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Should Traditional Wet Shavers Use Barbasol? What Say You? (Philosophical Debate)

Chandu

I Waxed The Badger.
My PERSONAL second most used lather (see chart below) since I started experimenting with DEs, soaps, creams, and brushes more than 3 years ago is

Barbasol Original in the can

If you look at the first lather, you’ll notice it’s just one of the most legendary of wet shaving products, for good reason. The other lathers further down the list are no slouches either. Tabac is my favorite cooler weather soap for the scent and performance. Without trying to go off topic, the new vegan stuff is better as far as I’m concerned too but that’s for a different thread…

I love Barbasol when I don’t feel like using a brush and/or the weather is on the warmer side. Barbasol just works really well. It’s not really slick but with a gentler razor it’s perfectly fine.

Barbasol is one of the few American drug store products that does not belong on the bottom shelf. Paired with a milder cart like the Bic Twin Select or Gillette Guard, close comfort with a nice scent left behind.

Barbasol Original: Yes ✅

View attachment 1563165
I like their stuff in the Orange or Purple can ahead of Orig. To me it's better.
 
I haven't tried canned foam or gel in several years, but my recollection is that they just are not "wet" enough to provide sufficient slickness for me to prevent skin irritation, particularly on my neck.

Barbasol makes a fairly dense foam. Problem is that it just sits on top of your face. It doesn't really provide much lubrication.

Gel is dry if you don't add water. I make sure my face is thoroughly wet and my hands are wet.

I put a small amount at the ends of my fingers. I want to apply it to my face and spread it around while it is still in gel form.

As I rub it around, it turns into lather but there is still a base of gel that bonds to your face. I create a thin but smooth and dense layer of lather.

I preform a thorough one-pass shave, buffing as necessary, as long as I still have lubrication.

When you no longer have lubrication and your skin is dry, which by that time, that area of your face is done.

As I splash water on my face to clear away the lather, the water re-lubricates my face. My face is now completely clear and very slick.

You can move your hands and feel the slickness and where you still have some clean-up to do.

I do mostly XTG when cleaning up. I re-wet my face again and what does remain is very slick because it is water soluble. I catch any small areas I want extra close, maybe a few ATG strokes on occasion I want an extra close shave. Then a final rinse and Aqua Velva.

Water will evaporate. That is not a problem, with gel, you can still re-wet your face and continue shaving.

I don't really buy any other commercial personal care products, just soap and deodorant stick.

Shaving gel was invented to replace traditional shaving soaps. Shaving soaps are around 45% fat. That works perfect for DE shaving but it clogs cartridge razor blades.

Gel easily washes clean with water. A 7 oz. can lasts me over two months.

For about 50% more, gel works far better, perfectly for me. A can of gel, my razor and a tuck of blades and I am good to go! And, I mostly shave with a R41, so gel is really no problem. Barbasol just doesn't provide the necessary degree of lubrication.
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
Barbasol makes a fairly dense foam. Problem is that it just sits on top of your face. It doesn't really provide much lubrication.

Gel is dry if you don't add water. I make sure my face is thoroughly wet and my hands are wet.

I put a small amount at the ends of my fingers. I want to apply it to my face and spread it around while it is still in gel form.

As I rub it around, it turns into lather but there is still a base of gel that bonds to your face. I create a thin but smooth and dense layer of lather.

I preform a thorough one-pass shave, buffing as necessary, as long as I still have lubrication.

When you no longer have lubrication and your skin is dry, which by that time, that area of your face is done.

As I splash water on my face to clear away the lather, the water re-lubricates my face. My face is now completely clear and very slick.

You can move your hands and feel the slickness and where you still have some clean-up to do.

I do mostly XTG when cleaning up. I re-wet my face again and what does remain is very slick because it is water soluble. I catch any small areas I want extra close, maybe a few ATG strokes on occasion I want an extra close shave. Then a final rinse and Aqua Velva.

Water will evaporate. That is not a problem, with gel, you can still re-wet your face and continue shaving.

I don't really buy any other commercial personal care products, just soap and deodorant stick.

Shaving gel was invented to replace traditional shaving soaps. Shaving soaps are around 45% fat. That works perfect for DE shaving but it clogs cartridge razor blades.

Gel easily washes clean with water. A 7 oz. can lasts me over two months.

For about 50% more, gel works far better, perfectly for me. A can of gel, my razor and a tuck of blades and I am good to go! And, I mostly shave with a R41, so gel is really no problem. Barbasol just doesn't provide the necessary degree of lubrication.

I want to thank you for your well thought out post, I love hearing about other folks experiences with products, especially when the question is, should we use proper shave soaps, or just use canned foam. Part of the question was, is even canned foam good enough for DE shaves? The general consensus seems to agree with my thoughts on it, that canned foam in its own, doesn't provide the proper slickness.

