i'm not convinced a brush and cream is better than a can

[zip22]

it smells a lot better, but thats about it.

i have been switching between colgate for sensative skin

and crabtree and evelyn sienna.


the colgate is super rich, super quick, and as smooth or smoother than the c&e. the c&e lather is a bit thin (working with a $19 "badger and boar" brush - maybe thats the issue?) and its all around not better in any way than the colgate. i have tried to lather it in a bowl for a good 5-10 minutes and its no where near as rich a lather as what comes straight out of the colgate can. what am i missing here? was crabtree and evelyn a poor first choice?


the one thing i love when i use the c&e is that my bathroom smells great for the rest of the day.

[Tye]

We're sorry, but you have to leave the group now....

-Tye

[Rich53]

rofl
Rich

[jrydzews]

i have tried to lather it in a bowl for a good 5-10 minutes and its no where near as rich a lather as what comes straight out of the colgate can. what am i missing here? was crabtree and evelyn a poor first choice?

5-10 minutes sounds like WAY too much lathering man, you are probably drying it out too much, in which case the Colgate will work better. In my opinion, quite possibly the most important part of wetshaving is in the name...."wet." Must keep the face wet, and the lather must be wet, not dry.

[cigar-&-Shave]

Don’t restrict yourself to just the sensitive skin cream, use them all!



Actually, before I went insane with wetshaving, Colgate regular was my go to cream. It gave me years of pretty good shaves.

[bernards66]

Zip, I used canned foams like that for twenty years ( coupled with a DE razor ), and I'm not as utterly down on them as some members here. I always got decent shaves with some of them, no real problems ( partially, I believe, because of the razor I was using ). That said, I never got AS good shaves as I do with a brush and quality lather shave cream or soap. However, with more old fashioned products like this, more depends on the acumen of the shaver, cum lather-maker. It's entirely possible that you are not getting the optimal results from that C&E cream, if you're not experianced with using it. If done well, it will cut more smoothly, and leave one's skin softer and more comfortable then any canned foam. For the last twenty years, I've used such products primarily for these reasons ( although the superb scents don't hurt either ).
Regards,
Gordon

[crackstar]

Gordon, I used Colgate with aloe briefly about 8 years ago, and I must say it was ok, if you want to compare it to Barbasol which almost made a massacre of my skin. It was cheap, cheap, cheap, and it's availability everywhere in Florida made it very attractive to me at that time. However, I just can't see myself using any kind of canned foam on a daily basis, it's just not in my blood!

Jeff

[honkdonker]

zip22, I support what you are saying. For some guys, olde style creams and brushes DON'T give a better shave than canned foam or what have you. You may be one of those people. For others, nothing but a brush and cream/soap works for them.

As I have said before, millions of men get terrific shaves from all manner of goodies, not just brushes and olde creams. This is indisputable, as the proof is in the pudding. We all know, I am sure, many men who get just as good shaves from the "modern" setups as some do with their olde style setups.

Use what works for you.

[Chris73]

I would concur with the others, you are not getting the most out of the C&E. It might be less lather, but it should be denser and slicker. Anybody can slather a ridiculous amount of Colgate foam on, but that does not mean it's "rich" or "smooth". Canned foam feels dry and light on my face. Very little lubrication. All around sub-par shave. Maybe it's your brush or water:cream ratio, but it's not the cream. You have a quality (if not my favorite) cream in C&E. Or you could just prefer canned foam.

[rtaylor61]

Maybe for some folks the point is not that it is a better shave, but a more enjoyable shave by using a brush and cream.

Randy

[zip22]

It might be less lather, but it should be denser and slicker

thats what i was thinking, but the colgate is ridiculously dense.

cigar-&-Shave, i acually have a can of the aloe as well

jrydzews, i haven't been lathering for 5 minutes (10 was a bit overboard, 5 is probably still an exaggeration) the whole time. when i started out, i spent probably 30 seconds, but didn't get nearly enough lather. i kept spending more time, but even now that i do get a lot of lather, its not that great. i wouldn't say its dry at all. it is more just light. maybe i need to work on my ratio
http://www.shavemyface.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7668

[bernards66]

Randy, Well, for me it's more enjoyable certainly, but also "better". By that I mean somewhat closer, and my skin feel softer and more comfortable. To me, those two facts equal "better".
Regards,
Gordon

[texasPI]

It might be less lather, but it should be denser and slicker

thats what i was thinking, but the colgate is ridiculously dense.

cigar-&-Shave, i acually have a can of the aloe as well

jrydzews, i haven't been lathering for 5 minutes (10 was a bit overboard, 5 is probably still an exaggeration) the whole time. when i started out, i spent probably 30 seconds, but didn't get nearly enough lather. i kept spending more time, but even now that i do get a lot of lather, its not that great. i wouldn't say its dry at all. it is more just light. maybe i need to work on my ratio
http://www.shavemyface.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7668

I remember when I first started out lathering was difficut for me. I initially joined The Wetshavers over on MSN and I remember Gordon mentioned something about gently "pumping" the brush and it worked really well for me. I thought my cream to water ratio was off but it turned out that the lather was stuck in the breech.

