I was on the way to the bus the other day when my nose espied a hand-made soap shop in the mall. Closer inspection revealed a cacophony of things that fizzle and explode upon contact with liquids, huge cheese-wheel sized chunks of EO-infused soaps with a variety of embedded flora and, tucked away over in a corner, some shave creams. But not just any old shave creams. Perhaps it is my ignorance of all things "software" related, but these creams were actually just that - non-lathering shave creams. Like moisturising creams. No soaps, the saleswoman said, so no lathering. The only difference between the various types was the scent and the thickness. Possessing an adventurous spirit, I purchased the thickest one (according to the woman, the thinner ones are slightly better for multi-bladed razors, or razors where thicker cream might clog up around the blade - no such worries for me, as I use straights) Anyway, to make a long story short (too late...) I tried it out this morning. I'm surprised. Pleasantly surprised. I just wet my face, rubbed a small amount of the cream on my hands and massaged it into my face like you might do with a moisturiser. Very slick, smooth, and irritation-free shave. One of the things I liked about it was that there was no part of my face obscured by lather - I could see everywhere and there was no risk of taking a chunk out of my goatee or whatever. Also, the cream left on the razor with the stubble easily washed off under water, and the whole thing was quick, painless and enjoyable. I am thinking that because of the ease of application and the minimal clean up afterwards, I am going to use this latherless shave cream through the week when I am a bit pushed for time in the mornings before work, and use the more traditional lathering stuff on weekends when I have more leisure. I kinda missed using a brush, to be honest. Anyway, am I just rediscovering the wheel here, or have others had experience with this type of latherless shaving? I'd love to hear your opinions if so, or your thoughts if not. James.
I've never used a latherless cream, but I did use the American Crew shave gel stuff. As far as I could tell it was basically aloe vera gel. But it did the trick for sure, although it was a little hard to get out of my DE razor. Definitely faster, just not as fun.
Hi there, For the last couple days I've been rethinking the brush/soap idea. A few days ago I used some canned stuff for the first time in three years, and it was good! No brush, and I just spread a layer over my face(very weird using my hands) like I remember doing long ago.....heh. This was a much thinner layer though, since like you I don't care for my face loaded with a half inch layer of something I can't see through(although I did prefer that before). So yeah, the razor slid around without effort, and the post shave skin care was surprisingly good. Truth be told, it felt pretty much like a shave with lather made from a brush. Surprised me a bit, since I expected some pulling , or maybe poor slip or cushion. Nope, no problems at all. Now I haven't tried that again, but I will sometime soon and I'll bet the shave wil be another nice one. I know I've read many posts about members using brushless creams such as Cremo with great results, and I can see how that would be convenient and easy to use. Heh, even if it's easier to use, performs well, and saves time, I still wouldn't use those products much...........make that never. Only reason I tried this stuff was because it went with the recent Geezers Day' shave theme.......heh. Some Old Spice from the late 50's, which still packed a nice wallop to my nose. So now I'm tending to think that the brush/soap part is the least of the pieces when it comes to importance for an excellent shave. Yeah, if the rest of things like prep, technique, and razor/blade combo are correct, then the brush thingy may well not even be needed. Heh, not that I'd stop using those wonderful soaps and creams of course.........just saying. Anyway, that's where things stand for me right now. Maybe my opinion will change in the future, but I sorta doubt it. I'll need to try a few more shaves to be sure, but it seems like a brushless cream could equal others made by whisking. Martin
I have used a DE with gel from a can with pretty average results. The only thing that keeps me from doing it more often, or even keeping a can around for rushed mornings, is that I have found it seriously gunks up my razor, so I lose a lot of time just trying to wash the hair out. But in a pinch it does work just as well.
I tried the Burt's Bees shaving cream. I took two swipes with the DE, then promptly proceeded to rinse the rest off my face and lather up with a proper soap! Although not a str8 user myself, I can see (pun intended) where visibility with such cream would be helpful. I do have a mustache to trim around.