Some folks state that if your face and hands are wet enough, can foam will work better for slickness. Other's, suggest that a cream works better, which kind of makes sense if you think about it. I am hoping those tubes of Barbasol 1919 cream are any good, and that I like their performance as well as the scent, only time will tell.

I will say, one of the reasons why shave soaps work so good, is due to the tallow fat in the soaps, makes them real slick, helps that razor to glide. I have used the gel products, but only when doing cart shaving, or to enhance electric shaving. I've used Gillette gel's and Edge gel's before. I don't remember any significant difference between them, other then the fact they smell different lol.

Have you noticed however, that in general, commercial mass produced products, never seem to have quality strong scents? Thats one of the things I had noticed when I had switched to artisan soaps, I couldn't believe how much better they smelled. Well, not so much my first soap when I first started traditional wet shaving, Tabac. LOL! But once I jumped onto the Stirling train, oh heck yes!

I had Proraso soap once bond to my face. It was during the warm season, the soap dried out on my face, and suddenly I felt like my face was in a cast mold, the soap and I became bonded. Not a fun experience, that will teach ya to add more water HAHA! I tell you what, regardless of what soap you use, if you use a Rex Ambassador razor, after you make your first passes, you are done. That razor scoops the lather off your face like a vacuum cleaner lol.

Because of the water evaporation problem, thats why I got a Flairisol, with is a ultra fine mister spray bottle. That has been pivitol in my wet shaving, as it helps to keep my face moist before I re-apply lather. That has gone a long way for me. Because before I got that spray bottle, my face would not stay wet enough upon lather re-application, and that meant that I wasn't having the best shaves that I could.

Thanks again for posting your experience, I really appreciate it, your awesome!

youre awesome bill murray GIF
 
Part of the question was, is even canned foam good enough for DE shaves? The general consensus seems to agree with my thoughts on it, that canned foam in its own, doesn't provide the proper slickness.

I bought a can of Barbasol back in early September, so that I could compare it to Edge and Gillette gel.

Interestingly enough, a video from Matt at Razor Emporium popped up on the YouTube home page. It was about starting DE shaving on a budget, at the drug store. Matt bought the King C. Gillette DE razor for $30 and a can of Barbasol.

Here is his video:

Walgreens Beginner Safety Razor Shave - King C. Gillette and Matt's FIRST Barbasol Experience!

I thought his experiences pretty much mirrored my own.

In the video, Matt does make an interesting comment (just past the 6-minute mark). He has a source at the razor blade factory that confirmed that the King C. Gillette DE razor blades (which sell for $6 for a box of ten blades) are actually rebranded Gillette Platinum's, which are currently selling in the $19.95 price range on Amazon for a pack of 100 blades. This is about 1/3 the cost of the King C. Gillette blades and way less than cartridge blades.

This does make sense, as the King C. Gillette DE razor is being produced for the American wet shaving market and the sales are probably small when compared with other offerings by Gillette. Doesn't really make much sense for them to go to the expense of creating yet another DE razor blade, in addition to the numerous blades they currently manufacture.

Gillette already supplies a package of Gillette Platinum blades with their Gillette Heritage DE razor.

One of the comments on the video was:

That's exactly what I would have bought. Safe bets. All three. I love barbasol. It doesn't lube like soap. It's its own beast. I creates a lot of cushion. I never try to spot touch up with it, because it leaves almost no residual slickness. If I need a touch up, I reapply and go for a second pass. Great video, Dude.

(I did the bold for emphasis....)

Another comment:

I always used Edge shave gel. I think it is a Gillette product, maybe not. I just bought more of it as I am comparing it to various soaps. I feel that with soap I have to reapply because the slickness is gone after 1 pass. The edge gel has something in it that continues to lubricate after several passes. Still experimenting though. Will update you after your next big box store video.

I found the video and these comments are right on the money describing Barbasol as compared to gel.
 
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Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
Before I got into wet shaving I stocked up on a lot of canned goo and I figured I had to use it up rather than throwing them away. So since then when I build lather on my face with traditional soap I squirt a little goo on the brush. Using it this way works great!

These days I like to stock up on shave soaps, aftershaves, and blades. With the way things are going right now in the logistics industry, I am preparing for a logistics crash, that is kind of already here right now. Gotta build up that supply, because there is gonna be a point, where I won't be able to get product anymore, until supply chains free up again.

Here's my new Barbasol 1919 cream!

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These tubes look lovely in my shave den. But oddly enough, once I tore the seal off these tubes, I couldn't smell the product. So I assume I have to actually dispense the cream and put it onto my face to smell it?

And here is a picture of my Stirling soap collection, it began as a forming mountain on my shave soap shelf, now starting to take the shape of a Saturn 5 rocket lol.

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I don't believe in throwing away product, because that cost money. I was raised that way when it comes to food as well. There are starving kids in this world, never throw away food. If there is some food you don't want to eat, give it to another family member, friend, or neighbor. Or if its sealed canned food, give to salvation army, stuff like that. And even if a particular soap, gives me a bad reaction on my skin, again, give it to someone else, but never throw away. Good deal!