That pumping action seemed like such a minor thing but it worked. I personally feel using a brush and cream is better. If anything, I feel it makes you concentrate on the task. I now pay attention to my prep and stretch my skin and all that. I have seen a difference. I used to be one of those guys that shaving was done as quick as possible with one pass. I didn't know what a good shave was until I started using a brush and cream.

[emsplace]

Hi Guys, interesting time warp back.... Aerosol shaving cream from the can.

Years back I used canned foam and here is what I didn't like and don't miss today:

1) Shaking the can - yes I actually found the time shaking the can to be very annoying and not fun
2) Cold! Did I say cold...
3) Almost too much foam and waste as it continued to swell for a bit after being released
4) Lots of not skin friendly ingredient and foaming agents, especially for sensitive skin
5) Almost too much lather for a close shave or to see what is going on
6) The smell, no good smells or options on aroma

Pros:
1) It works with the right prep

About individual perspectives: if someone is trying to make a cream or soap that compares to the same volume as what comes out of a can I can understand the disappointment. There are ingredients in the aerosols that assist it to swell to that volume/mass - but not skin friendly!

It is not always about a meringue type lather or trying to outdo the volume of another's lather that is important. It is about the lubrication, aroma and fun of the journey. And it can take as little, or as long as you want. In general though, it seems like 30 seconds to one minutes should be plenty of time for many to make lather. Because after that the lather created with a brush and warm water with cream or soap will get cold and you reach the "law of diminishing returns" - unless using the Moss Scuttle or other double boiler type configurations to keep things warm.

Bottom line: will canned foam work, yes. Is it fun, smell good or exciting in any other respect, IMO no.

OK, just my thoughts on the matter. About perspective - there will be those that agree and those that disagree with these comments:-)

Em
Em's Place, Vendor

[bernards66]

Evening, Emily. Nice to hear from you. BTW, one can, under certain circumstances get a mega-voluminious aerosal looking lather from a top shelf cream ( not that anyone needs to, as you said ). After lathering up a goodly dab of something like Trumpers in a bowl for three passes, with say, a Simpson Polo #8, I firmly squeeze the base of the brush, and get such a volumn of super rich lather, that when I slather it on my face, it looks much like when you use an aerosal. Shaves and smells a hell of a lot better though! Just to let you know, I was most impressed with your current large selection of Simpson brushes when I recently checked your site. Things are slowly improving for the picky US wetshaver, it seems. Drop by more often.
Regards,
Gordon

[Marty J]

I just put the cream on my brush and lather it right on my face. I've never experienced such a thing as a "bad lather"; the water/cream balance seems to take care of itself when I do it this way.

[rtaylor61]

Randy, Well, for me it's more enjoyable certainly, but also "better". By that I mean somewhat closer, and my skin feel softer and more comfortable. To me, those two facts equal "better".
Regards,
Gordon

Gordon,

Pardon me if I don't "argue" your point! Well said.

Randy

[rtaylor61]

Em,

Very valid points. Nice to see you drop in!

Randy

[zip22]

1) Shaking the can - yes I actually found the time shaking the can to be very annoying and not fun

i dont see how whirring up lather is much better, but to each his own.

2) Cold! Did I say cold...

hot and much cheaper than the moss scuttle. without any form of warming right now for either method, the brush is warmer - but only for the first pass.

3) Almost too much foam and waste as it continued to swell for a bit after being released

after a couple days, can't you figure out how much to use and account for this swelling?

4) Lots of not skin friendly ingredient and foaming agents, especially for sensitive skin

i'm gonna need some help figuring out what is better about the c&e here


(sorry i didn't take the tag off, you missed MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE, METHYLCHLOROISOTHIAZOLINONE, and METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE)

5) Almost too much lather for a close shave or to see what is going on

wouldnt it be easy enough to put on a thinner layer?

6) The smell, no good smells or options on aroma

i wont fight you there. well maybe if someone likes proraso.

[rtaylor61]

What it really boils down to here is that you enjoy your shaving process. Don't like the brush and cream? Good on you. Like the brush and cream? Same response. We are not here to argue the benefits and virtues of one vs. the other. We are here to enjoy a little companionship and get good shaves. Enjoy it for what it is. If you are in the minority, be prepared to get a "little lip" about your preferences. But it is all meant for the best. Zip22, I'm not sure if your post was meant to ask for help and guidance, or to just stir things up. Either way, find what works best for you and enjoy it. If that means a DE, shaving brush and cream, great. If that means a Norelco, fantastic. If it means Colgate and a Mach 99, well, fine as well.

Randy