While the rugged bearded look may still be in style, plenty of men prefer a clean shaven face.
Before carefully swiping the razor blade across skin, most people prepare by applying some shaving cream. Maybe the only thing anyone really knows about shaving cream is that it hurts like hell without it, but few people actually know how it works.
Either way, if you're part of the 67% of the male American population that regularly reaches for a can or a tube to lather up, you've probably wondered at some point, "What does shaving cream do? Do I really even need it?"
The Origin Story of Shaving Cream
Of course, the process of shaving has been around forever, but shaving cream has only existed for the last 100 years. Until the early 1800s, men would simply place a standard bar of soap in a cup of water and stir it to a lather with a badger brush.
Then, in 1840, Vroom and Fowler's Walnut Oil Military Shaving Soap created a concentrated, tablet form of soap that created more foam. For the first time, soap was marketed specifically for shaving use.
But it would still be 80 years before shaving cream came onto the scene. In 1919, the first shaving cream, Barbasol, was created. It was quickly followed by Burma-Shave in 1925.
However, the American public remained unconvinced of the need to change their traditional soap-and-brush shaving methods. So the two companies began powerhouse advertising campaigns relying on humor and sex to change public perception.
Barbasol became well-known for its catchy radio jingle and risque print advertisements. Burma-Shave set up quirky and poetically humorous roadside signs, most notably along Route 66, to peddle their goods.
In 1949 shaving cream evolved again when the first can of pressurized shaving foam was an instant success, offering a thick lather at the mere press of a button. By 1965, shaving foam in an aerosol can accounted for 65% of shaving products sold in the U.S. In the 70s and 80s, as aerosols became well-known as pollutants, the tide began to turn against aerosol cans.
Today many users have begun to make their way back to traditional methods through the use of shaving soap and shaving cream.
Do You Really Need Shaving Cream?
While dry shaving is possible, there's plenty of reasons why it isn't a good idea, and "it'll hurt like hell" certainly isn't the least of them. Beard hairs are tough and wiry, but the skin underneath is soft and supple. Failing to protect skin while tackling those tough hairs means dealing with itchiness, redness and an increased risk of ingrown hair.
Leen Bergmann, co-founder of Schorem Barbershop and Reuzel, put it this way: "Think of shaving cream as lube for your razor. Without shaving cream, there's going to be a lot of (uncomfortable) friction between your razor and your skin, which is going to cause irritation, ingrown hairs and actually prevents you from getting the best shave possible."
Why You Should Use Shaving Cream
It Moisturizes Your Beard Hair
Shaving cream helps to hydrate facial hair during a shave, which makes those tough, copper-wire hairs softer and easier to cut. The less force required, the more comfortable the shave, and the skin afterward, will be.
Ron Robinson, cosmetic chemist for BeautyStat.com and resident beauty expert for Allure magazine and Refinery29, warned that without shaving cream, hair is more difficult to shave, causing a tug and pull on the skin. Shaving without it can even shave off the surface of the skin, leading to more pain and irritation.
It Lubricates Your Skin
"I wasn't kidding about the lube analogy," Bergmann said. "You want to create a surface that the razor can seamlessly glide over to prevent cuts and razor burn."
Classified as an emollient, shaving cream's thin layer of protection between the razor and skin ensures less friction. This quality minimizes the risk of razor burn and prevents the razor from skipping or chopping across skin.
It Helps You Keep Track
As a line of shaving cream gets shaved off, it's easier to stay aware of which parts of the face are shaved and unshaved, meaning fewer missed spots and fewer little patches of hair caught later out in public.
It Leaves Your Skin Feeling Refreshed
According to Bergmann, the best shaving cream also has ingredients to help soothe the skin. Shaving is an irritating process for the skin, so calming it down during and after a shave is important.
How Does Shaving Cream Work?
Although shaving products can take many forms, creams, foams, gels, oils, most contain the same common ingredients:
- surfactants: provide foam and cushion
- emollients: lubricate and condition the skin
- humectants: to keep skin moisturized
- water: serves as the solvent (a liquid in which other substances dissolve)
Complex molecules known as surfactants are ones that have the special ability to hold on to both oil and water. Each of these molecules has two parts: a hydrophilic (water-loving) head that generates lather, and a hydrophobic (water-hating/oil-loving) tail that allows the lather to last longer.
