Shaving is a daily routine and if you notice that shaving without shaving foam causes a burning sensation afterwards, then it can be useful to make use of shaving foam, shaving soap, or shaving cream.
You have probably at some point received a shaving set from your father or someone else around you when your beard needed to be shaved now and then, and you didn’t give it much more thought.
Many people stick with the first brand they were ever given and never ask questions. That burning and dry feeling after shaving can give you the impression that “that’s just part of being a man.”
Skin irritation as a sign of masculinity. Well, it’s not. It may just be that your skin reacts a little differently than the skin of the man who once gave you that shaving set.
Research shows that most men (more than 70%) shave with an ordinary razor blade, but the majority of those men do not really know what they are doing.
We are going to change that with this blog post.
What is the best way to shave?
So, when you begin the search for a more comfortable way of being a man, you end up with three options, namely:
- Shaving cream
- Shaving soap
- Shaving foam
Usually, you first come across the products in the supermarket, but these are not always of the best quality, which means you do not really notice much difference between using or not using these products.
That is why it is useful to go to a men’s specialist shop to find shaving foam, shaving creams, or shaving soap that allows you to shave in comfort, without immediately triggering an acne outbreak. Our Moquer shop is a good example of this.
These products nourish and care for your skin while ensuring that the razor blade does not (quite) touch your skin.
But what exactly are these products and is there a difference between them? Yes, there is. There is a difference in how they work and what they are good for.
Shaving soap, for example, has been around for an incredibly long time and, besides skincare, also has a cleansing function. Shaving foam has been around since the 1940s. And there is also shaving cream, and all three work well for traditional wet shaving, but there are important differences.
Shaving Cream
If you are someone who shaves “wet” (so simply with a razor blade and not an electric shaver) you would usually use shaving soap, but if you often notice that you still cut yourself while shaving, then use shaving cream. This ensures that the razor blade sits less close to the skin and therefore scrapes away less skin during shaving.
Shaving cream is also easier to use, which makes it super handy if you want to get everything done quickly in the morning before starting your day.
Thanks to the foam, your razor glides more smoothly over your skin and beard, leaving you with soft, smooth skin after shaving.
It is already difficult enough to find the right direction and the correct way to place the blade against your skin. On top of that, you also need to make sure the cream is applied thickly enough for your skin and shaving style.
Many men think that shaving cream has a fragrance and shaving soap does not. It is true that shaving cream often has a scent, but this does not have to be the case. You can also look for fragrance-free shaving cream if this is important to you.
You can apply shaving cream in two ways, either with your hands or with a shaving brush. When you apply the cream with your hands, you first wet your face. Then you apply a ten-cent-coin-sized amount of cream to your hands. You spread this over your facial hair, and then you can start shaving.
When you use a brush, you first wet the brush thoroughly. Shake it out and then apply the same ten-cent-coin-sized amount of cream to the centre of the brush. Then apply it to your face with the brush using a circular motion, making little circles.
This helps to thicken the cream and it helps the hairs stand up more, making them easier to shave off.
Shaving Soap
You cannot apply shaving soap with your hands like you can with shaving cream. For shaving soap, you need a brush. Just like with shaving cream, you first wet the brush and then shake it a little drier. But with shaving soap you have to dip the brush into the soap to pick some up. Depending on the soap, you sometimes need a little more or less water on the brush to build up a good lather.
Then you move the shaving brush in circular motions over the shaving soap to whip up a nice foam. Once you have a thick, rich lather, you can apply the shaving soap in short strokes with the brush. Shaving soap is also used to protect your skin against the razor. That way you can shave close to the skin without too much irritation.
In general, shaving soap is the most popular product among men who enjoy wet shaving. It requires a little more care and preparation compared to shaving cream, but the result is worth it. Especially if you use a double edge safety razor.
Shaving Foam
There are also brands that provide shaving foam straight from a can. This is ideal for men with sensitive skin, because you immediately apply the right amount of foam to your beard, which protects your skin from the razor.
It simply saves you a lot of time, because you don’t have to work it into a lather with a brush or your hands (as with shaving soap and sometimes shaving cream). But is it really as ideal as it first seems?
The fact is, there is already a lot of air in this foam before you apply it to your face, and that can mean it doesn’t penetrate properly between your beard hairs. This way, the hairs aren’t lifted to make shaving easier. It tends to sit on top of your beard rather than between the hairs.
Because it just sits there, it often presses the hairs down against your skin, which can cause shaving problems. And that is exactly what you do not want!
So make sure you use shaving foam in a way that helps lift your beard hairs. Applying it against the growth direction of your beard can be a step towards achieving the desired result. Shaving foam is more of a convenient product for men with less time, but the quality of the product and its ingredients are often inferior compared to shaving soap or shaving cream.
Shaving foam in the shop
Important shave care
Of course, you also want your shaving soap, shaving cream, or shaving foam to care for your skin properly. An important ingredient that can help with this is glycerine. Glycerine binds to water and ensures the razor glides more easily over your skin, just like ice becomes slippery because of a thin layer of water on top.
It can also help to scrub your skin before shaving. If you want to exfoliate, you should always do this before shaving, not afterwards. After shaving, your skin is usually too sensitive to apply a face scrub.
It is also highly recommended to apply a good aftershave after shaving to hydrate and cool your skin further. This way, your skin recovers more quickly and you reduce the chance of irritation and redness.
Conclusion
When you want to shave your beard in the classic way, there are different options. The differences between shaving cream, shaving soap, and shaving foam determine which product works best for you. It also depends on how much time you want to spend on shaving. If you are a big fan of wet shaving, then shaving soap is your best option. If you are often in a hurry and go for convenience, then shaving foam is the best for you. Shaving cream sits somewhere in between.
It is also important to have a good razor and possibly a shaving brush. That makes the experience more pleasant and ensures a better result. In the Moquer shop, you can find many excellent shaving products from the best brands to help you with that!