6 Best Reasons to Use Either Shaving Soap or Shaving Cream
There's this episode in the cartoon Dexter's Laboratory where the main character, Dexter, meets a beautifully bearded hero named Action Hank. They team up to face Hank's French nemesis Foie Gras and his team of Flour Smugglers, all of whom wear distinct facial scruff of their own.
At the end of the episode, Dexter laments being unable to grow a beard as he is only a boy. Action Hank then gives the boy genius a few words to remember:
"That's alright, Little Hank. It doesn't matter if you have a beard on the outside, as long as you got the beard on the inside."
While a perfect moment for a kid's cartoon, the thought may not be enough sometimes. For the rugged dude who cares about his manly facial bristles, the beard on the outside is just as important as the one on the inside!
The Value of the Right Products
This is why men look for the best beard products for their facial hair. They treat it with utmost care as they do with the hair on the top of their head. Blades, razors, clippers, oils and even shaving cream or soap are no exception. They need to find what's best for them, especially with the last two. Which is better, shaving cream or soap?
While both are integral to men's beard care (try shaving without them, you'll see why), other factors will affect your decision to use either one. Read on for the five best reasons to use either shaving soap or shaving cream.
Use Shaving Soap for a More Traditional Feel
Men used only bars or sticks of hard shaving soap up until the early 20th century when shaving cream was created, meaning manly men have used this product for almost two millennia! Imagine the slick, slippery lather covering every inch of your luscious mane—but on your beard.
Shaving soap also takes much longer to lather. You'll have to rub the product on your facial hair and skin even more to generate the right amount needed to shave.
Use Shaving Soap If Your Skin Is Non-sensitive
Soap dries skin as its chemicals eliminate body oil, which contributes to foul odors. While beneficial for those with oilier-than-usual skin, shaving soap may irritate those with dry or sensitive skin. In those cases, it's perfectly okay to skip the traditional method, as shaving cream is the best men’s beard care product that’s a more modern, sensitive skin-friendly alternative.
Shaving Cream as an Alternative to Sensitive Skin
Shaving cream contains ingredients that are byproducts of petroleum and do not dry skin. Instead, it creates a puffy, foamy cream when applied while also moisturizing skin and hair.
Use Shaving Cream If You Want to Save Time
Canned shaving cream is highly efficient in that the user can immediately apply the product just by spraying. Since soap is heavier than cream, it is much easier to create and work with the latter than the former, thereby reducing the time it takes to groom your beard.
Shaving Soap Leads To Better Long-Term Results
One cannot argue the benefit of this traditional method. The thicker, longer facial locks of mustachioed men from the past result from the use of shaving soap bars. That's because shaving soaps are ingrained in early traditions of men’s beard care. Mastery of various lather techniques (which act like hair and skin massages) results in thicker, more prominent beards and mustaches.
Shaving Cream Can Look and Feel Traditional, Too
The more modern product of the two can also copy the look and feel of its older relative. Though shaving cream can be applied directly on one's face and beard, it can also be spread more thoroughly with a brush in a circular motion from tub to face (or counter-clockwise). It's a similar technique used in early beard care traditions but with a modern product.
Final Thoughts
The kind of shaving product you choose is dependent on your beard care preferences. Shaving soap harks back to the old days when men took time to master lather techniques to develop fully-grown, luscious beards.
On the other hand, shaving cream carries the spirit of its age: agile, efficient, convenient. Either way, it's essential you know what works best for you to give your facial hair the care it deserves!
Still need help with the best beard care products? Get in touch with Sphinx Beard, and we'll find the right men's beard care to nourish your skin and facial hair like no other!
