I wanted to try something. I havent used a canned shaving product in over a year. Well....I tried to think of a low priced cream I could use to try out. Barbasol original was it! $1 for 11 oz wasnt a bad deal. At first shot....I was very surprised how thick and slick(and cushiony) this stuff was. Well....I lathered up and how weird was that slathering foam all over my my face with my fingers? So far so good. Started the shave and the first pass went quite well Using a tech with Red IP. 2nd and 3rd...no irritation yet. Did a mild rinse and still a bit of stubble? This stuff has TOO MUCH cushion. I then proceeded to lather and shave once again this time with mucho pressure. It is almost impossible to cut yourself with this stuff! All good WWR and CWR and what a great shave! Splashed with some Clubman and followed up with SCS avocado ASB. Honestly I could have passed on the AS but I couldnt resist. BBS and face feels great. Bottom line.....the stuff works just fine but way too much cushion. Why does a cream needs to be so fluffy and thick? I take slick over cushion any day but realize it is probably needed with cartridge shaving since you do use alot more pressure when shaving. Money wise.....you cant go wrong. $1 a can and will probably last forever. Am I switching over? Of course not. I just thought I would give the cheapest canned goo another chance and honestly say it passed. I see the question alot when newbs ask about the best canned product only to get rediculed and bashed for even thinking of using the "Canned Goo". Barbasol is the cheapest also. I would imagine the Noxzema is very good stuff as well as the Aveeno and some others. I will never resort back to the canned stuff but at the same time will still show respect for a product that is far from inferior.
My problem w/ the canned stuff was it always dried me out so bad. My face would get that tight, cracked, dry feeling. Didn't matter what brand...they all reacted that way. It's this that drove me towards wet shaving more so than awful shave results. I attribute my problem to all the chemicals and aerosols used in production. I have never suffered this issue again since switching to shave soaps and creams over a decade ago. I won't be going back....even for a buck.
I love the smell of the now discontinued Colgate. It also shaved very well. Barbasol is okay but has never been a favorite for some reason. The canned stuff is all I used for many years... My wife uses the new Barbasol Melon scented cream and likes it. I haven't tried it yet, but it sure smells good so I'm pretty likely to one day. EW
I guess I can see why brush and soap shaving hasnt become as popular among the general population because of the convenience and quality of these canned products. I was going to get a higher end canned product as well but thought I'd start with the cheapest. I was quite surprised thinking I was going to get the worst shave of my life. If it wasnt for the extreme cushion it would have been a good shave. It wasnt even drying to my skin.....compared to the horrible drying effects of Williams. I might try a gel next week to get a guage on those as well. I will admit the lathering is a key part of the shaving experience though
Barbasol never did anything for me, but I do remember it being very thick. I haven't used it in about 10 years since I moved out of my dads place (it was his preferred cream). I've thought of trying out my old favorite - Gillette Complete Skin Care gel lately but haven't gotten around to it. It was about $3 dollars more than their deodorant gel offerings and usually sits on a different shelf, with things like Nevia. The high dollar stuff ,you know It was the only gel that didn't leave my face feeling dried out. I was content with my setup then but the DE was too cool to pass up.
I also feel that Barbersol dries out too quickly - I do use it on the bathroom mirror to keep it fog free. (Just squirt liberally on a paper towel .. smear all over the mirror - then wipe/buff until its all gone - now the mirror never fogs up ! )
Yeah .. funny story connected to this - I had the mirror covered with Barbersol when my wife walked in .. she looked at the mirror ... looked at me with the shaving cream can still in my hand ... shook her head - and walked out..
:happy102 This is a common occurrence around here. Wives shaking their heads at us. And we with a dopey "What?" look on our faces.
At least I figured out another use for it I was going to freeze the can....Cut in half and place in neighbors yard. I am shaving with it again tomorrow once again. I would imagine they make the stuff so damn cushy for those damn cartridge razors I did try out a sensor excel a few months ago......damn good shave but wont go back.
Years ago, when I was in Florida visiting my parents, I bought a can of Barbasol Skin Conditioner, just to see if it was any good. I shaved with it perhaps twice, and got bad irritations all over my face and neck, so I threw it away. A week later, I bought a can of Colgate Aloe, and that worked a lot better, but after 4 shaves, I gave it away to my friend. To me, a shave is not a shave unless I use a brush, and good soap, or lather cream.
Here, here. I concur. I'm sure if I searched far and wide I'd find something suitable in a can, but I don't want to. Love the brush and mug shaving too much.
In the dark days before DE and fefore switching to electric, I started using the gel goo. As I recall, it was slicker with less cushioning and you had to work the lather with your fingers. I wonder what would happen with a brush.... Not that I am trying.
Fatboy, You mentioned the Noxzema. It is by far the best shaving foam out there now that I've tried. It has a bit of an odd smell but I got around to liking it and it shaves very well.
I have the Noxzema lather cream and it is funny medicinal camphor scented which I do love but it works fantastic! Funny story is that I had a horrible shave today with the ol brush and soap The razor, blade combo was way off and tore my face to shreds.
im the opposite. since i switched to DE blades and went to whipping up cream i get that tight feeling but when i used canned stuff i didnt. yesterday i took my last can of Barbasol and held it over the trash can and hit the button til it was empty. bye bye old friend.
It seems to me that the biggest problem with the canned stuff is the lack of a brush. The "Massaging" is supposed to soften the hairs right? Maybe, use a gel with a brush and see what happens.
It's possible the tightness you're experiencing is a result of multi passes with a sharp blade. With each pass we make, a micro-layer of skin cells is removed. I too find that leaves a tight, dry feeling but it's not the same nor as severe a feeling as with the canned stuff. All the soap and creams I use now help keep my face moist. Plus the aftershave products too of course. Just a possibility. Be careful not to gunk up your nice brush.
