Lather with soaps and creams

[brothers]

Just between you and me - most (all?) Non-aerosol soap based creams and hard soaps can never create LATHER without a shave brush. 100%. Focus on that fact. We love brushes.

There was a time when I was a boy and a young man I had to use aerosol canned shaving cream. Then as the years rolled by I was led to believe that without lather and a brush it's not possible to shave my face properly.

Over time I experimented with non-soap, lotions, and creams and slowly have uncovered the truth that I get overall better shaving results WITHOUT any soap-suds brush-applied lather.

[CMur12]

You've got my attention, Gary.

So, what has given you the best shaving results, over brush-generated lather? I know you've mentioned using Noxzema cold cream. What else?

While it's sometimes enjoyable to use a brush and shaving soap, I've long suspected that there must be effective brushless alternatives by now.

- Murray

[drmoss_ca]

I have a box of Palmolive red tubes (supposed to be used with a brush). It works fine for a safety razor shave just rubbed in with fingers, as does Crema cream.

[brothers]

Yesterday's brush was the excellent synthetic and tomorrow's brush will be my Thater. Simpsons shaving cream is going to be completely depleted.

Next week's shaving cream will be Kent, even more certain to be all used up sometime between Monday and Friday by two or three other of my 4 best brushes.

Then, the following week's shaving cream is going to be Caswell-Massey Almond "brush optional".

The Simpson and Kent shaving creams won't be reordered.

[brothers]

Murray, so far, the brush-optional creams are Caswell-Massey (4 different fragrances), Noxzema, Cremo, and Reuzel, but I recall when I was shopping at a shaving enterprise and found the Reutzel among several other sellers' goods. I think I might go back and see what else they might have.

I have learned that the freshly shaven face is different in a noticeably more pleasant way after the non-soap non-lather than after the soap lather and water rinse and dry. The key word might be something akin to "lotion"?

In my world, the soap/cream and brush-mandatory REQUIRES water to create lather. Not so when the brush isn't involved. This is the big issue, I believe.

[CMur12]

Interesting. Thanks, Gary.

- Murray

[drmoss_ca]

Another quick way of shaving is to use a glycerine soap rubbed over the beard and the enough water added to make a slick coating. The glycerine makes it very slippery, but you can't see where you have been with the razor, so I reserve this for a safety razor.

[CMur12]

Another quick way of shaving is to use a glycerine soap rubbed over the beard and the enough water added to make a slick coating. The glycerine makes it very slippery, but you can't see where you have been with the razor, so I reserve this for a safety razor.

I wouldn't have thought of this, Chris, but it makes sense. You also referenced Cremo Creme above. I tried it way back when, soon after joining SMF, but I lathered it with a brush. It actually responded quite well to the brush. Maybe I should give it another try, but on its own for a quicker shave.

- Murray

[Gene]

I tried this yesterday and this morning. Yesterday was a large dollop of Proraso from a tube, and today was a heavy swirling from an Arko stick. Both times I rubbed up a "lather" with my fingers. Yesterday was a first shave after 3 days. Both shaves were fine - frankly hard to tell the difference between those and times I use a brush.