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HONEST thoughts on canned gels/foams...

Well first let me say this is not intended to start arguments, rather discussions and do not call me a troll for speaking my mind....

I know everything is YMMV when it comes to shaving products but after using well over a dozen soaps and creams and producing hot lather by hand with a brush I honestly can say that I find modern canned gels to be FAR more effective for shaving. Let me list a few comments about this...

-I absolutely LOVE to make my own hot lather whether it is on the face or in a bowl....the process is relaxing for me and puts me in a "mindset" for shaving. The variety of the scents is probably the biggest draw for me as well as others...more on this later.

-Before you go and say I do not know how to make proper lather, I assure you all that I can make lather as good as any of you.

-Here is the honest truth though...and this is coming after having spent hundreds and hundreds on creams, soaps, and brushes....the performance of the latest canned gels from gillette completely blows away any soap or cream I have used to make lather by hand...as I said earlier, I love the whole process and the variety available to me...I cannot honestly say that they perform as well as modern gels, let alone on the same level.

As I said, I do not want this to start a flame war...just have been thinking about this for a week or so and thought there might be others out there. With that said I still make lather by hand because I ENJOY the process (and like many of you have invested substantial amounts in supplies) but when it comes down to lather quality, slickness, and cushion, modern gels win hands down.


Just my opinion....:001_rolle
 
Well, in my opinion, the CO Bigelow/Proraso and C&E Sweet Almond Oil creams may not produce as much lather as you will get from a squirt of modern canned stuff, it seems much slippery, doesn't cause as much after-shave drying. I suppose we differ on that point.

I do like the new Gillette fusion gels for what they are, but they have always dried out my face, so I avoid them now that I've found C&E and CO Bigelow products. To each their own.
 
Well, in my opinion, the CO Bigelow/Proraso and C&E Sweet Almond Oil creams may not produce as much lather as you will get from a squirt of modern canned stuff, it seems much slippery, doesn't cause as much after-shave drying. I suppose we differ on that point.

I do like the new Gillette fusion gels for what they are, but they have always dried out my face, so I avoid them now that I've found C&E and CO Bigelow products. To each their own.

Thats been my experience as well. Canned gel or foam always leaves my face extremely dry, and I've been able to get a slicker lather/smoother shave out of proraso as well as the english creams/soaps I have tried.

It took a lot of trial and error to get my lather building technique down though...I had some pretty bad shaves early on without realizing my lather sucked.
 
I used canned gel for over a decade. I then dabbled in brushless creams for a few months (edge tubes) (less than impressed) In December I tried soaps for the first time. In February I tried creams for the first time. I will never purchase another canned cream/goo again. I have been so much happier with my shaves, the scent, and the overall process of shaving since I switched. I am not going to argue that nobody should use canned goo, but I know I will not.
 
My opinion is that newer gels/creams work admirably with modern razors (Mach III, Fusion, etc). Atleast for me (when I used them), they did provide sufficient protection during the shave.

What they didn't do though, was condition/moisturize my skin as well as products such as Nancy Boy shaving cream, QED Soaps, or French Shea Shaving Soap- and that is 85% of the issue right there for me.

My girlfriend really never has any idea what I'm using and honestly doesn't care- but I have noticed a direct correlation between my using of certain high quality products and her commenting on how nice my face looks/feels- and to dispel any doubts about other factors- this is a "when all else is equal" type of thing- because I don't change much of anything else... But like I said- it seems as though every time I use certain products she will make a comment later in the day...(me being the smart cookie that I am- I started phasing everything else out of my stash... save Floris Santal Shaving Cream... in that case she loves the way it smells when she is waking up and I'm shaving)
 
I stay away simply because of the chemicals and, as you mentioned, the variety in scents offered by more traditional wet shaving creams/soaps is more appealing.
 
I'm not going to deny that modern gels/foams work. For the price, I'd bloody well hope they would. But, for a start, the are packed with chemicals. Secondly, their scents leave much to be desired. Thirdly, there is the whole drying skin thing (especially with foam). Forthly, they work - but not better than my creams and soaps. And lastly, there is nothing cooler than whipping up your own lather. I must say that foam does make a nice thick lather, and is fun to mess around with, but I would not enjoy my shaves so much by using it.

