Shaving Cream or Gel?

[honestjohnny]

Can someone explain the difference between gel and cream to me.  I use the ones that come out as gel, but lather up like cream.  I don't know what to call this.  There are gels that stay gels even when applied and then there's the old Barbasol that is a cream right out of the can. 

[DaDi]

* Off-Topic Questions *

1. Is a brush necessary to apply a shaving gel? (BaldGuyz for example)

2. The same with honestjohnny (the previous post)

[RyanJP]

Yes and no. IMO a good boar or badger brush will provide a better shave because it will help lift your hair and also provide good water retention qualities, so the lather will be well hydrated. Go online and do a search for brands like Vulvix, Van de Hagen or Omega are pretty good and priced well. Also invest in a shaving bowl as well or you can use a mug.

[Thebaldnation]

I've been using Head Slick for quite a while but this morning I ran out!! So I tried something I had heard of but never tried...using regular hair conditioner. Borrowed my wife's and it was amazing. I  even think it might work better than the Head Slick!!I've been bored with the shaving lately so I started to try other things. IF this works as well as I hope does, I may be saving over HB products!! I think the next thing to try will be the oil under the conditioner.

Thats awesome! i use babyoil underneathe the headslick when i shave, Its nice, and then, after i rinse my head off i put another thin layer of babyoil on and let it soak for about 2-3 minutes, dry the excess of and apply lotion, works well

[CliffCoultas]

It amazes me how many different ways some guys shave their heads and the different products they use. I also have a friend who like to shave in the shower with no gel or cream and prefers to shve his head while it is completely submerged in the bathtub. I myself find that I do not like gels like Edge. They tend to be to slick and clog the razor. I like to use just plain cheap Barbasol with aloe and just about any major brand razor with two or mjore blades. Sensor Excel was what I used to use but I have recently taken a liking to Mach 3 and even the Fusion with 5 blades. But I find that single blades and cheaper brands will never suffice for me. And I must use after shave with no alcohol (Alcohol dries the skin and makes you look older.). I prefer Nivea after shave. With aloe. Lol.

[Ming the Merciless]

I go with CliffCoultas.  What is it that makes us chuck decades of effective methods for going SLY, and grabbing whatever is hyped and hawked (at considerable extra expense)?  Barbasol Shaving Cream (various flavors) is not expensive (can get it for $0.89/can quite often), and it works just fine for at least one SLY here (me).  Gels?  Oils?  Fine, if you like expense and clogged razors.  Go ahead.  It's product not process that counts, however, I'd say, and if you can go SLY at minimal expense, why needlessly pauperize yourself?  But, we all have our own methods and view any alternatives as heretical aberrations.  Get thee behind me, Satan!

[GaryT]

"Pauperize," I like that one Ming! Of course I'm a bit of a heretic so what do I know?   
I'm one of those guys that has tried 'em all and do think that there are some great NEW products out there that do work better than some of the old.

As for me...I use a bowl....2 actually. One has soap in it and the other is for mixing. I squirt some shave cream from a tube into the empty bowl, add some glicerine and using a brush to lather the soap and then add it all together. May be it's just me but I enoy doing it this way and am certian I get a better shave for it!

[shaved]

Shave cream, i rub on some baby oil and then shave cream, smooth shave , or under hot shower

[Duffman]

I'm still experimenting and trying various things... tried the Fusion gel... it was ok, but I've noticed that gels don't get as close to the skin as I would like... maybe I'm just over reacting or something... I just got the cheap foam (cream) stuff, it seems to do ok.  Have not yet tried baby oil, or conditioner, but I will try them sometime soon.  I'm also going to try this olive oil soap that was given to me, maybe it will do something different.  Though, in the end, it's just putting something on to take something else off. 

[KentBaldGuy]

At the moment, I use Gillette Mach 3 Sensitive Skin gel. The only reason I  use gels over foams is that the cans of gel tend to go further.

Tony

[Head Bald Guy]

To answer Honest Johnny's question, the shave gels in the can have the propellant in the gel so when it is squirted out it turns into a foam. This is because of the surfactant (soap) in the product. Bald Guyz Shave Gel has almost no surfactant which is why the clear gel does not foam.

HBG

[BrotherBanzai]

I use Dr. Bonner's Magic Peppermint Liquid Soap as a shaving cream. Nice and refreshing indeed
And on a plus side it doesn't clog triple blades much.

[Bald_freak]

I've used the exes conditioner in a pinch a while back that worked ok, but got yelled at for using it. What gel, cream you use aint as important as the razor you use. But the one trick I learned on here seems to really work. Dip your razor in alcohol n let it air dry when your done, it seems to extend the life of your blades which = more shaves.

[DC]

I've used the Nivea For Men gel and it's been great-even better than the Edge gel.  I'm currently using Shave Secret oil which could clog up your blade head but it's great.

I do have a can of Barbasol shave cream in case I'm out of the above items.

[CraftyGuy]

I tried Barbasol once, and wasn't terribly pleased with it - even with some Shave Secret applied to a wet head prior to using this, I found it to be dry and very gummy and the HeadBlade had a hard time gliding through it like it ought.  About a third of the way in, I cleaned off the Barbasol and went back to the HeadSlick.

Now, I am mostly using C. O. Bigelow Premium Shave Cream - is that stuff ever nice!!  I do switch back to the HeadSlick one shave out of every half-dozen or so, just for the occasional variety.