Down With Shaving Cream

I've been shaving a long time for someone my age.  Started when I was 15 and haven't stopped since.  For the past 8 years there's always been 3 essential components to my shaving kit

• razor
• shaving cream
• that searing liquid fire known as after shave

Today I've brought it down to two.

This isn't a new shocking and recent development, but rather something that's been a long time coming.  Since the beginning I've always had issues with shaving cream: foam or gel? a general sliminess after shaving, not being able to see what I'm shaving, all the mess and cleanup, applying the shaving cream, getting gross hands, the list goes on and on.

And then I thought to myself, is all this extra hassle really necessary?  We have multibladed razors that can cut through tin cans, but I need a centimeter of this gunk on my face so it can cut through some little hairs.  Let's be realistic now.  It's obvious that we've all succumbed to the massive propaganda matrix orchestrated by the combined power of Gilette and their cronies.  Ok maybe not, but people do get pretty flabbergasted when you bring up the suggestion of forgoing the cream in their shaving routine.  Myself included.

Until now.

And I'm happier for it.

I did a trial run a couple of days ago when I wanted to get rid of some light growth, and found some early success.  But it wasn't until this morning that I did my usual morning routine and completely did away with the gel when taking off my 2-day's worth of growth.  I didn't use a brand new razor, the blades have been in use for a couple of weeks now, and I just used water from the tap.  When I made that first stroke on that delicate area above the lip I had prepared myself for the most calamitous of results my own headstrong foolishness washed away in a sea of blood and irritation.  But it went smoothly, very smoothly again.  I tested fate once more by shaving against the grain on my lip, still smooth. 

And smooth is the name of the game, as when all was said and done, I've never had a closer shave in my life.

I have rid myself of all the downsides of that useless goop, and discovered an amazing secret, a bonus, I got a closer shave.  As George Costanza said so eloquently "This is like discovering plutonium by accident." 

Accident indeed.  Thanks a lot Gilette.

All that being said, you'll have to pry away my Aqua Velva Cool Blue from my cold dead hands.

AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

What the heck are you thinking? Maybe your skin is different than mine, (actually it HAS TO BE), but I would be bleeding and irritated all over the place if I made the foolish decision of not using shaving cream/gel.

And what's with the "but I need a centimeter of this gunk on my face?" stuff. Do you use soap? "What will a millimeter of gunk do to clean my body?". Skin care products do a lot with very little product.

Omar, you definitely pick a strange way to "stick it to the man".

Again, I must say:

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Actually, Omar's discovery makes sense, but it probably hinges on a few factors:

• your facial hair is well moistened (i.e. after a shower)
• your bathroom is still humid.

As long you manage to maintain a high level of moisture, shaving should be pain-free. This is because moisture helps to thicken the hair, providing a fatter surface area for the razor blade to contact and cut through (BTW, on a similar train of thought, try not to use hot water on the razor as it will only expand the cutting surface and make it more likely to leave you with a nick).

Creams and foams generally help a little, but it's mostly the time delay they provide via application that helps shaving since it buys time for facial hair to soak in moisture before shaving. If you thoroughly wet your facial hair and delay your normal shaving routine for a few minutes, you'll find the shave to be pretty close to, or even better than, any that you've ever had while using a cream.

Thanks for bumping this thread. It's been over a year and a half now so I figured I should give an update. After that initial testing period I have never switched back to cream. I've been creamless the entire time now and life couldn't be better. I did make one change to my routine and that is to do most of my shaving in the shower. I do 80% of my shave in the shower in the water, but because I don't have a shower mirror I have to do the fine-tuning outside. But that's ok, as I've not ONCE nicked myself while shaving in the shower. And I've probably saved dozens of dollars on shaving cream expenses.

And for thoroughness I've since switched from Aqua Velva Cool Blue to Aqua Velva Soothing Balm. The high alcohol content from the Cool Blue was drying out my skin too much, while the soothing balm actually moisturizes. Much better.