Can You Use Regular Shaving Cream With A Safety Razor?

Getting the best shave starts with choosing the tool of your choice. Some prefer using a safety razor amidst the many kinds in the market. And when you do, it would only be wise to find the best shaving cream for safety razor.

But will a regular shaving cream suffice?

Today, you will learn the essentials of using a safety razor for shaving and finding the best shaving cream for a safety razor or lathering agent for taming your beard.

• Why Use a Safety Razor?
• Guide to Shaving Creams for Safety Razors
• How to Use a Safety Razor and Shaving Cream
• Best Shaving Cream for Safety Razor

Why Use a Safety Razor?

There are many types of razors, but for the intrepid adventurer, there can be only one. At the lowest rung of the totem pole are the disposables.

Disposables are fine if you need something quick, easy, and compact for travelling, but it does not necessarily get the job done. At the top of the pole is the straight razor, which requires skill and finesses for those yearning to achieve a great shave. Somewhere in between are the safety razors, secure in their steadfast reliability. It is the job of the adventurer, you, to pick his tool among these.

Every one of these razors has its supposed benefits, but right now, the focus is on finding out the reason behind all the rave on safety razors.

So, why use a safety razor anyway? What is the fuss about safety razors, and are they better than cartridge blades?

First of all, safety razors lower the incidence of skin irritation and infections resulting from shaving. Besides that, these are some of the benefits of using safety shaving blades:

• Better quality shaving blades
  
  Most cartridge razors have inferior steel blades and a plastic body. Since they are usually from disposable materials, they dull much more quickly. The spaces between the cartridge blades are also prone to collect bacteria, and more often than not, cause injuries to the skin.
  
  Safety razors, meanwhile, are from superior single-source steel. It means that the blades' sharpness lasts longer, allowing one to cut one’s hair with less pressure on the razor. And because it is a single-blade razor, it does not impose as much friction as a multi-blade cartridge razor.
  
  
• Affordability
  
  Safety razor blades or replacement blades are more affordable since they consist of durable materials that are dull resistant. You do not need to buy replacement blades often because these blades last longer, which lets you cut down costs.
  
  
• Better access
  
  Safety razor blades are much slimmer in design, allowing better maneuverability and access to facial hair areas usually hard to reach.
  
  Even dermatologists, like Annie Gonzalez, MD, FAAD from Riverchase Dermatology in Miami, do not shy away from applauding these eco-friendly razors. In an interview with Brightly, she affirms, “Because safety razors use a single double-edge blade, they tend not to pull and tug at the skin the way multi-blade razors do. Instead, the safety razor’s weight allows it to glide across the skin smoothly.”

That’s it. Safety razors are an excellent choice for a grooming tool because they are affordable, more sanitary, durable, and can give you a close shave everyday. All of these benefits you can enjoy without much ecological damage.

Guide to Shaving Creams for Safety Razors

Creating a lather is very important when shaving with a safety razor to protect your skin from blade friction.

Choosing a razor is only the first step in your shaving journey. After all, if you are looking for a barber-like shave at the comforts of your home, there are several factors you need to consider.

One of these factors is knowing what shaving soap or lathering cream to use. If you are starting in the world of shaving and you have just realized that there is an art to shaving, then there is no doubt that you have many questions to ask.

Among the many questions shaving neophytes ask is: can you use regular shaving cream with a safety razor?

But before we dive into the answer, let us take a look first at the variety of safety shaving blades and creams we have in the market today.

• Regular shaving creams
  
  Shaving cream is one of the essential components in the art of wet shaving. It can make or break one’s first experience with shaving.
  
  The suitable shaving cream protects the skin by allowing the razor to glide over the skin while cutting the hair smoothly. The cream is what gives you the silky-smooth shave feel when you begin shaving.
  
  But not all shaving creams are made equal.
  
  Regular shaving creams come with their own set of shortcomings. For starters, it is quite a hassle to get an even distribution of the cream into the beard and skin because it applies thickly and will often get in the way of shaving.
  
  If one’s skin is prone to allergic reactions, one should stay clear of regular shaving creams. These creams often have synthetic chemicals, which can trigger skin irritation in highly-sensitive individuals.
  
  
• Safety razor creams
  
  Safety razor creams, on the other hand, are tailor-made for safety razor blades. They come in different types, allowing you to choose what works best for you.
  
  It is essential to learn how to lather the safety razor cream before using it with a safety razor. Each particular type of cream may have its way of lathering that you should need to know to get the best shave possible.
  