Well, I speak for myself here but I think that part of the fun on wet shave is to build the lather hehe n_n so even if we had that kind of products here I guess I would pass, but I'm glad you found some fun product to make your shave cabinet a bit wider... that is always nice too hehe
You can use Kiss My Face without a brush; nice stuff. I use a brush of course, but according to the package, it's optional. Also you can use it on your body, as my wife does (stole my KMF peach)
To clarify, what I meant was that it says so right on the label: "For face and body" And for less than $5 for a big 8oz pump container, I really did soap up with it in the shower. But neither of the above hold true for a pot of Trumpers (as an example).
For 2 years I have used Lucky Tiger Molle shaving cream which is non-lather shaving cream. Some compare or say Molle smells faintly like Nozema cream. It does look and feel like Nozema. You just spread it across your face. The stuff just sticks to your whiskers and offers I thnk the best shave possible. I use a Merkur adjustable razor and I get the same great results with Molle no matter what type of blade I use. It does leave the face with a soothing feel. Most of the times I don't even need to use an after shave lotion with it. Molle seems to have a moisturizer in it. I don't use it every day so that I can also have the joy of making lather!
I have heard great things about "Jack Black Beard Lube" it is a clear shave gel (not a can gel). Apparently it won a a huge blind shave test. The guys over at Merz Apothecary in Chicago love it a lot. They have video featuring 6 shave products that they tested and that seemed to win out. You can order it online at http://www.merzapothecary.com/ or http://www.smallflower.com/jack-black/beard-lube-conditioning-shave-6-oz-shaving-cream.html there might be cheaper places or places closer to home though. I suppose you could also treat it as a preshave oil too, if you miss the brush. Just as long as you stay away from can stuff. The canned stuff in the short run "works" but the propellants and other chemicals for color, fragrance, etc. supposedly dry up your skin. And any moistureizers in it, are negated by the effects from the propellants and such.
Latherless shaving creams are very common in europeans hotels as part of the shaving kit that you usually find at your room. I used to hate them since I did not pay too much attention ant tried to lather them with my brush as usual. First time I followed the instructions with a Lea brushless cream I got very impressed, because it worked pretty well while my mind kept telling me "It's going to hurt". Now I like to try them when I have the chance. Anyway after a few days of using them I tend to get irritation, so I always take my La Toja soap stick with me.
I have a tube of Burts Bees non-lathering shave cream, which I mostly save for travel. It is vastly superior to the canned goo, but since I've finally learned how to make a decent lather with more traditional stuff, I haven't used it much. I find that it's decent if I'm in a hurry, but a lather seems to work better. Plus, I love my brush
I bought a tube of Rise brushless shaving cream at the local dollar store. It's slightly translucent, has the original Rise scent, and you just need a thin layer. The stuff is surprisingly effective. Very lubricating and really protects against irritation. Doesn't clog up the razor at all. The resultant shave is excellent...even better than many lathering soaps and creams I have tried. The truth is, I'd rather use a brush and create a lather, but for a change of pace the Rise is an excellent choice.
I just bought some Stephans lather less shaving cream from my barber this week. I initially tried to mix it with my badger and bowl, but quickly discovered that it just melted away. Then I applied it directly to my face and all was well. The scent was nice and the texture was slick. It was OK but after a finished I decided I prefer my CO Bigelow and Col. Conk.
I didn't have access to a bowl for lathering while I was traveling recently, and face-lathering gives me a rash... I purchased a tube of the Real Shaving Co. brushless cream. It was somewhat messy to use, and it didn't feel particularly luxurious. But it did the job, and the shave was done without any nicks and with no irritation following. Having said that, I, like some of the previous posters, prefer the more conventional brush and lathering cream. For what it's worth, the RSC brushless cream was somewhat gooey and hard to wash off the razor. I'd imagine that it'd gunk up a brush, and I'm not inclined to put that theory to the test.
I did some traveling myself recently, and found that using my cupped hand worked well enough. One hotel I stayed in had a plastic soap holder, so I gave that a try. Not sure if the ribs across it helped or not! Cheers, Tom
Neutrogena Men® Skin Clearing Shave Cream Neutrogena Men® Skin Clearing Shave Cream I use this cream find it works great with my Manual Fusion. Give it a try.
I have to agree with Fritz about the Molle brushless cream. I used it before I started using a brush and found it to be easy to use and wonderfully smooth.
