MAIN TYPES OF SHAVING SOAPS & SHAVE CREAMS
1. SHAVING CREAMS / FOAMS / GELS FROM A CAN
One of the simplest and easiest to use - Shaving Soaps / Gels in pressurized cans which are readily available from supermarkets and grocery stores, and good quality ones work exceptionally well. A downside for some is the list of non-natural ingredients which often contain additives and chemicals which can cause irritation on some people.
2. SHAVING SOAPS
Shaving Soaps come in a few different forms with the main ones being i) Hard Shaving Soaps - which can be triple milled and are very solid - these Shave Soaps do not change shape easily and can last a longer time than ii) Soft Shave Soaps - which are still quite firm but you can easily press into them with your fingers & they can be pressed to fit perfectly into different shaped or sized containers easily. Good quality Shaving Soaps have an all natural ingredients list and are usually applied by swirling a wet Shaving Brush on them until the Brush becomes loaded with Shaving Soap, and then using the loaded Shave Brush i) to create a rich creamy lather in a Shaving / Lathering Bowl and then brushing the creamy lather onto the face or ii) applying the loaded Shaving Brush directly on your face or area to be Shaved using light swirls and paint strokes, occasionally re-wetting the tips of the Shave Brush until a rich lather is formed. Shaving Soaps also come in a huge variety of scents and scent strengths and using them really can make your Shaving routine more enjoyable.
3. SHAVING CREAMS
Shaving Creams are very much like normal Shaving Soaps except they have the consistency of very soft and smooth creams. Good quality Shaving Creams are specially formulated specifically for preparing the skin for Shaving with a special combination of skin cleaners & moisturizers which thoroughly cleanse, condition, tone and lubricate the skin before a Shave. Good Shave Creams also allow the hair follicles to take in more moisture from the water and soften easier making them much easier to cut. Shaving Creams are very easy to use, being a Cream just apply an almond size dolop of cream to the end of your Shaving Brush and applying the loaded Shaving Brush directly on your face or area to be Shaved using light swirls and paint strokes, occasionally re-wetting the tips of the Shave Brush until a rich lather is formed and then Shave or you can also put a small bit of Shave Cream in your favourite Shaving / Lathering Bowl and whip up an even creamier lather which you then apply directly to the area you are about to Shave. Shaving Creams generally come in tubes, containers or tubs and also come in a great variety of scents. The only Professional Grade Shaving Cream with Tallow in its ingredients is VITOS Shaving Cream which has Tallow and Lanolin.
4. SHAVE STICKS
Shaving Sticks are usually a hard Shaving Soap in a small cylindrical dispenser which make them extremely easy to apply and use. Just wet your face ( or area to be Shaved ) then wet the end of the Shave Stick and rub the Shave Stick directly on your skin covering the entire area to be Shaved with a thin film of soap then using your favourite Shaving Brush using light swirls and paint strokes, occasionally re-wetting the tips of the Shave Brush until a rich lather is formed and then Shave. Shaving Sticks are excellent because of their extremely compact size and make a great Shave Soap choice for putting in your Shaving Bag when travelling. Some really excellent choices are TABAC Shave Stick, RazoRock Barber Shop Shave Stick ( is Triple Milled but is not a Tallow based Shave Stick ), Palmolive Shave Stick ( Tallow Version - not the Australian Version which does not have Tallow in the ingredients ), Valobra Shave Stick and Wilkinson Sword Shave Stick - all have Tallow in the ingredients which many believe makes for better protection while Shaving and better post Shave skin conditioning.
5. SHAVING GELS / SHAVING LUBES
Now here is the easiest way to Shave and in most cases the best - Exactly the same qualities as Shaving Soaps and Shave Creams except in a much easier to apply - GEL formula and consistency. GELS are non oily / non greasy Lubes with Essential Oils which are perfect to use to soften whiskers and moisturize / prepare your skin and at the same time provide more protection, slickness and glide. Products like RAZOROCK  Lime Shaving Lube are that good - you dont even need to use or apply water to your face - you might need some water only to rinse your Shaving Blade every few strokes. To use a GEL / Shaving Lube just apply a small amount of GEL to your wet ( or dry ) face and massage in gently for about 20-30 seconds and Shave. No mess no fuss no preparation or hot towels etc needed - Re apply a smaller amount if doing more passes. After your Shave just let it dry naturally ( no towel needed ) and no need for any aftershaves or balms as the fine ingredients do all that as well.
