What does shaving cream do? Is it even necessary? While some men do like to grow a full long beard, others like to keep their faces clean-looking. Whether you like to trim off your facial hair or shave them off completely, here’s what you need to know about shaving creams, the top reasons why you should use them, and the best shaving products to pick.
What is Shaving Cream and What Does it Do?
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Simply put, shaving creams are a form of cream cosmetics used to soften your facial hair. It performs a wide range of functions, all of which help you shave your facial hair a lot easier and safer.
It Protects Your Skin From Cuts
How this product works is it provides the surface of your skin with a thin, protective layer. This wards off the blade from nicking the skin. You’ll have a significantly easier time shaving as you’ll feel a lot less resistance as you press the razor to your face. This protective layer reduces overall friction, minimizing the risk of razor burns and bumps, as well as redness and irritation.
It Softens and Lubricates Facial Hair
The same layer that exists to protect your skin also lubricates your facial hair. This makes it softer, smoother, and generally easier to cut. Since this makes shaving easier, you can enjoy a more comfortable, more precise shave. You can also give yourself a closer shave without the risk of hurting yourself, allowing your facial hair to grow more evenly after the shave is done.
It Moisturizes Your Skin
One of the primary benefits that come with using products like these is how it helps your face retain moisture during the shave. With moist skin comes softer facial hair. This makes the hair from beards and mustaches easier to cut. On top of moisturizing your skin, shaving cream will leave your skin feeling soothed and healthy after you’ve finished shaving.
10 Best Shaving Cream Brands
Here are 10 strongly recommended beard shaving products. Here, you’re free to choose from an assortment of shaving creams to bring out the best in your beard! Expect to shave with great ease and comfort!
1. The Art of Shaving Sandalwood Shaving Cream
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What distinguishes The Art of Shaving Sandalwood Shaving Cream from other products is its distinct sandalwood scent. This shaving cream places a heavy emphasis on masculinity, perfect for thick and wiry facial hair. The product, once lathered across your face, should be enough to guard you against nicks and cuts. By the time your shave is done, you should be left with a nice, smooth finish — all while retaining that distinct sandalwood aroma!
Get The Art of Shaving Sandalwood Shaving Cream on Amazon.
2. Proraso Shaving Cream with Green Tea and Oatmeal for Men
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If you’re a man who struggles with ingrown hair, then the Proraso Shaving Cream with Green Tea and Oatmeal for Men is exactly the product you’re looking for. This product lathers quickly and effectively, softening the hair while giving you ample protection. While many experience the development of ingrown hairs after close shaves, this shaving cream helps minimize that risk.
Get the Proraso Shaving Cream with Green Tea and Oatmeal for Men on Amazon.
3. Proraso Shaving Cream with Menthol and Eucalyptus Oil For Men
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Made with menthol and eucalyptus oil, the Proraso Shaving Cream for Men allows you to have a smooth and invigorating shave. With the help of this shaving cream, your razor will glide over your skin without any resistance, allowing you to cut through your facial hair with incredible ease. Because of this, you’re able to get away with extremely close shaves with little-to-no risk of getting nicks. The best part? The sheer volume you get per tube means this product will last you a long time.
Get the Proraso Shaving Cream with Menthol and Eucalyptus Oil for Men on Amazon.
4. Castle Forbes Lime Oil Shaving Cream
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The Lime Oil Shaving Cream from Castle Forbes is a high-quality shaving cream that possesses the scent of fresh-cut lime. It’s a pleasant aroma that you’ll experience immediately after applying the lather, providing your face with a full fragrance that persists even after shaving. A single tub of this product can last over half a year. One edge this shaving cream has over others is how it’s usable by people with sensitive skin. Users are free to go against the grain with minimum effort, minimizing the risk of nicks and cuts.
Get the Castle Forbes Lime Oil Shaving Cream on Amazon.
