Why is a Traditional Shaving Soap Better than a Ready Foam?
Lately, there has been resurgence in classical shaving, with the traditional shaving soap making a comeback as well. The fact remains that the most vital component of a good wet shave is a thick, luxurious and dense lather.
Perhaps, you may have also noted how a rich and thick lather has a considerable impact on your shaving performance and comfort. Perhaps, you also wonder if a shaving soap is better than readymade foam for perfect shaving experiences.
Specific attributes of a shaving soap make it a better option in comparison. In this article, we will list down the important reasons why shaving soaps are a better choice.
Ingredients
Perhaps the most significant differentiating factor is the choice of ingredients in shaving foams and shaving soaps. Many of the soaps contain a host of natural ingredients that protect the skin from irritation while moisturizing, nourishing, and soothing it.
Shaving soaps take the lead in terms of ingredients, too, because you will find specific essential components typically in soaps only. These include:
- Shea Butter
Shea butter comes from the African Shea tree. You will find several unsaponifiable Shea butter commonly present in shaving soaps. The most significant component of Shea butter comes from Triterpene alcohol, which contains Cinnamate esters.
If you look up this component, you'd note a significant UV protection rate. This is also the main reason why Triterpene alcohol is present in several highly protective and advanced sunscreens. Shea butter plays a vital role in helping your skin retain its moisture and quickly heal, returning to its hydrated state.
After you finish shaving, your skin benefits from the healing and protective properties the shaving soap lent it.
- Jojoba
Jojoba oil is one of the most beneficial ingredients for the skin. Coming from the jojoba plant seeds, you will find this ingredient virtually unsaponifiable. The beauty of being an unsaponifiable ingredient is that it retains its original form while incorporating into the product without becoming a part of the processing.
Your skin's sebaceous glands produce sebum- the natural oil that replenishes and revitalizes your skin. The best quality of jojoba oil is that its chemical structure and function are highly similar to sebum. This ingredient in your shaving soap helps moisturize your skin and leave it supple post your shaving experience.
- Tallow
Tallow is a fatty acid that causes incredible slickness as part of using a shaving soap. When you steam melt initial solid fats, you can collect the tallow that sits atop the denser ones. Manufacturers of the shaving soaps then combine tallow with coconut oil and saponify it. This luxurious sleekness and lather serve as a better cushioning for your skin against the blades and leave your skin less chafed and raw after the shaving process.
Other reasons why shaving soaps are a better choice are listed below:
- In practice, soaps have proved to be better for the skin, considering its tenderness and sensitivity. Although hard in nature, they contain traditional ingredients that help produce a creamy and light lather and have incredible moisturizing properties.
- Additionally, a traditional triple-milled shaving soap offers greater longevity, and you can expect one bar to last you for quite a while. For those who demand value for money in addition to essential skin-benefiting properties, shaving soaps certainly make the better choice.
- Then comes the aroma-another component men pay close attention to. Part of the appeal of shaving is the highly seductive masculine scent that comes from a good shaving lather, and soaps prove to be the winner yet again here.
- The triple milling and specific other soap-making processes ensure the scents combine thoroughly with the entire product, thereby spreading a more uniform aroma. This has an even more satisfactory effect on your senses, as you get to revel in the subtle scents from the shaving soaps for the rest of the day post-shaving.
- Many men love the sensation of a boar brush or a stiffer shaving brush as part of using a soap puck. It helps bring out the lather from the more complex soap while gently massaging your skin in the process.
Three Main Types of Shaving Soaps
Shaving soaps come in three main categories, with specific ingredients being the main distinguishing factors. Let's take a look at these below:
- Tallow-Based
Tallow is a fatty and hard substance that you can derive from animals. The high percentage of fat in most traditional shaving soaps causes a cushiony lather. This makes it easier to glide the razor with perfect control.
Tallow-based soaps are even more famous for their complex scent profiles that many other ingredients cannot replicate. Men have somewhat given the tallow-based traditional shaving soaps and artisan status considering how they nourish and moisturize the skin after shaving.
- Glycerin-Based Shaving Soap
Men who love soft, supple, and well-moisturized skin post-shaving turn towards the glycerine-based soaps. They contain natural moisturizing properties that make a smooth gliding surface for comfortable shaving while hydrating your skin alongside.
- Hybrid Soaps
These are the newer variety of shaving soaps, featuring only small amounts of glycerine or tallow. The hybrid soaps rely more on other ingredients for delivering desired results. You will find standard components like plant-derived glycerine and stearic acid for a more vegan-friendly formula.
Shaving Foam- Why it isn't an Ideal Option for You
Shaving foams must be suitable if you're a beginner and not yet an expert at shaving techniques. But if you're a well-grown adult, shaving foams might not work that well for the following reasons:
- Shaving foam has lower effectiveness than its counterpart. It dissipates rather quickly and leaves your skin with a fragile layer of protection. As a result, you are more vulnerable to irritation and razor burns than you would be with a bar of shaving soap.
- Shaving foams also come in aerosol cans, and these do not align with eco-friendly living. Aerosol cans are harmful to the environment, and you wouldn't be supporting the green revolution cause by buying these.
- Shaving creams allow you lesser control from start to finish because they're pre-aerated. Often the lather gets out of your control when you accidentally squeeze too much out of the aerosol cans. With soap, you get to control the volume, aeration, and thickness of your lather.
In short, shaving soaps are more condensed, you can whip the lather to your preferred volume, and most importantly, they're better for your skin's health. Once you have mastered the art of lathering a shaving soap, you will love the resulting lather.
Besides, soaps have a higher post-shave excellence ranking due to the high level of glycerine or tallow content. The unique and complex scent profiles of shaving soaps also enhance their appeal.
Final Thoughts
Traditional wet shaving products are making a comeback into the markets, and that includes men’s favorite- shaving soap. Men have long since realized that shaving foams help with minimal shavings, such as fine-tuning beard lines at best. For more complex shaving processes, shaving foams do not allow much flexibility.
Shaving soaps, on the contrary, contain essential properties that moisturize, revitalize and heal your tender skin soon after the shaving process. They lend a more appealing scent profile, leave your skin less damaged and raw from the razor blades and help achieve artisan finesse.