were even caused by variance of water quality (which is still a problem today).
Hence the can of foam which not only promised perfect lather every time (because they could deliver consistent water quality in every can of foam) but quick lather for the "go getter" because the "go-getter" maximized his time to be successful. And, of course, the mix was always perfect because it was done in the factory to exacting standards in every can thus completely eliminating, for their users, the starching problems experienced in past generations.
In the beginning of canned foam, as it competed with shaving soap and cream, you can bet it was made with a richer formula than we know today because it sought to draw away even the men who had the skills and water quality to minimize the inconsistency problems. I hypothesize that as they garnered nearly all the market they did what every business does, move to cut cost by using cheaper ingredients that were marginally worse and/or less ingredients that still yielded a good foam. And so the gambit was initiated that has brought us to the current state of things.
Today, we've been there and done that and we, who choose to use traditional products, choose to do so because they yield a superior result when properly applied. There's work involved as well as some time. We've realized that the difference, in most cases, is negligible with mastery of skill and consistent water quality. And the result is worth it because it's much superior for our refined tastes.
As a straight razor user I would not use a canned product at all because it simply will not yield the kind of rich protective lather I have come to love with traditional soap. I believe all men deserve this no matter their choice of blade. I invite them to come back, yea actually, forward and experience the type lather that delivers superior shaves IMHO.
Chris
Hence the can of foam which not only promised perfect lather every time (because they could deliver consistent water quality in every can of foam) but quick lather for the "go getter" because the "go-getter" maximized his time to be successful. And, of course, the mix was always perfect because it was done in the factory to exacting standards in every can thus completely eliminating, for their users, the starching problems experienced in past generations.
In the beginning of canned foam, as it competed with shaving soap and cream, you can bet it was made with a richer formula than we know today because it sought to draw away even the men who had the skills and water quality to minimize the inconsistency problems. I hypothesize that as they garnered nearly all the market they did what every business does, move to cut cost by using cheaper ingredients that were marginally worse and/or less ingredients that still yielded a good foam. And so the gambit was initiated that has brought us to the current state of things.
Today, we've been there and done that and we, who choose to use traditional products, choose to do so because they yield a superior result when properly applied. There's work involved as well as some time. We've realized that the difference, in most cases, is negligible with mastery of skill and consistent water quality. And the result is worth it because it's much superior for our refined tastes.
As a straight razor user I would not use a canned product at all because it simply will not yield the kind of rich protective lather I have come to love with traditional soap. I believe all men deserve this no matter their choice of blade. I invite them to come back, yea actually, forward and experience the type lather that delivers superior shaves IMHO.
Chris
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