I think if I am going to be shaving with alternate and old fashioned means, then I should go all the way. Also, I just hate the look of these cremes and gels. Plastered in fancy graphics and 'futuristic' pictures and fonts. Just not really my sort of thing.
 
I honestly haven't used any foams or gels for quite a while now. When I used my sensor I would usually just shave with hot water, with the moisture strip they had on there it was enough. Then I went with an electric, and I was shaving with that for round about three years before I started with a DE last summer. I'm pretty sure I could get a good shave from a gel, as long as it didn't feel too drying or anything.

So then, a question for people that use gels or foams: How many passes do you do? If you do 2-3 or more, do you relather with a new squirt from the can for each pass? That's the thing I really like about using a brush with soap or cream from an economic standpoint. From a very tiny amount of soap, or just a small dab of cream, I can easily get enough rich slick lather for 10 passes, if I really used up all of the lather I generated. My daily use items last quite a while because of this, I imagine I would run out of a canned gel rather quickly if I relathered each time on a 3 pass shave plus touchup.
 
I will say this- and granted this isn't about creams or soaps or all that...

but using any current product from a company that currently uses TW, TH, and RF to push a product called the "Gillette Fusion Power Phenom"... makes me crack up every time... Honestly could you pick a sillier name?
 
Ahh yes that is another thing I enjoy very much about escaping from the cartridge world: No ads! I do see some ads on TV and I just laugh because at least now I no longer feel like the target companies like Gillette and Schick see me as.
 
I really think YMMV applies..............I still use plain old Barbasol with my DE, for me its great.If it didn't work I'd try something else. My shaves are great, close and I never nick my self. However, I realize everyones skin and needs are different. To me technique and prep are key.
 
I used canned gel for many years and never thought it was a poor product. I suspect I could get just as good of a shave with it as I do with the creams or soaps I am using. I might even get a good of a shave if I used a cartridge razor now that I know better technique. But that isn't really the point. I really like to shave with a DE and the scented lathers I am able to make. A few days ago I was in a real rush and had to reach for the can of gel for the first time in a long time. I hope not to have to do that again any time soon.
 
Honestly, canned gel (which is what I used exclusively for years) was never slick for me. Creams and soaps now? Way slick.
 
I would agree with the original poster that today's modern gels/foams/goo perform well. I have no problems with the performance. I for one however will NEVER use them again unless I have to. Why? Three reasons: cost, mess, and environment. For the cost of a can of goo, I can get a decent puck of soap like Col Conks or even Williams that will last longer than the prepackaged can. Also, there is a ton of variety in scents.

Another big factor for me is the mess created when I use canned foam. I hate having to squirt that crap on my hands, then paint it all over my face, invariably dropping a dollop on the shirt, floor or sink, and getting it in my ears, hair, etc. With a decent brush, I can apply when and where it's needed, and my hands stay clean.

I am not a huge environmentalist, but I am trying to make small changes when and where I can. To me, that huge can of propellent and metal is just going to end up in a landfill for the next 1000 years when I'm done with it.

I do think that modern gels are super slick and probably perform as well as, if not better than some of the traditional solutions, but for the reasons mentioned above, I will not be using them.
 
I would agree with the original poster that today's modern gels/foams/goo perform well. I have no problems with the performance. I for one however will NEVER use them again unless I have to. Why? Three reasons: cost, mess, and environment. For the cost of a can of goo, I can get a decent puck of soap like Col Conks or even Williams that will last longer than the prepackaged can. Also, there is a ton of variety in scents.

Another big factor for me is the mess created when I use canned foam. I hate having to squirt that crap on my hands, then paint it all over my face, invariably dropping a dollop on the shirt, floor or sink, and getting it in my ears, hair, etc. With a decent brush, I can apply when and where it's needed, and my hands stay clean.

