DE Razor with canned shaving gel

**AKahan** · 08-03-2008, 07:30 PM

Is it okay to use a DE razor with a commonly found shaving gel in supermarkets? Or, if I'm not going to use a brush, is it okay to use a CE Bigelow brand of shaving cream but to apply it to my face with my hands? I am just trying to get used to a DE Razor and am avoiding doing the whole classic routine (I'm not sure why, maybe time is a factor). Thanks for the responses.

**Lefty** · 08-03-2008, 07:55 PM

You can shave any way that makes you happy. And btw, part of the fun it testing it all out to find out what makes you happy.

Canned goo will shave off just fine...but you have not lived until you have hot lather applied with a quality brush.

Good luck!

**Eagle** · 08-03-2008, 07:58 PM

Well I think this is strictly up for debate, but IMO that would be doing it backwards. If a better shave is your goal then try quality soaps or creams and a good brush with current disposable cartridge style razors. I did this for 12 years and was perfectly happy with the results. I have enjoyed the DE razor better since making the switch, but I'm not too sure it would work well with the foams and gels. Those products are so dry and a good DE shave requires water and hydrated skin. I'm not saying you couldn't use a DE w/ canned creams, but I think you would experience pain and blood. My opinion, good luck.

By the way welcome.

Barberpole.gif SnappyDance.gif

**AKahan** · 08-03-2008, 07:58 PM

Yeah i have a cheap brush, which I think is part of the problem of me not enjoying the brushing, as my face is irritated as hell anyways. Also, just in case anyone else reads this, will me just soaking a razor in Barbicide be okay for disinfecting my razor? I'm not too worried about the appearance or gunk, just the sanitary aspect.

**AKahan** · 08-03-2008, 08:00 PM

Originally Posted by Eagle

Well I think this is strictly up for debate, but IMO that would be doing it backwards. If a better shave is your goal then try quality soaps or creams and a good brush with current disposable cartridge style razors. I did this for 12 years and was perfectly happy with the results. I have enjoyed the DE razor better since making the switch, but I'm not too sure it would work well with the foams and gels. Those products are so dry and a good DE shave requires water and hydrated skin. I'm not saying you couldn't use a DE w/ canned creams, but I think you would experience pain and blood. My opinion, good luck.

By the way welcome.

Barberpole.gif SnappyDance.gif

Well what if i used the CE Bigelow cream but just with my hands and not a brush?

BTW, thanks for the welcome.

**Lefty** · 08-03-2008, 08:03 PM

You can use Bigelow with brush or brushless.

**Eagle** · 08-03-2008, 08:04 PM

Pretty sure you want to use a brush. I use a hard soap myself and not the creams, but both products require you to mix them with water and whip up lather. That whipping occurs with a brush. You can get a real cheap brush at Wal Greens if you're concerned about a big investment that might not pan out. 5 bucks I think for the Van der Hagen boar hair.

**Eagle** · 08-03-2008, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by Lefty

You can use Bigelow with brush or brushless.

Ok, maybe I'm wrong then. I've never used that bigelow cream so don't want to say definitively. Give it a try and see how you like it. Or that boar hair brush really is pretty cheap for a test run.

**Norbert Sykes** · 08-03-2008, 08:09 PM

If I had to choose between using a DE with canned goo for the rest of my life or using a cartridge razor with a quality brush and traditional shave/soap cream, I'd choose the latter.

Fortunately I don't have to make that choice.

**AKahan** · 08-03-2008, 09:24 PM

The only reason i was thinking about doing the DE with canned cream was because my face is really irritated and I thought the DE razor would help, but I get the canned cream has something to do with it also?

**ravkesef** · 08-03-2008, 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by AKahan

The only reason i was thinking about doing the DE with canned cream was because my face is really irritated and I thought the DE razor would help, but I get the canned cream has something to do with it also?

Yes, the canned cream has something to do with it. However, when I started shaving (1959,) I started with canned cream and a DE. That's largely because a DE and the Shick Injector were the only things available back then. It wasn't until1963 that I discovered how much better shaving with a brush and soap could be. But take your time, discover your own route. In time, you'll want to try a brush, a soap, then a cream, then a, ... and pretty soon you'll be stuck with the rest of us. But here's the thing: you're going to love every minute of it.

**Lefty** · 08-04-2008, 04:09 AM

Someone give this guy a good deal on a C&E BBB (a deal he cant refuse). A brush and lather IS the way to go. But like it said earlier...you can shave any way you like. Test it out and report back. I am shaving with a cartridge and a quality soap this week as I am on a business trip. I got a great shave this morning and isn't that what this is all about!

**thirdeye** · 08-04-2008, 04:16 AM

For most of us here shaving is about two things, getting a close comfortable shave and one that is enjoyable so if can goo works for you and your happy with the results, so be it. I would however strongly recommend that you consider trying a brush and a soap or cream, you may find that it is much more pleasurable than goo!!!

**philamac** · 08-04-2008, 04:36 AM

Originally Posted by AKahan

Yeah i have a cheap brush, which I think is part of the problem of me not enjoying the brushing, as my face is irritated as hell anyways.

Many years ago I tried out a cheap boar bristle brush (body shop) and lathered on my face. It was not comfortable and left me red and itchy. But I can lather very happily on my face with a Best Badger brush. If you are using a boar brush then maybe you need to lather in a bowl or on your hand to reduce irritation to your skin.

I also agree that using a cartridge/brush/cream is a more effective combo than DE/aerosol foam.

My experience anyway

**BroJohn** · 08-04-2008, 05:37 AM

Goo is not the answer. . .

-- John Gehman

**Zach V.** · 08-04-2008, 06:11 AM

Originally Posted by AKahan

Is it okay to use a DE razor with a commonly found shaving gel in supermarkets? Or, if I'm not going to use a brush, is it okay to use a CE Bigelow brand of shaving cream but to apply it to my face with my hands? I am just trying to get used to a DE Razor and am avoiding doing the whole classic routine (I'm not sure why, maybe time is a factor). Thanks for the responses.

I've been shaving a long time, and tried many different things over the years. I used canned stuff since the mid eighties up until 2 months ago.

My 2 cents about your dilemma:

Your routine can be as elaborate as you want it to be. Mine takes about 10 to 15 minutes, and the brush/lather portion of it takes about 3 minutes total, tops. I've found that the time you save using your hands instead of a brush is negligible at best.

I was hesitant to buy a brush, as you were, because I didn't want to spend a lot of time or money, plus I had already tried a cheap drug-store boar brush long ago and hated it. I also was uneducated in terms of knowing what the advantages of the brush were. But after hanging out on here for a bit, I wound up buying a 35 dollar CO Bigelow badger brush eventually, and I love it.

The lather is incredible, the brush covers the face very speedily, the hot lather feels great, and the brush exfoliates the face and gets your skin nice and prepared for the shave. Add in a nice quality cream like proraso or truefitt and hill, and you've arrived.

The canned stuff/hand routine vs. brush/high quality cream routine is simply night and day in my experience. I'd never go back.