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Cream vs soap / aftershave vs aftershave balm

I do apologize if this has been posted ad nauseam elsewhere in a thread, but I can't find the answers to my questions which are:

1) what is the difference between Shaving Cream and Shaving Soap, and why should someone choose one over the other?
2) what is the difference between Aftershave, Aftershave Lotion and Aftershave Balm and once again why choose one over the other?

I'm not looking for brand recommendations. Thanks for bearing with a NOOB I'm truly looking forward to your answers.
 
Welcome to Badger and Blade. I'm glad that you decided to post your questions... there is loads of information here but the guys are always willing to help out if you can't find what you are looking for.

1. the differences between shaving cream and shaving soap are large (or small) :001_rolle Apart from texture, they are two products which are made to serve the same purpose. Many shavers have a selection of each and plenty of shavers stick with one or the other. Personally, I prefer soap- I find it to be more traditional, provide better lather and last longer. Exploring the large number of possibilities out there is one of the joys of shaving these days.

2. After shave products have large variances in their ingredient lists. Simple After Shave (or After Shave Lotion) tends to have Alcohol, scent and maybe a small amount of something for skin care/repair. A balm on the other hand tends to be creamy in consistency, have more moisturising properties and generally takes better care of one's skin. My choice of after shave product tends to be a good quality lotion (or what we call a "splash") unless the weather is really cold when I might opt for a balm and the extra care which it provides.
 
Welcome to the forum!
Welcome to Badger and Blade. I'm glad that you decided to post your questions... there is loads of information here but the guys are always willing to help out if you can't find what you are looking for.

1. the differences between shaving cream and shaving soap are large (or small) :001_rolle Apart from texture, they are two products which are made to serve the same purpose. Many shavers have a selection of each and plenty of shavers stick with one or the other. Personally, I prefer soap- I find it to be more traditional, provide better lather and last longer. Exploring the large number of possibilities out there is one of the joys of shaving these days.

2. After shave products have large variances in their ingredient lists. Simple After Shave (or After Shave Lotion) tends to have Alcohol, scent and maybe a small amount of something for skin care/repair. A balm on the other hand tends to be creamy in consistency, have more moisturising properties and generally takes better care of one's skin. My choice of after shave product tends to be a good quality lotion (or what we call a "splash") unless the weather is really cold when I might opt for a balm and the extra care which it provides.
Exactly this.
 

mswofford

Rest in Peace
Welcome; You got everthing you need from djh in post 2! Glad you joined us; We have many great members from Texas on B&B.
 
Welcome to B&B.

David (djh) has given you some pointers. Some new shavers like cream because they find it easier to make a lather with it. With a little practice either soap or cream will work fine. To learn about soaps just look here in the wiki and for creams look here. For aftershaves, look here.

There are some of us who use balms and lotions depending on what we feel like that day. The one thing that I always use, however, is WH which you can consider an aftershave lotion.
 
Good comments above. You're on your way.

I do an after shave that a number of other B&B follow some variant of:

Run Alum bar all over face after shaving - with cold water rinse before and cold water rinse after

splash/rinse of Witch Hazel (like the drugstore bottle of Thayers)

Pause and think how the face feels, then maybe cold water rinse and a small amount of after shave "balm" or moisturizer

You can complicate the above a lot (and I do sometimes) with other products or variations, but that's the basic.
 
Just remember you're not limited to just using one at a time you can mix things. Some people here mix a cream and soap to build a pretty good lather. Than there are people who combine an aftershave splash with a balm afterwards or lotion. The trick to all this is to find what works for you, not someone else.

Personally I use some generic witch hazel and when that dries up I put on some dollar store version of lubriderm 3 in 1 lotion which is suppose to work on body, face, post shave as it's advertised. I get pretty good results from this as it leaves my face feeling pretty good.
 
Thank you David, you couldn't have answered the question any better and the comments below back it up. I hope a moderator might stumble upon your response and make it a sticky, as I would imagine it is a common newbie question. Now off to get some 1805.
 
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Welcome to B&B

The B&B answer is use it all, then tell us what YOU think about the difference :yesnod:

Drop into the Shave Wiki and read over some of the shaving articles. http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/ You will find a LOT of useful info in there.