PREPARATION OF SHAVING SOAPS ( AND SOME SHAVING SOAP TERMS )
1. BLOOMING HARD SHAVING SOAPS
The general rule for all hard Shave Soaps ( and triple milled Shave Soaps ) is to soften the Shave Soap prior to loading with a Shave Brush. This is a process called blooming which consists of immersing the top layer of the Shaving Soap in warm or cold water ( not hot water as this can destroy some enzymes and natural nutrients in the Shave Soap ) for a number of minutes prior to loading the Shaving Brush.
To do this simply open the lid of the Shave Soap container or bowl and add about 2 tablespoons of water on top of the Shave Soap and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes.
This blooming is not necessary when using stiffer Shaving Brushes with most Shave Soaps and perfect lathers can be achieved using only a well-hydrated brush. However, to make loading quicker we recommend blooming when using softer Shave Brushes. If you are going to bloom, it is recommended leaving the soap soaking only for 5-10 minutes, as any longer it would soften too much with the effect of consuming more product than necessary.
After loading your Shaving Brush you can either Face Lather or whip up a creamier Lather in a Shaving Bowl.
2. BLOOMING SHAVE STICKS
To bloom a Shave Stick simply fill the bottom of your Shaving Mug or a Coffee cup with warm or cold tap water ( only about 3cm depth ) and insert the end of the Shaving Stick in the water and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes.
It is recommended leaving the Shave Sticks tip soaking only for 5-10 minutes, as any longer it would soften too much with the effect of consuming more product than necessary.
You can also use a Shaving brush and load it against the Shave Stick as you would any other type of Shave Soap - after loading your Shaving Brush you can either Face Lather or whip up a creamier Lather in a Shaving Bowl.
3. UBER LATHER
When you mix two or more Shaving Soaps / Creams together to get an end product / lather that is better than each on its own.
4. SHAVING SOAP CARE
After using any Hard or Soft Shaving Soap, allow it to dry completely before sealing the lid of its container.
If you use the same Shave Soap every day there is no need to seal its container at all.
When using Shaving Creams it is important to seal the container or tube immediately after each use.
5. WHAT IS A " TRIPLE MILLED " SHAVING SOAP
One of the factors when creating Soaps ( and Shaving Soaps ) is the amount of water left in a bar of soap.
The more water that has evaporated from a finished soap, the milder and better* ( * refined ) it will be ( and also much more dense or harder ).
For this reason, many soap makers leave their soap to cure for weeks or even months.
Milling a soap ( including Shaving Soaps ) is used by some manufacturers to allow the curing process to be hurried along. The water is evaporated quicker through grating and reheating.
Triple milled soaps are just soaps that have undergone this process three times.
Milling produces a better product in less time. This also makes the soap more consistent throughout and prevents pockets of certain ingredients.
Shaving Soap makers in Australia generally choose to forego this process so they can create their Soaps much quicker - at the sacrifice of a Higher Quality.
You may pay more for a Triple Milled Shaving Soap but by choosing a Triple Milled Shaving Soap, benefits include a more consistent and a higher quality product. As a bonus, there is less water in the soap, so it will last much longer than ordinary Shaving Soaps and so gram-for-gram you will get a much higher quality & longer lasting Shave Soap with many more Shaves from it.
Some excellent high quality choices of Triple Milled Shaving Soaps are :
Valobra, Saponificio Varesino, Tabac, Fine Accoutrements, Haslinger, Mitchell's Wool Fat, RazoRock also has an excellent selection.
The Shaving Soap maker that uses a 6-9 month curing / drying process is Martin De Candre of France and creates what is known as the best Shaving Soaps in the world.
ENJOY YOUR SHAVE !! FROM SHAVE COMMUNITY - AU
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