I mean the big foamy stuff that comes out out of an aerosol. I am an electric shaver man myself as I cant stand being cut. However, whenever my batteries run out and I am forced to use a razor I just slap a little bit of soap and water on my face and it works fine. I cant see the point of lots of foam flying everywhere. Am I missing something?
Lubrication.
You said yourself you use soap. Next time your batteries die, don’t use soap and then you’ll understand shaving cream, which lubes even better than soap, and doesn’t dry out your skin.
I ususally use soap; but there has been an occasion that shaving cream has been available to me and I’ve tested/used it.
You’d be surprised. It was quite good and effective and much easier to shave with than just soap.
So, yes you are missing out on the experience. (Yet I just don’t want to actually buy the stuff myself when soap works ok.)
I sometimes shave without shaving cream or soap, but I’m a masochist. Th difference is immediately obvious.
That said, I don’t see/feel the difference between shhaving cream and soap. You actually don’t need very much shaving cream – I think most people use far too much, that just ends up going down the drain. A single can seems to last me years.
I’m wondering if there’s one more aspect. Maybe this is just because I’m the kind of guy who forgets to shave for too long 
but shaving foam has a lot more body and substance to it that soap foam. That means that it’ll support long whiskers better and keep them standing up instead of tending to lie down against the skin, which makes the hair easier to shave off. Does that make any sense??
I think soap dries more quickly as well. I’ve always used much less foam than you see in the ads, but it doesn’t look as cool as a big foam beard.
These days, I’m into using a shaving brush and a tub of shaving cream (or solid shaving soap) I seem to use MUCH less product each day, just a dab will lather up my whole face.
I have used soap and other misc. bathroom products when I have run out of shaving cream. Plain soap doesn’t work as well on my thick stubble. Hair conditioner and hand lotion do work pretty well however because they provide greater lubrication and thickness than soap. I always go back to shaving cream given the chance however.
With thick stubble that requires several passes shaving cream is better at lubricating than soap and it’s slighly quicker to apply. Soap will work fine, it’s just not as convenient.
I believe the function of shaving cream is the same as soap. It allows the water to get through the face oil to soften the whisker and it retards evaporation of the water.
I’m a recent convert to shaving soap and a brush.
A buck will buy you a cake of Williams’ soap at Wal-Mart, and that cake will last for months. In addition, I’ve never had a closer shave.
Whatever you use—soap or cream—it’ll probably work better if you let it soak in for a few minutes. Lather up, have a smoke or do something that’ll while away a little time, and then shave.
Almost certainly, you’ll notice an easier, more pleasant shave.
I use shaving cream, and shave in the shower. I’ve used soap on one occasion when I ran out of cream. It hurt. And I had this lingering fear that if I cut myself, it would sting. A can of Barbasol costs 99 cents, and last a couple of months. There’s no reason for me to use soap.
Another vote for a shaving brush and a cake of shaving soap. In addition to being cheaper, I like to fill my mug with hot water for a few minutes before I lather up; makes for a warm lather that shaves exceptionally close.
Girly shaver here, but I’ve found this lovely Aveeno gel stuff that completely stopped my razor bump problem. Used to be my upper legs would be covered with 'em. No more, since I found this stuff. Yeah, it’s not the cheap stuff, but I’ve got a lot of territory to get irritated if I use the wrong stuff, ya know?
And if you really want a treat (usually, anyway), have a barber shave you.
He puts a very warm wet towel on your face, and lets it stay there for awhile, then the lather, and then the shave with an extremely sharp razor.
I’ve been shaved just a couple-three times, once by a barber whose hands shook like an alcoholic in desperate need of a drink. When that sumbitch came at me with the straight razor in his hand, I wanted to run for cover. As it turned out, though, not so much as a nick.
I used to use (when I shaved fully, I’m bearded now) a brush and the Bath & Body Works tub of sandlewood cream… great stuff. I stopped using it to shave my neck when I met my wife, as my 4 year old container of cream dissapeared less than a month later… How she needed to use 3/4 of a tub in a month, when I used 1/4 of the tub in 4 years, I’ll never know.
hmm shaving soap - is it any different than normal soap?
I’ve often thought that perhaps one function of the foam as opposed to just soap is that the bristles get distributed in more product, so much less gets trapped in the double or treble razors, clogging it up
As Butler, I have had a beard for many years, now (25). But back in the day, I used to use Barbasol, etc. Then, one day, I tried an old mug of shaving soap and a brush. Man o manoshevitz, what a great shave. I think it was the combination of warm water and lots of foam that kept its body and its ability to retain moisture next to the skin (Jeez, that sounds like a t.v. commercial) that made it so effective. For trims, I still use shaving cream. I’ve used soap and water. What’s the point? It doesn’t do as well. If I ever get rid of the beard, it’s back to the mug and brush again. Plus, it’s so cool. No one (until I read this thread) uses that method anymore. It reminded me of my dad BEFORE electric razors. Jesus, what an old fart I am. xo, C.
I’m military, so I shave every day, or every other day. My beard comes in thin and fair. The hairs grow so slowly that I need to get a close shave every time I shave, and my skin gets irritated easily, so I need a really good shaving lubricant. On weekends, I try to skip shaving Friday morning and grow out all weekend, just so I can get a Sunday Night Special shave. Most of the time it’s just an extra-close shave with a new blade, but every so often, I’ll go all out:
- hot towel beforehand, about 2 mins.
- rub a dab of massage oil into my face, and let it sit.
- apply Neutrogena shaving cream (creamy, not foamy – comes out like sunblock)
- shave with a new blade on my Mach 3
- rinse
- pat dry with a fluffy towel
- spritz with toner
- apply moisturizer
Yes, it’s a long and involved process involving 4 different kinds of goo. It also makes my face baby-smooth, and I can usually go two or even three days without shaving after taking the extra ten minutes to do it right on a Sunday. The wife is a big fan, and I never have ingrown hairs or nicks when I do it this way.