Sometimes you gotta squirt a little goo, to make a super lather come alive! I am glad that you found a way that works best for you, this is what I like to hear!
 
For you 16-20 year olds, I think before the days of shaving forums you had the big 3. Barbasol, Schick and Gillette.

I made the choice. Barbasol for razor, Schick for gel and Gillette for razor. You get rid of one razor, keep one razor and keep one gel.

My grandfather said all shaving cream technology today is suitable for what you are doing and it’s hard not to pick a decent product.

When I was traveling 30,000 miles for work every month I used Gillette Fusion and Gillette Foamy and Gillette Fusion gel and Schick Edge. The foamy made me smell like an old man and I liked it. Never had a reason to consider Barbasol with so many better choices. Being off the road today I like sleeping in my own bed and waking up to safety razors. I don’t need 5 blades anymore and I can pick lots of better soaps.

Barbasol and CREMO made my stomach sick. Good enough reason not to use a product if you do not like the way you feel.
 

Chandu

I Waxed The Badger.
My grandfather said all shaving cream technology today is suitable for what you are doing and it’s hard not to pick a decent product.
He's right. We talk about this or that as unacceptable to us or not good enough. Truth is we mean it's not near to perfect for us. Whether you are using DE, SE or a cart they are all decent these days.

Some do have legit problems with multiblade and some have legit problems with one, but in general, hard to go wrong.
 
Maybe one day, they will invent a whipped cream that you can both eat, and shave with, then you can really justify the purchase.

I really do have the urge to try this. I mean, whipped cream does have butterfat in it already.

In a few hours, I will be starting with a new blade for the week. Maybe I will go ahead and try shaving with canned whipped cream?

My blade will be my first time shaving with a Lord Super Platinum. This should not be anything ultra sharp. I will use a mild 34c razor.

This should be a good comparison to Barbasol...
 
Don't become a shave snob and jump on the band wagon declaring all canned foam or carts as evil. Wet shaving is wet shaving if water and a blade of any type is involved. Use what works best for you and you enjoy .
I did as many others have and used the products that were being advertised at the time. Barbasol being my foam of choice and the Alta cartridge handle is still in an empty mug on the shelf. Several years ago I found that the traditional razors and brushes were making a comeback. I enjoy using hard soaps , brush and de razors , along with many other items most people consider antiques.
Modern Barbasol tube shaving cream is not on the top of my list, although I do occasionally use it. The problem I have with it is that it doesn't rinse off my razor easily. The brushless cream I remember from the early 80's , when in the Corp's was a much better product. The new version is in my opinion, is Cremo in a different tube . I've used a few different brands and they all seem the same to me. Performance is good , clean up is not. They don't simply rinse off . Running hot water is needed and not always available.
So again use what works best for you.
 

Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker

Likes a fat handle in his hand
Hello everyone!

I know its been a long time, I didn't get around to testing the Barbasol 1919 cream till today. This is an SWCT report.

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Water supply used: Hard Tap Water non-filtered
Razor Used: Henson AL13 ++ Original Aluminum Version
Product Application Method: Brushless Cream Used Hands To Apply

(1) Cream squeezes easily, out of the tube.
(2) Application of cream can be applied quite easily to the face.
(3) Cream does not form a lather like a shave soap.
(4) Cream forms a thin but very slick protective layer.
(5) Cream can begin to dry on face quite quickly, even in cool temperatures, make sure to keep it moist!
(6) Cream seemed to provide the necessary slickness for the blade, for the most part.
(7) Cream turns into a goo and clogs the razor, requiring a toothpick to clean out after each pass.
(8) I was using cold water, so maybe that contributed to the clogging, maybe cream needs hot water?
(9) Cream has a nice scent to it, but its a light scent, and won't last much after the shave.

Final thoughts:

I had greater hopes for this product. I thought that this would be faster then both bowl lathering, or even faster then facial lathering using a shave stick and brush. I believe that is the point of a brushless cream, am I wrong? Because it felt like I was shaving with a cartridge razor all over again, where the thing would get clogged after each pass. The cream turns into a goo in the razor and clogs it after each pass. So that alone is a big fail.

Was the product designed to be used with only hot water? Is hot water required to dissipate the cream, and prevent it from gooing up in the razor? What it did do positively however, is keep my face slick for the razor, provided the cream was kept moist. I had to use my Flairisol several times to keep the cream moist, so that the razor would glide.

And it takes a long time to get the cream off my fingers, because its so slick. I have a distinct feeling I might need to buy some Draino next month, yes, because it just might clog up my drain, just as it does with my razor. lol I'd have to test this cream again with hot water next time, in order to know for sure. But for now, based on my experience of using it today, I can not give this product a recommendation.

🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars.
 
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