Closet "canned goo"-lover coming out.

[InHotWater]

I always thought custom making your own lather was one of the coolest and funnest parts about wetshaving. I would revisit the shave soaps, and give face latherng a try. And if the Feathers are consitently giving you weepers, I would go with something a bit more comfortable too ( milder).
Good luck and have fun ;)

[Paddan1000]

I'm making some progress. I used so much Palmolive soap that the lather obviously was too dry and then I added water until it reached the right consistency and slickness. The result was used to build a new latherman, as seen on the picture below. This one kept it's shape much better than the sodded one on my last picture.



Then I scooped it all back into the shaving bowl and used it for today's shave.

But still, the soap lather doesn't work as well as the canned foam. It was slick enough and quite comfortable to shave with, but not more so than the canned foam. The downside is that my skin feels somewhat dryer and more irritated that usual after the shave. It's not bad, just not good enough. I think that the concentration of soap required to get the perfect lather is to high for my face.
It's also possible that brush burn contributes to the irritation. I don't know what a quality brush would feel like, but mine is quite stiff and prickly. It was advertised as a "silvertip badger" and is obviously made of some kind of animal hair that has been trimmed into shape from the top. It was ordered from China for 10 dollars, but the cheaper ones were 5 dollars so I suppose mine is the next tier in quality.

I'm having great expectations about the Italian soaps I just ordered. If they are milder than the Palmolive, they would suit me much better.

Still, I like to hear more about the canned stuff. Nivea seems to be the top choice among the ones I can find locally, but what is Gillette, BIC and L'Oreal like compared to Nivea? Which is the worst one?

[MrDentini]

This lather-man looks good now :)
Wet your face with hot water, then put the lather, at first by massaging and then just paint with straight strokes.
After each pass, rinse you face, add two drops of water in the bowl and lather for 10 seconds just to revitalize it.

Which Palmolive are you using, the green or the red tube?
Palmolive green is not bad, the only so-so ingredient is CI 42090 which is a dye.

[Paddan1000]

Which Palmolive are you using, the green or the red tube?
Palmolive green is not bad, the only so-so ingredient is CI 42090 which is a dye.

I'm using green European Palmolive soap stick. The green cream is available too from my supermarket, but I haven't used it. The soap smells quite strongly (in my opinion) so perhaps the perfume is irritating too, apart from the dye.

[lt114]

Gillette Foamy is quite good for a canned product.

[ZackP]

I'd rock some Barbasol myself

[Paddan1000]

I'm almost out of my regular "Wilkinson Sword Protect Foam", so I bought a can of "Gillette Fusion Proglide Gel Hydrating". It was quite slick, but it irritated my skin and after the shave I smell like a pimp. It was also harder than usual to clean the sink, since little lumps of gel got stuck everywhere. I don't recommend it.


My ratings (score between 1 and 5) of the "Gillette Fusion Proglide Gel Hydrating" is:

Slickness = 4
Scent = 2
Irritation = 3


For comparison, my rating of the "Wilkinsson Sword Protect Foam" is:

Slickness = 4
Scent = 5
Irritation = 4


These ratings are only meant to be compared to other canned products, not to traditional soaps and creams.

[takeshi]

I have decided to give up my dream of finding a soap that is superior to the canned stuff.

Seems a bit early to draw that conclusion. I mean, you used one soap and decided that all soaps are the same when even soap users don't all agree on what is the best soap out there? Also consider that soaps come with a learning curve. Did you read the lathering guide in the sticky at the top of this subforum? Did you look into soaps for sensitive skin? There is a wealth of information here and there are many people who will happily assist you should you decide to look into soaps again.

It's dangerous to assume that you can extrapolate any trend on any topic from a single data point. If I decided to give up soaps after my first few attempts while learning I'd be missing out on a lot. That said, it's all about your preferences and you have to go with whatever you think will work for you. Good luck in your quest.

[California Cajun]

The problems I had with canned goo was that the foam didn't offer any protection for my face and canned gel goo gunked up my multiblade razor, forcing me to press down too hard against my face. I never tried it with a single blade razor, and I never tried Wilkinson.

[Paddan1000]

Seems a bit early to draw that conclusion. I mean, you used one soap and decided that all soaps are the same when even soap users don't all agree on what is the best soap out there? Also consider that soaps come with a learning curve. Did you read the lathering guide in the sticky at the top of this subforum? Did you look into soaps for sensitive skin? There is a wealth of information here and there are many people who will happily assist you should you decide to look into soaps again.

It's dangerous to assume that you can extrapolate any trend on any topic from a single data point. If I decided to give up soaps after my first few attempts while learning I'd be missing out on a lot. That said, it's all about your preferences and you have to go with whatever you think will work for you. Good luck in your quest.

We decided earlier in the thread that I should try some more soaps. I've ordered some from Pannacrema in Italy, but they haven't arrived yet since they needed some curing time before they could be shipped. Until they arrive I will use different kinds of canned goo and post my opinion of them here for future reference.

[Daiku]

I reccomend Barbasol too, especially soothing aloe.

Or even better, my concoction "Wilbasol": a thin layer of Williams (or another slick soap) with a thicker layer of Barbasol on top. Very, very good shaves for two bucks.

[Paddan1000]

Today I tried "Gillette Series Gel Sensitive Skin". It was much better than the Fusion Proglide Hydrating Gel, despite being cheaper. It smells toxic, just like the Proglide Gel, but is much more lightly scented and therefore bearable.
I conduct these tests by using Wilkinson Sword Protect Foam on one side of the face and the evaluated gel or foam on the other side. It felt like the stubble on the Gillette side was cut more effortlessly and I didn't have to be as aggressive during the final touch-ups, resulting in the Gillette side feeling less irritated after the shave. During the shave the Wilkinson side felt a little less irritated due to its mildness, so I give both products a 4 out of 5 in "irritation".
I could use "Gillette Series Gel Sensitive Skin" in the future and I recommend it for those who don't mind the scent.

Slickness = 5
Scent = 3
Irritation = 4

[Paddan1000]

I tried "Nivea Moisturizing Shaving Foam" today. Compared to the Winkinson Sword Foam, it was more runny (hence "moisturizing") but performed about the same. The smell is not as pleasant as the scent of the "Wilkinson Sword Protect Foam", but it was quite mild and much better than the scent of the Proglide Gel.
Overall, "Nivea Moisturizing Shaving Foam" was average to good in most aspects, but not a top performer in any area. If I had to choose between this one and the "Gillette Series Sensitive Skin Gel" I used yesterday, I would choose the Gillette for its better protection and lubricating properties. I could still use the Nivea, of course, since it wasn't bad in any way.

Slickness = 4
Scent = 3
Irritation = 4