Does the best shaving cream for men with sensitive skin come from a can?
Is it a gel?
A soap?
Is it from a tube of shaving cream?
Popular shaving creams sold in pressurized cans tend to contain chemicals to increase the foam but don’t necessarily offer the same level of protection as shaving products found in tubes. While more expensive than easy-to-find shaving cream in cans, the best shaving cream in a tube will offer fewer if any additives and generally offer more natural ingredients like essential oils, shea butter, coconut oil and other ingredients that are easier on your skin and also smell nice.
You’ll notice that terms like shaving cream, shaving foam and shaving soap are often used somewhat interchangeably even by the manufacturers. Shaving gel is a bit more specific since it starts in a gel form when you squirt it into your hand.
Let’s talk about the different types of products you can choose from.
Canned Shaving Cream
Think about the most common and widely available (and cheapest) shaving creams in cans from manufacturers like Gillette, Barbasol, Palmolive and Nivea among others. There are plenty of other lesser known brands and store brands available generally at low cost.
Shaving creams in pressurized cans that are mass marketed tend to contain additives to increase the foaming. The average guy believes MORE FOAM = BETTER SHAVE.
They foam up well in your hands but tend not to offer the best lubrication and protection of your skin. Sometimes you don’t actually realize this until after you’ve bought the product and foamed it up in your hand.
You find out that the foam is thick to look at but tends to be quite fluffy and thinner in reality.
While they are the best selling products due to their marketing, low cost and wide availability, they’re sort of like the white bread of shaving creams. They do the trick and you can get by using them but there might be a better option(s). This is especially true if you have sensitive skin.
My brother in law avoids using shaving cream from a can as he found it irritated his skin. He tends to use a tubed product or gel. His father avoided using canned shaving cream for the same reason.
Canned Shaving Gel
Edge, Gillette and Nivea are popular shaving gel products although there are plenty of other popular brands to choose from. Like the name suggests, shaving gel begins as a gel when squirted out of the can and becomes a foam/cream when you lather it up on your hands.
Shaving gel is more concentrated than foam and tends to give you thicker shaving foam when lathered up. Some shavers swear by gel over shaving cream for this reason.
Shaving Soap
Now you’re starting to get into old school shaving. Shaving soap involves using a bar of shaving soap along with a damp bowl and shaving brush to foam it up. Dip the wet brush into the soap and move the brush around in a circular motion until the brush has a decent amount of soap. Then take the brush and foam it up in a damp shaving bowl to create the lather. You then apply the foam to your face with the brush.
Depending on which product you use, you’ll find that natural shaving soap products that don’t contain the foaming additives don’t foam up as much as the canned shaving creams. This doesn’t mean it isn’t a good product. It just means it doesn’t foam up as much.
Remember, more foam doesn’t necessarily mean a better shave.
Does the best shaving cream for men with sensitive skin come from a bar of soap?
Using shaving soap takes slightly more time and effort (and a brush and bowl) than canned products but it might be worth a try if you have sensitive skin. You may benefit from a natural product without additives that can cause skin irritation.
Shaving Tube
Again, this is an old school shaving method that requires a bowl and brush and a bit more time and effort. Higher end shaving cream products often come in a tube. This style of product requires only a small amount – about the size of an almond or a 25 cent coin – to use for each shave. You squeeze a small amount of cream into a moist hand and then lather the cream with your hands or preferably a shaving brush in a bowl.
You might not be as familiar with shaving cream in a tube as they are not as widely used.
Popular tubed shaving cream brands include:
Proraso Sapone da Barba (Shaving Soap)
Taylor of Old Bond Street Shaving Cream
C.O Bigelow Premium Shave Cream
Cremo Shave Cream
Higher end shaving tube products tend to offer more ingredient options than mass-produced canned products such as coconut oil and essential oils, shea butter, sandalwood and things of that nature.
So, What’s The Best Shaving Cream For Men With Sensitive Skin?
If you have regular skin and don’t experience overly sensitive skin or ingrown hairs, the canned shaving creams that you easily find in stores will probably suffice. I don’t have sensitive skin and have been shaving my head since 1995. I’ve used Gillette, Edge, Barbasol and other popular shaving creams in cans for years. I’ve never had an issue with any product I’ve used.
Having said that, I have occasionally gone cheap and bought a low end canned product to save a few cents and immediately noticed that the cream isn’t as thick as the previous brand I’d just finished using. Again, foamier shaving cream doesn’t necessarily mean better but at the same time, very thin cream may cause skin irritation especially if your shaving habits aren’t great and the product offers less skin protection than you need.
For sensitive skin or ingrown hairs, you might want to invest a bit more time and money in a natural or organic brand of shaving cream, perhaps in a tube. Look for one with natural ingredients that soothe the skin such as: coconut oil, tea tree oil, jojoba, aloe vera, green tea and the like. Experiment and find one that suits you best.
A Few Specific Suggestions
Proraso Shaving Creams (multiple natural products)
ANVL Non-Foaming Shaving Cream for Men
Jermyn Street Shaving Cream (Sensitive Skin) from Taylor of Old Bond Street
Eos Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream
I recently purchased a Palmolive Men Shaving Cream tube (I took the pic above in my backyard) and it worked just fine. Again, I don’t suffer from sensitive skin, ingrown hairs or shaving bumps so even a cheap brand like this did the trick for me.
I have mostly used shaving cream (and very rarely gel) out of a can my whole shaving life and to be honest, it’s mostly just force of habit! I tend to pick something that is on sale (yeah, I admit I’m a price shopper) and it suits me just fine. From time to time, I try a new product that disappoints – typically a cheap brand – so I mostly stick to tried and true brands that I know work for me.
You don’t necessarily have to pick the most expensive shaving cream if you’re on a budget – just like you don’t need the most expensive shaver – but a slightly more costly natural or organic brand might be what your skin needs.
Conclusion
- The best shaving cream for men with sensitive skin contains natural ingredients such as the ones listed above that soothes but doesn’t irritate the skin.
- While canned shaving creams work fine for most men, those with sensitive skin may benefit from a slightly more costly natural product likely in a tube or soap format.
- A higher foaming shaving cream doesn’t necessarily result in a better or more comfortable shave.
- Consider an organic brand if sensitive skin is a serious issue. Experiment with different brands and formats (can, soap, tube) to see what works best for you within your budget.
- Shaving cream from a tube or soap works well when used in conjunction with a nice shaving brush and bowl.