Who makes the most moisturizing shave cream? That is at an economical price? I shave right after I get out of the shower and use a good cream (Speick, Body Shop, Toms of Maine, etc) and use new blades and my face still feels like it is on fire and dry. I tried a few shave oils and did not like them. Any suggestions?
Some more information would be helpful -What razor and blade combination are you using. -What if anything are you doing for a preshave preparation -For your creams are you hand lathering, or using a brush, if so badger or boar hair. -How long do lather --What is your typical shave pattern (direction and number of passes) Usually North to south pass, Top to bottom, then across the grain 1 or 2 times. then if needed an against the grain pass bottom to top. -Are you getting a lot of cuts/nicks/visible redness during the shave -What is you post shave porcedure(typical is a warm water rinse to remove cream residue, then a cold water rinse to cool off the face and close the pores) -Are you using any after shave splash/witch hazel/alum block aftershave balms Knowing all these factors will help in trying to troubleshoot your routine it may not be the cream that is key but some aspect of your shaving routine. As far as your original question, which shaving cream moisturizes the best. I think the cream does very little to moisturize the skin, some just dry out the skin more than others, the moisture is provided more by your after shave products more than your creams, although some are indeed more drying than others. A few of my favorite creams are Geo F Trumpers Coconut oil, Taylor of old bond street Avocado(some don't like the scent of this cream) and JM Frasers. One more thing to consider is creams aren't necessarily less drying than shave soaps. Insitute Karite brand shaving soap has a high amount of shea butter and seems to help the skin retain moisture and feel better than a lot of other soaps and creams. If you could give us some more info we can try to help you out and get a more comfortable shave. From your username I take it you are a boarder? Are you a freestyle rider or freerider??
I'm almost as new as they come, but can tell you that I had the same feeling when I was using cartridges. I switched to LAB Series cream, from Barbasol, and it was a quantum leap. However, it is not a lathering cream, you simply spread it on your face. I used it the other day with my safety razor, because my brush fell apart, and was surprised how well it worked. I will now use it as a travel shave cream. For a lathering/moisturizing shaving cream, I have been using Kiss my Face (Lavendar). Honestly, I don't smell much of a scent, but my skin has NEVER been dry afterwards and burned only the very first DE Shave and I'll toss that up to technique and my skin adjusting to the new type of razor. I also bought Bigelow from Bath & Body, but have not yet tried it.
+1 To add my $0.02, it's been my experience that a face that feels like it is on fire is due to technique - specifically pressing too hard and removing too much skin. No pressure means absolutely no pressure - it took me quite a while to learn that. And if it feels like you need some pressure to make the blade cut through your stubble, then you need to look at your prep, too.
I find the 2 most moisturizing shaving creams are Noxzema lather, which unfortunately is no longer really available, and Palmolive Classic from Europe.
sb up above there makes some excellent points about the rest of your shave routine. There may very well indeed be other reasons for the red and rawness you're experiencing. I will differ w/ him however on the second part of the post. I find the creams and soaps I use to be quite moisturizing. That's one of the benefits of wet shaving--moisturized soaps/creams. TOBS, The Body Shop, Tabac, KMF, Mama Bear, they all leave my face feeling quite hydrated afterwards. Something else you may want to check is are you shaving over an area w/out using lather. That was a tough one for me to break, and in fact I still do it sometimes. You want to make sure to relather an area before running the razor over it again. Using a DE blade on raw skin can cause the irritation and redness you're talking about.
Shep, I'm sorry to be a pest, but I'm not very fluent in English, I am much more capable in French. What is the meaning of the word taunt? Superbleu, I mean no insult, no offence, no attack, but I am just stating an opinion--I do this with respect, and honesty. I'm very sorry, because my English is poor--many words, I have difficulty to understand.
I use Mach 2 or 3 and I shave from top to bottom and on my chin left to right then right to left. Wash the face with Dove and shave out of shower. Most of the time I will hand lather with Speick, Body Shop, etc. It is more or less my neck and adam's apple area that get red and burn a bit, But my whiskers grow like weeds and I really need a lawn mower to shave with..it is heavy growth.
I agree with the Palmolive Classic, it's widely available in the UK and one of the best creams I've tried. I also noticed the store on this site stocks it. Another really nice moisturising cream I've tried is Musgo Real and it's widely available. Pete
For what it's worth, you may also consider trying an unscented glycerin soap and some non-allergenic moisturizer for awhile to see if your skin is reacting to something you've been using.
First off, every pass you take with a mach 2 or 3 is like taking 2/3 passes with a DE because of the multiple blades. Most people cant stand more than 3 passes 2-3 passes on their neck with a single blade. Thats your first problem. You're also probably applying to much pressure. Dove will most likely dry your face out. Buy a sensitive face wash.
How long are you using your cartridges? If your beard is heavy and thick like you describe, your blades are probably getting dull rather quickly. I would imagine the blades are more scraping the hairs off than cutting them. That's just a guess. Since you are hand lathering take some extra time to rub the cream in especially going against the grain to lift the hairs up. I didn't think it made a big difference to use a brush and spend a long time lathering, but I have found it makes a very big difference in how much the whiskers stand up when prepped correctly. Also I don't try to get BBS all the time, just when I have the time to prep correctly. There is a trade off between closeness of shave and risk of irritation and over shaving. For the neck, maybe you could try just a with the grain pass and if it still feels ok try an across the grain pass, but skip the against the grain pass there. as JayKay said above I think the main culprit sounds like your razor and technique, but the other points will help improve your shave also. You don't mention any aftershave in your post. This also does make a big difference in comfort after the shave. Pick up some thayers witch hazel use this after the water rinses, and some nivea after shave balm to be put on after the witch hazel, these are both readily available at the drug store and work quite well for the cost. PM me your addy, I think I have a Tech and some blades I can send you to see if that will help.
I'd agree with both of these. When I really nailed my technique (not so long ago :ashamed001), my face improved. Secondly, while soaps and creams can moisturize, that's also the role of an ASB. Finally, in place of the (very good) Thayer's, you could also try an aftershave splace to deal with some of the burn, then follow that with a balm (Nivea, etc--or search here for homemade ASBs--Rick, especially, has a couple of good "recipes"). See if that helps treat the symptoms. Then, with that "bandaid" in place, taking better care of the symptoms, you can work on your technique, which will help a ton, too. Good luck, and enjoy!