I am not a huge environmentalist, but I am trying to make small changes when and where I can. To me, that huge can of propellent and metal is just going to end up in a landfill for the next 1000 years when I'm done with it.

I do think that modern gels are super slick and probably perform as well as, if not better than some of the traditional solutions, but for the reasons mentioned above, I will not be using them.
Stanley, I do agree completely on the enviormental issue. Thats why I think I MAY try Erasmic soon.
 
I get good results with Gillette gel, but the results aren't quite as good as what I get with AOS Lavender cream or Proraso/Omega cream. Could I get by shaving with gel or canned cream? Sure, but the results I get from AOS, Proraso, Omega are just that little bit better to make me prefer using them.
 
To the original poster, what specific model or name of cream/gel are you talking about when you state, "latest canned gels from gillette...?"
 
I guess different strokes for different folks. The canned gels work well in the Mach3, Quattro or Fusions, but always seemed to plug up the Superspeeds of Fatboys. I am inclined to say that this gunk is what you find in an old antique store razor you have to clean up.

SInce I mainly use straights now.....I'll keep to making my own

I don't ever plan on using any of the canned stuff again. I have way too much fun making my own lather, and my shaves are much better.

As always, YMMV......:wink:
 
I tried Nivea canned goo this past weekend it was good. I paid the same price as a Col Conk soap. However, it was a little more messy than soap and brush. Plus, canned goo is way down on the scale for the cool factor-- more on that later.

Before I got into DE shaving, I used Colgate and Barbasol shaving cream in a can. Neither of them worked very well. It had a tendency to dry out my face, and the smell was nothing special. I used Edge Gel for a while, but it kept clogging up my Mach3.

I then tried to switch to the four bladed razor, I think it was a Shick. But it was almost too big to hit all parts of my face, and left an "uneven" shaved feeling. I can only imagine what a five bladed razor would do.

So I didn't like the gel, and the canned foams-- that were cheap-- wern't that great either.

Now, when I was in college in the early 1990's in Austin, TX, I bought a chrome DE razor from Walgreens. Yep, they had them in Walgreens at the time. It was the kind that opens from the top, I think you call it a butterfly opening. Anyway, I was using that for a while when I found a shaving soap in a dish that smelled like almonds. I can't remember the brand. I bought it with a brush and used that to shave with for about a year. It was great. Then I grew a beard, being young and hip and trying to mack on easy hippy chicks.

So, just this past year, I got back into DE shaving. This is what I enjoy about DE shaving that I don't get from just canned goo and a multi-bladed razor:
1. I enjoy the scents
2. The connections to a perceived better time, when people took time to care for themselves and substance and style still mattered.
3. I enjoy the process
4. I enjoy actually "knowing how" to shave, as opposed to just--literally-- pulling my facial hair out with a multi-bladed razor.
5. I enjoy the way my wife some times lays on the bed and watches me shave (this may be her amazement that I actually pay attention to something for more than 30 seconds).
6. I enjoy the comradeships on this board.
7. I enjoy recycling the paper and/or plastic my soap comes in vs tossing out a can (I'm not a "religious" environmentalist, but I am a conservative in the since that we should "conserve" our environment).
8. I enjoy using a metal tool on my face vs using a plastic disposable "toiletry" item.
9. I enjoy consciously taking care of myself and shaving with soap/cream, brush, and a DE is an expression of that.
10. Plus, it's just plain cooler, is more macho, exudes more mojo, is more stylistic, more individualistic, more expressive of my character than just using a million bladed razor and canned goo.

There is just something Orwellian about canned goo. It kind of signifies our times. Quick and easy. You don't need to spend time on yourself, you need to spend it at your job! Sure, you like a clean face, but hid the fact that you must actually shave, get it done quickly, and cheaply too boot.

There's probably something else, but I lost my train of thought.

Oh, it's a benign hobby too.
 
I used canned foam once I started wetshaving. It worked out alright for me. But still, since I found the Palmolive soapstick there is no need for anything else for me as it is cheap, enviromental friendly and as easy to apply as canned foam. It´s just not so good for travel, but I doubt that you can enter an airplane with a can of foam anyway.
 
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