Shave with or Without Shaving Cream?

Shaving creams, as well as shaving gels and foams, are widely accepted as must-haves in the arsenal of any man or woman that shave frequently. Are they really “must-haves”, however, or are they somewhat unnecessary? At the end of the day, what does shaving cream do, really?

Our quick and simple answer is that a good and high-quality shaving cream or gel will be one of the best things you can do for your skin. They are excellent at softening, moisturizing, and even nourishing your skin so that you can have the best shaving and after-shaving experience possible.

However, are shaving creams and gels really necessary or are there good shaving cream substitute products that can make it unnecessary to buy and use a shaving cream? Our answer here is once again a “Yes” – if you’re looking for ways to skip on buying a shaving cream there are plenty of other products that you can use that will likely be readily available in your home.

Additionally, there are certain tips and tricks that you can utilize in order to make your shaving experience better and more pleasant even if you’re not using shaving cream.

Still, to properly answer the question of whether you should shave with or without shaving cream, let’s take a look at how to use shaving cream and how does shaving cream work.

Why should you use a shaving cream?

It’s no accident that shaving cream has become such a staple when it comes to shaving for both men and women. Good shaving cream will bring a myriad of different positives to your shaving experience, whether we’re talking about your face or your body. And yes, most of these positives can be reached with other means as well, but quality shaving creams have proven to be doing that in usually the easiest and best way possible.

Here are some of the main reasons why you would be smart to use a shaving cream:

  1. A good shaving cream will guarantee a close, smooth, and gentle shave. Thanks to their thickness and consistency, shaving creams stick to the skin better than any soap. Thanks to this shaving creams reduce the risk of cuts better than any other product.
  2. Shaving creams also reduce the risk of razor burns. They achieve that by moisturizing the skin so well that all irritations are avoided completely.
  3. By using a good shaving cream you will not only hydrate but you’ll also nourish your skin. While this isn’t the primary purpose of shaving creams, most good products will include plenty of nutrients and minerals that are great for your skin, particularly during and after a shave.
  4. Shaving creams are typically accompanied by a lot of delightful scents and fragrances. Yes, the same can be said about most soaps and hygienic products, however, most of them are not meant to be applied to your face.

It’s this unique combination of properties, as well as the excellent quality with which shaving creams perform them, that make shaving creams so beneficial for shaving your face or body. However, what if you chose not to use a shaving cream?

What to use instead of shaving cream?

Shaving cream manufacturers might not want to hear this, but it’s a simple fact that all of the benefits shaving creams bring to shaving can be achieved by other means as well. Soaps, shampoos, body wash, even hair conditioners can easily be used to moisturize and soften your skin, thus giving you a close, safe, and comfortable shave.

At the end of the day, those are the main goals of a shaving cream and they are not that hard to achieve – as long as your skin is softened enough, your hairs are raised, and you make sure that your skin is well moisturized after the shave, pretty much everything should be in order.

To help you out a bit more if that’s the route you’ve chosen to take, here are some basic tips to shaving without a shaving cream:

  • If you’re going to use soap or another non-oily product, wet the skin and soon-to-be-shaven-hair thoroughly before you do anything else. This will soften and moisturize your skin and it will open up your hair follicles. The easiest way to achieve that is to simply take your daily shower before shaving but you can use other methods such as a hot towel shave.
  • Exfoliate your skin before shaving. You can also do that while showering by simply using a washcloth or a loofah.
  • Whatever product you’re going to use, make sure that you lather the target area perfectly. One of the great things about shaving creams is that they create excellent lather so you’ll have to recreate that effect as well as possible. If the product you’ve chosen doesn’t create a good lather, consider adding a few drops of Glycerin to it. Glycerin is colorless and odorless, and it can be found in any drug store. Most importantly, it guarantees great lather.
  • Shave with the grain! Excellent shaving cream can make shaving against the grain tolerable and acceptable, but if you’re going to use something like a simple soap or a shampoo, shaving against the grain is very ill-advised.
  • Use an excellent and sharp razor. Shaving without shaving cream is one thing, but trying to do it with a dull razor is just asking for trouble.
  • Moisturize! After the shave, wash up the shaved area properly, dry it up, and apply a good moisturizer thoroughly. This is a key step to reducing skin irritations and inflammations even if you are using shaving cream.
  • If you’re going to use an oily substance then don’t dampen your skin before shaving – the oils won’t mix well with the water.
  • Trim your longer hairs with hair clippers beforehand – there’s no point torturing yourself by having to shave long hairs with no shaving cream.

What do we recommend after all?

Shaving creams are so widely used for a good reason. Yes, you can shave very easily and effectively even without using them or any of their corresponding alternatives such as shaving gels and foams. However, those products cost money as well, so, if you’re going to spend money on something you’ll use while shaving, why not simply use a good shaving cream?

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