5. Brickell Men’s Smooth Brushless Shave Cream for Men
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For those of you keen on close shaves, then the Brickell Men’s Smooth Brushless Shave Cream is perfect for you. This product has been designed to keep your face moisturized and hydrated to minimize the risk of nicks, cuts, and irritation. The shaving cream is made up of natural and certified ingredients like aloe vera, coconut oil, glycerin, shea butter, and vitamin E. Because of this, it’s highly recommended for people with sensitive skin. With the help of shaving cream like this, you’re guaranteed a close, smooth, and comfortable shave.
Get the Brickell Men’s Smooth Brushless Shave Cream for Men on Amazon.
6. Cremo Barber Grade Reserve Blend Shave Cream
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This impossibly slick formula prevents nicks, irritation, and razor burn — all while lathering your face with a subtle, yet pleasant citrus scent. The formula itself is made of natural ingredients like macadamia seed oil, aloe vera, and extracts of calendula, lemon, papaya, and olive leaf. If you’ve got oily skin, the Cremo Barber Grade Reserve Blend Shave Cream is a good match for you.
Get the Cremo Barber Grade Reserve Blend Shave Cream on Amazon.
7. MARLOWE. Shave Cream with Shea Butter & Coconut Oil No. 141
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Featuring a light aloe and citrusy scent and a woody base, this shaving cream from MARLOWE. soothes skin while offering excellent protection against nicks, cuts, and razor burns. The product itself is made of shea butter and coconut oil, making it perfect for men with sensitive skin. This doesn’t mean that the average person can’t use it, however. Expect a smooth and close shave with shaving cream like this.
Get the MARLOWE. Shave Cream with Shea Butter & Coconut Oil No. 141 on Amazon.
8. Shaving Cream for Men by Bevel
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This shaving cream from Bevel is as nourishing as it is refreshing. Making use of ingredients like aloe vera and shea butter, you can expect your skin to feel moisturized and healthy after lathering your face. Thanks to the protection offered by this shaving cream, you’re free to cut at skin level without any danger of nicking yourself. Unlike other products, this one doesn’t carry a scent, making it ideal for people who prefer simple yet highly effective shaving cream products.
Get the Shaving Cream for Men by Bevel on Amazon.
9. Jack Black Supreme Cream Triple Cushion Shave Lather
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For a smooth and effortless shave, the Jack Black Supreme Cream Triple Cushion Shave Lather is your best bet. This cream lifts your hair up and away from your skin, allowing for a close shave. The protection offered by this product makes for an effective cushion, serving as a barrier between the blade and your skin — all while keeping the latter nice and hydrated. The best part? This shaving cream offers a light and pleasant scent. Layers created by this product are thin yet lubricated, preventing your razors from dulling.
Get the Jack Black Supreme Cream Triple Cushion Shave Lather on Amazon.
10. Weleda Shaving Cream
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Free of synthetic fragrances, colors, and preservatives, Weleda makes for a very climate-friendly product. This cream is made entirely out of naturally-sourced products. It is known for its skin-softening properties, carefully formulated so that even people with the most sensitive skin can use it. The product itself contains extracts of viola tricolor, goat’s milk, and almond milk to help the skin endure the stress of shaving.
Get the Weleda Shaving Cream on Amazon.
What Are Some Good Shaving Cream Alternatives?
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Shaving Butters. Shaving products come in many different forms. For instance, you’ve also got shaving butter, shaving oils, and shaving gels. Shaving butter can be differentiated from shaving cream in how butter is translucent and doesn’t foam. Otherwise, both perform the same purpose.
Shaving Oils. On the other hand, shaving oils — also known as pre-shave oils — perform the same functions as shaving cream. They both moisturize the skin, lubricate your face, and soften your facial hair. You can apply shaving oil before applying any other product to maximize its efficacy.
Shaving Gels. Last on the list of substitutes for shaving cream are shaving gels. This product is richer and offers better protection than shaving cream. Their thin consistency means they can be lathered across your face with great ease. In a sense, they combine the benefits of shave oils and shaving cream. They are convenient to use and easy to clean.