If you have not already done so, stop into the Hall of Fame and tell everyone a little about yourself

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/30-Hall-of-Fame
 
Aftershave is obviously liquid and a balm is creamy. What's a splash since it was called lotion? Is it in between in consistency? I need to pick something up because I've noticed my skin is getting extremely dry.
 
Aftershave is obviously liquid and a balm is creamy. What's a splash since it was called lotion? Is it in between in consistency? I need to pick something up because I've noticed my skin is getting extremely dry.

As I see it, Steve, After Shave and After Shave Lotion are the same things (and what we call "splash"). A balm will tend to be thicker in consistency, contain less alcohol and provide more skin care. If you are suffering in the winter a good balm may help.
 
Thanks - I thought that might be the case since the bottles between the two look the same (open top). It'd be much less confusing to refer to all products as "liquid" or "lotion." :tongue_sm I'm going to head to the local pharmacy and see what they have.
 
Thank you David, you couldn't have answered the question any better and the comments below back it up. I hope a moderator might stumble upon your response and make it a sticky, as I would imagine it is a common newbie question. Now off to get some 1805.

You are welcome, but sadly one can never find a Moderator when they are needed...
 
I've only been wet shaving for a few months. I found it a lot easier to get a good lather with a cream to start. Now, I can use a soap or a cream. The creams tend to lather a little quicker if you're in a hurry (at least that's been my experience). I like Kiss My Face, CO Bigelow, or Nivea Sensitive Skin Cream.

As far as after shaves go, I have recently started using plain witch hazel (cheap store brand), and Aveeno After Shave Lotion once the witch hazel dries. I like the Aveeno because it works both as an aftershave and a good moisturizing face lotion.
 
Where is the witch hazel? I tried finding some at Rite Aid but couldn't see any. Would it be with the aftershaves or somewhere else? They did not have many options so maybe they just do not sell it.
 
Welcome to Badger and Blade. I'm glad that you decided to post your questions... there is loads of information here but the guys are always willing to help out if you can't find what you are looking for.

1. the differences between shaving cream and shaving soap are large (or small) :001_rolle Apart from texture, they are two products which are made to serve the same purpose. Many shavers have a selection of each and plenty of shavers stick with one or the other. Personally, I prefer soap- I find it to be more traditional, provide better lather and last longer. Exploring the large number of possibilities out there is one of the joys of shaving these days.

2. After shave products have large variances in their ingredient lists. Simple After Shave (or After Shave Lotion) tends to have Alcohol, scent and maybe a small amount of something for skin care/repair. A balm on the other hand tends to be creamy in consistency, have more moisturising properties and generally takes better care of one's skin. My choice of after shave product tends to be a good quality lotion (or what we call a "splash") unless the weather is really cold when I might opt for a balm and the extra care which it provides.

+1.

Probably most new DE shavers start with creams but once they get practice with the brush, they want to start lathering-up soaps. Creams may come in tubs, from which you are to pinch out an almond-sized dollop, or from tubes, from which you squeeze out about 2 cm of product. It is easy to see just how much product you are using. Creams lather best in a lather bowl. Soaps also lather from a brush. Different people use slightly different methods. Some "load" the brush from the soap and then lather in a bowl. Some soap sticks, such as Arko, are applied directly to the face and then you can lather the residue right on your skin, a method called face lathering (which some people also do with creams). There are "hybrid" products sometimes called "croaps".
What most men are call "after shave" may also be called "after shave lotion", even though it is of watery consistency and nothing like lanolin-based hand or body lotions. After shaves usually have a bit of a sting and they quickly evaporate. Balms are creamy and are intended to moisturize. With balms, a little goes a long way. 3 or 4 drops is sufficient. There are some products that have properties of both AS lotion and balm. Saint Charles Shave, for example, sells what they call AS milk. I have tried a couple of those products. They are richly fragrant and are of a consistency between lotion and balm. They moisturize somewhat, but seem to require a couple extra drops. The fragrance goes into the air quickly, like with evaporating lotion, but there is no alcohol and no sting.
 
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