Common recurring ingredients in most shaving creams include:
- stearic acid: the most common hydrophobic tail
- triethanolamine: the most common hydrophilic head
- glycerin: a vegetable-derived, natural humectant that also works as an emollient
Both Bergmann and Robinson agree that, when choosing a shaving cream, it's worth avoiding skin irritants like sulfates, parabens, mineral oil, and fragrance. Bergmann advised that soothing ingredients, such as witch hazel and aloe vera, as well as moisturizing agents like sorbitol, are what to look for.
Shaving Cream, Shaving Foam, Shaving Gel or Shaving Soap: Which is Better?
Shaving Cream vs. Shaving Foam: Air
In general, shaving cream does not come in a can; shaving foam does. Aerosol cans of shaving cream are actually shaving foam, and they contain a large amount of air.
Although the air in the container makes the lather thick and pillowy, that addition of air can actually make shaving more difficult, since more pressure is needed on the razor, increasing the chances of razor burn.
Shaving Cream vs. Shaving Gel: Lather
While shaving cream is worked into a lather, shave gel is thick and used as is. It is often recommended for sensitive skin, since it is the most lubricating of the options available, usually with a moisturizing base of aloe vera and vitamin E.
Some find shave gel to be too thick, and it can clog a razor. While some specialty gels create a lather, shaving gel is generally not intended to. It is applied like a thick lotion and simply shaved off.
Shaving Cream vs. Shaving Soap: Time and Effort
Shaving cream already contains water, but shaving soap requires the addition of water to work into a lather. While a shaving brush is optional for shaving cream, for shaving soap it's essential.
The lather from shaving soap is slick, allowing for a smoother razor glide, and it's a cheaper option since it lasts longer, sometimes for months of daily use.
Choosing shaving products often comes down to individual preference and skin type, though quality is worth prioritizing regardless of form.
"Look for the form you are most comfortable using," Robinson said. "And look for ingredients that will help make your shave as comfortable as possible. I like aloe vera and oatmeal, as they help to soothe and comfort skin."
Bergmann, meanwhile, has a clear choice in what to avoid: "Don't use soap to shave, it's not nearly moisturizing or lubricating enough. Gel vs. cream is just a matter of preference, gels you typically have to manipulate to get a good lather, while creams arrive ready to go."
Tips to Get Your Best Shave Yet
Shower First (or Splash Your Face With Warm Water)
The warm water will soften hair and open pores. Exfoliating the face beforehand helps too.
Choose a Good Shaving Cream
As with nearly anything, when it comes to shaving cream, the fewer chemicals, the better. Because synthetic chemicals are cheaper and easier to manufacture, they're in most mainstream shaving creams, but they'll dry out the skin.
Choosing a shaving cream with high-quality, natural ingredients like aloe vera, and avoiding synthetic fragrances, sodium lauryl sulfates and alcohol, will help prevent the skin from dehydrating and flaking.
Use a Shaving Brush
A shaving brush doesn't just look cool. It lifts whiskers, making it easier to get a clean cut. Patting on shaving cream flattens hair follicles, while a brush lifts them and gently exfoliates skin along the way.
Select a Good Razor
None of this matters much with a dull blade. Use quality razor blades that are properly weighted, balanced, and replaced regularly to stay sharp.
Soak Your Shaving Brush
While in the shower, soak the brush in warm water, or do it for at least 3-5 minutes if not showering first. This softens the bristles and helps produce a thick, warm lather.
Start Small
Real shaving cream from a tube isn't the same as foam from a can. A little goes a long way, so a dime-sized amount squeezed directly onto the bristles is usually plenty.
Lather the face in a circular motion, covering completely every spot to be shaved, leaving no skin visible beneath it. Lathering well should take at least a solid minute.
Chin Up
When shaving with a safety razor, go in the opposite direction of hair growth. No matter what product is used, the goal is for the experience to be pleasant and safe.
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