Barbasol Canned Goop

[dosco]

Gents:
There have been a few comments distributed throughout the forum with regards to Barbasol canned goop. I seem to recall one post about the relative rarity of one particular version of the stuff ... but I can't find the post.

Perhaps it would be productive to discuss the current Barbasol offerings, and reminisce about products of days gone by?

Cheers-
Dave

[nteeman]

When I can't use a brush and soap/cream and need to use a canned foam - I use Barbasol. IMHO, the best supermarket foam cream available.

I prefer their Aloe or Sensitive but even the regular works fine for me.

[gsgo]

Pretty easy to find the Original and Aloe versions and with some searching I have located the yellow, orange, purple and menthol versions. I have always loved the barbershop scent of the original but find my best Barbasol shaves are with the green striped Aloe can.

I went through a little test phase of canned foam a while back (Barbasol, Foamy, Noxzema, Speick, Proraso and Nivea) and still think Barbasol ranks near the top for the category. I never discount the canned stuff, it works and men have been shaving with it for years with SE, DE and Cartridges.

[Craig_From_Cincy]

While Barbasol is likely the best of the canned goop and is the one I'd choose if forced to buy a can of something, it just doesn't cut it for me. Canned foam or gel doesn't get worked into my thick beard like lather applied with a brush, nor does it leave the sensitive skin on my face feeling soft, smooth and conditioned like a good shave soap or cream does. YMMV as always of course.

[Gene]

Never tried Barbasol...although some folks have mentioned it's not bad.

I was a gel guy for years, but for a couple of years I used the Noxzema Aloe myself. It was OK.

Wouldn't consider going back now, though.

[TRBeck]

I like the scent of original Barbasol, and I can shave with it, but I'd rather not.

The best canned stuff I've used was Proraso, but I may be biased due to the fact that I like its scent and the menthol therein. Performance-wise, Barbasol is fine for what it is. That said, the tactile experience of using a brush is perhaps my favorite part of wetshaving, and I can't see going back to canned stuff.

[kingfisher]

While Barbasol is likely the best of the canned goop and is the one I'd choose if forced to buy a can of something, it just doesn't cut it for me. Canned foam or gel doesn't get worked into my thick beard like lather applied with a brush, nor does it the sensitive skin on my face feeling soft, smooth and conditioned like a good shave soap or cream does. YMMV as always of course.

+1.

forced to use it on a brief trip a few months ago, it proved to me once again that nothing beats a hand-crafted shaving soap lather.

[brothers]

If we knew how much Barbasol goes flying off the shelves every minute of every day, we'd be amazed.

[Craig_From_Cincy]

If we knew how much Barbasol goes flying off the shelves every minute of every day, we'd be amazed.

I'm sure that a great deal of it sells, if for no other reason than he has mass distribution at Walgreens, CVS, kroger, Giant Eagle, Walmart, etc. It makes me wonder that if a company like AOS etc offered an entry-level DE, badger brush, soap and/or cream at a store like Target a great many more men would try traditional wetshaving?

[harper]

I doubt most of you are old enough to recall WW2 in the US when it was difficult to get decent shaving soap or creams (mostly brushless but some that were not) so when aerosol cans of shaving cream/soap came on the market after the war they were considered by most shavers as a remarkable advance. They actually worked and were far superior to most of the soaps/creams available. Now, with most of us able to get the best British or other creams and soaps aerosol shaving cream is looked at pejoratively and I think that is a mistake. While I prefer a brush and Trumper creams for a good many reasons I can get one hell of a great shave with any canned cream or gel. In fact, in terms of emoluments and shaving results my experience is that a lot of the canned creams do a better job than a lot of soaps and creams ... excluding the best, of course.

[divotmax]

I've found a couple of things which help using a canned foam. I wash my face with a fairly rough washcloth to exfoliate a little and remove oils and any residual debris, then rinse with warm water. I put a blob of foam in my hand, then work in a little water to make the foam more liquid. It seems this breaks down the air in the foam so it doesn't dry out so quickly. The remainder is a fairly thick, rich lather that stays moist on the face longer. Gels don't do so well with this and are just a different breed of canned goop.

[bernards66]

Dave, Well, I used canned Barbasol for the first 20 years or so of my shaving 'career' and I still think it's the best of it's ilk...at least of any that are still for sale. There were a couple I tried in the earlier '70s that seemed even better but they are long gone....don't even remember for sure what their names were. The Barbasol I mostly used was the Lime scented version. That one disappeared a number of years back. I think I may still have a partial can of it around somewhere. With the Lime one gone I think I'd just get the Original. The stuff works okay for me but as others have said, the shave experiance is not nearly so pleasing and my skin does not feel as good afterwards compared with top quality shave soaps and lathering creams.
Regards,
Gordon

[maskaggs]

I use Barbasol quite often. I think the can I currently have is orange, although I've no idea what that means - I don't pay that much attention to the canned stuff.

I'm still on the learning curve with lathering with extremely hard water, so I have a tough time lathering my entire head when I need to shave it. I end up using Barbasol most of the time for that particular task and it works just fine. I use it on my face when I'm in a real hurry. I find that using a DE with proper technique is more important than the cream, but YMMV. The thing I can't stand is canned gel that turns into a foam when applied. It just goops up my face and doesn't shave well at all.

[rsp1202]

Though I like its creaminess, Barbasol dries me out. Gillette Foamy Lemon Lime foam is the go-to when the situation calls for it.

[Julius_Rodman]

Goop in a can does a decent job.

The enjoyment of the brush and good cream/soap is a big part of this pursuit, but some days I don't have the time or energy to spend on prep.

It does get that hectic...

[Racso_MS]

T-R-A-I-T-O-R-S...all of you. But, on the other hand...if it works for you...it works. Have at it...