  There are three types:
  
  
• Tub Cream: It comes in tubes similar to those that contain toothpaste. The tube allows for easy squeezing to get the cream.
• Bowl Creams: These are within bowl-shaped containers. One scoops out the cream and places it into a shaving bowl for easy lathering.
• Shave Soap: It is the solid soap bar version of shaving cream. To apply, one needs to wet the shaving brush and swirl it on the soap to create a lather. This method of lathering allows the soap to last longer for regular use.

• Harmful ingredients in shaving creams
  
  Generic shaving creams may be easy to acquire, cheap, and ready-to-use straight out of the store’s shelf, but not all of them are good for your skin and beard. Most of these contain harsh chemicals and synthetic ingredients, such as the following:

1. Propylene glycol - used like glycerin to preserve moisture
2. Triethanolamine (TEA) - emulsifying agent
3. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) - detergent and lathering agent
4. Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) - a gentler version of SLS
5. Mineral oil - petroleum byproduct; alternative for plant-based oils
6. Synthetic fragrance and coloring

Hence, it is only best always to be prudent once you are on the lookout for good shaving cream for safety razors. Using the shaving creams with the said ingredients above will increase your gamble with post-shaving skin irritations and may be highly damaging to those who have sensitive skin.

How to Use a Safety Razor and Shaving Cream

Given that there are many hidden baneful ingredients in store-bought shaving products, it would only be ideal to use organic shaving cream for safety razors, like shaving soap, with natural high-fat content and low alkalinity that gives off the perfect thick and luscious lather for the best shaving experience.

Yet, do note that the quality of your shave depends on a lot of things, including how well you can use the blade and create your shaving cream. Here are some tips to enable you to get the best out of your shaving experience.

Using shaving cream and creating a lather

Shaving soaps often come within a tin can. It is hard and will not create a cream unless you pair it using a shaving brush. Hence, for those in the game to amp up their shaving experience with a safety razor, you will need to also invest in a shaving brush.

Once you have a shaving brush, creating lather using a tin of shaving soap will be easy. All you have to do is moisten the surface of the soap and gently swirl your brush on top until it creates a thick lather. Pick up the foam using your brush and apply it to your face or beard in a circular motion.

On the other hand, if you are shaving more surface area or want to rid yourself of the forest that your beard has become, you will have to get a shaving scuttle mug. The tin of shaving soap can only hold much lather. So, lathering on a scuttle is ideal if you want to have accessible lather ready to use for every pass.

Here is how to create a shaving lather using soap on a scuttle:

1. Fill the inner chamber of your scuttle with warm water.
2. Seal the chamber using its cork.
3. Drop your shaving puck in the bowl.
4. Create the lather by whisking your shaving brush on the puck of soap until you have a thick, creamy lather.
5. Pick up the lather using your shaving brush. Then, apply it to your face using circular motions.

If you wish to learn more about shaving soaps and how to use them, you can read more about how to lather a shaving soap.

Tips on using a safety razor

The great thing about safety razors is that it offers the same sense of security that a cartridge razor has to offer but with a closer shave. Plus, it is more durable and cheaper in the long run. Because of the similarity in the facade, you can glide the razor atop your skin similarly to how you would wield a cartridge. But when you do, remember these tips:

• Less pressure
  
  Safety razors are not designed for you to use under great pressure. Using pressure with this kind of blade will only cause irritation and bleeding. Use gently on the surface of the skin, and you will get the desired results.
  
  
• Change angles
  
  Use careful, light, and short strokes that go in the direction of the hair growth. Use the blade at an angle of about 30 degrees.
  
  
• Use safety blade shaving creams
  
  The cream helps keep the skin pores open and lubricated. It allows the blade to move smoothly on the surface of the skin. The lather, meanwhile, raises the hair ready against the edge for shaving.
  
  
• Rinse
  
  It is essential to rinse the blade after every major pass. It ensures that the tiny hairs caught in the edge are disposed of, leaving the blade clean and sharp.

Learning how to use a safety razor properly ensures that you avoid cutting yourself. Not to mention, you will get the most out of your shave and razor.

Best Shaving Cream for Safety Razor

Do not mistake using regular shaving cream and then come out from the bathroom looking like a victim of a murder scene, with your safety razor as Exhibit A.

Here at Naked Armor, we use natural, organic ingredients for our shaving soaps. These soaps heighten the luxurious experience of shaving so that you will always look forward to your next shave in the morning.

Get yourself a quality organic shave soap. No matter how robust of a man you are, your skin is still delicate. And you do not want to mess it up. Click Add To Cart below.

 

More Naked Armor Reads:

Safety Razor vs Straight Razor
How To Clean Your Safety Razor
Safety Razor Vs. Cartridge: Which One Should You Get?