Bumps, irritation, scratches...nobody wants to feel uncomfortable before, during, or after their shave. If you've had to deal with even a handful of bad shaving experiences, you’ll begin to dread your next shave session. Whether that means taking extra time to avoid cuts (or abrasions) —or worse, desperately doing damage control for any self-inflicted battle scars post-shave. This doesn't sound fun to anyone, right?
Several different components go into a clean shave that leaves you looking and feeling good. The first being a modern razor which utilizes innovative blade technology allowing for a smooth glide along your face. All of this decreases friction, overall causing less tugging, irritation, and helps you to quickly finish your shave (and go on about your day!)
Next, but equally important, is the type of shaving lubricant you chose. To maximize your experience, you need to learn if your skin reacts better to butter, cream, foam, or gel. Don’t sweat it, this doesn’t have to be a tall task — we’ll walk you through four options, so you can learn by example versus trial-and-error.
Shave Butter
Shaving butter is light and thin, making it one of the sleeker options available from for those with sensitive skin. The transparent formula is typically low-lather and can be applied directly to your face. It has a thicker consistency that helps deliver more nutrients to the skin, providing for a hassle and pain-free experience.
Shave Cream
Shaving cream typically delivers an airy, light lather, which is a partial contrast to shaving butter. We’ve seen a resurgence in popularity for this classic technique. Most guys use a boar bristle brush to apply the cream more evenly across the skin.
The rich texture make it great for smoother skin post-shave and the brush helps to lift the hair. But it does require a lot of one thing: time. If you need to leave the house in ten minutes, this might not be your best choice. Preparation, application, and clean up can eat up valuable minutes if you're grooming on-the-go.
Shave Foam
This is probably what you grew up on. Who can forget the classic sound of foam leaving a can ?!On the plus side, foam takes some of the hassle out of applying a traditional cream by using an aerosol can to speed up the process. The thick foam coats the skin, moistening the hairs pre-shave. You save time on lathering up and most guys can usually remove any residual foam with a wet towel.
However, much like cream, shaving foam creates a heavy lather that obscures the shaving purpose. This makes it more likely you'll miss a hair or two, requiring you to risk irritation by re-shaving freshly shaved areas of your face.
Shave Gel
Naturally, we are pretty partial to shave gel — it offers a unique experience that provides the best of both worlds. Here’s what our Hydro-Glaze Cooling Aloe Shaving Gel offers that others don’t: smooth application, no lather time, moisturizing ingredients to soothe the skin (and encourage razor glide) all to help prevent abrasions, bumps, and cuts.
Plus, our formula is foam-free, goes on clear, and helps guide your blade smoothly along your face. We’d gladly put our product against any other shaving gel on the market. And that’s on that. See it in action for yourself below:
By Walter Yeates