Products like hair conditioner, moisturizers, cream-based body lotions, coconut oil, and aloe vera gel are also great substitutes for shaving cream. Conditioner and body lotion both help with softening skin and hair, making it easier for your razor to cut through. On the other hand, coconut oil and aloe vera gel are soothing and make for good lubricants.
Note: Avoid using soap and shower gel as they can make your skin slippery. This dulls the blade as they don’t rinse that easily. Shaving with soap also increases the likelihood of you slipping and cutting yourself with the razor due to the sheer slipperiness.
Is Shaving Cream Actually Necessary?
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It’s generally advised to avoid shaving without some form of a protective product. Some people have facial hair that’s soft enough to shave without it. Most men have facial hair that is thick, wiry, and tough. Cutting through it requires a certain amount of force in each stroke of a razor blade. Despite how tough facial hair is, however, the skin beneath it is not as resilient. Most men will need the help of shaving cream to help them shave off their facial hair without injuring themselves.
While this might sound like a minor inconvenience, scraping skin cells and opening pores makes it easier for pimples, infections, and ingrown hairs to develop all throughout your face. Lathering also moisturizes your face. Without it, your skin will become much drier, and dry skin makes for poor facial hair growth.
Using this product has another benefit that is often overlooked. It can be used to help you track portions of your face you’ve already shaved. Because of the white overlay coating on your face, you can easily locate portions of unshaved facial hair. It’s easy to miss these spots if you shave without lathering yourself first.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is shaving cream made of?
Typically, shaving creams are made out of a mix between oils, soaps, and various surfactants. Most creams contain the same basic set of ingredients, which are mixed in powder or flake form. Depending on the product, different ingredients can be mixed into the emulsion.
2. Can you shave without shaving cream?
While it’s possible to shave without any products, it’s not recommended. Shaving cream is used as a lubricant to help guide your razor, cutting the hairs without damaging your skin. Without using any product, you’re essentially dragging the blade across your skin without any form of protection. The odds of cutting or nicking yourself increase, causing you more harm than good.
3. Is there a safe way to shave without shaving cream?
If you aren’t able to use shaving products, whether it be because of allergies or a lack of access to the product, then it’s possible to find alternatives. Bear in mind that shaving with just water can be harmful if done improperly. You’ll need to use warm water to help open your pore and hair follicles before shaving. After you’re done, wash your face with cold water. This locks in moisture.
4. What happens if you don’t use shaving cream?
While it is possible that you can shave without any product, you’ll be going through a great deal of trouble for little payoff. Shaving without a protective product can be harmful for your skin. The odds of you injuring yourself, giving yourself a razor burn, and irritating your skin are much higher without product. If your facial hair is thick and tough, the process will also take much longer while being several times more uncomfortable.
5. Does shaving cream help with ingrown hair?
Yes, products like these do help with ingrown hairs. In order to minimize ingrown hairs, you should apply the lather before shaving with a razor. You should also rinse your face with warm water before shaving to open pores and hair follicles. Be sure to clean the blade with warm water between strokes, and shave in the direction of your hair growth.
6. Can you use shaving cream with an electric razor?
It depends on the razor! Electric razors were designed to work with dry shaving in mind. Lathering your face with product should be avoided if you use these razors. Despite this, some newer electric razor models should work just fine with dry skin, moist skin, or skin that’s been lathered already. It’s a good practice to look up the model of your electric razor to see if it can be used with cream.
7. How do you apply shaving cream?
The first step is to wash your face with warm water. Once you’re done with that, apply the product to your face without drying it. It’s a good practice to lather the parts of your face capable of growing facial hair. For most people, this will be your cheeks, your chin, the upper part of your lip, your jawline, and your neck. Once the lather has been applied, all you’ll need to do now is shave as normal with a razor.
Shaving Cream For a Softened Moisturized Men’s Skin
Now that you know all about the product you apply before shaving, it’s time to learn more about the product that comes after. Here’s a list of some of the best men’s aftershave products for a clean look.
