Shaving Cream vs Soap, Gel or Foam – Which Is Best To Use?

A lot depends on your shaving tool of choice when it comes to which lubricant is best.

It all gets a bit complex, too, when we consider what types of shaving creams, soaps, gels, and foams are available.

Traditionally, we had a hard shaving puck-type soap and shaving cream that had to be lathered. These two options are still the go-to for guys who wet shave with a safety or straight razor. It’s the stuff I love, too!

Then came shaving foam in a can, shaving gel in a can that foams, non-lathering shaving cream, and finally, transparent shaving gels.

I’m going to share about the different types, the pros and cons of each, and which shaving tool is best suited for the lubricant.

Let’s start with the more traditional stuff!

Shaving Soap (traditional lathering)

Shaving soap is as traditional as it gets, and it is typically in a puck (a round hard bar that fits in a tub).

Soaps can also come in a stick type, like the stuff from Arko. This soap stick is rubbed on the face first, then you have to use a shaving brush on the face to whip up the lather. You can actually rub any puck on your face in this way, too, but it’s not designed to be used like that (try it, though).

In my experience, soap is the best type to get a slick type of lubricant containing great moisturizing properties that have a great effect on the skin. I feel like soap does the best lubricating job for me in terms of the slickness and after-effects, but that’s just my experience.

There is more involved in the lathering in terms of getting a shaving brush loaded with soap from the puck (bar) and choosing whether to lather on the face directly or whip up a lather in the bowl (and apply to the face).

A benefit of shaving soap is it lasts longer, especially when using a triple-milled type.

Shaving soap can be messier, though, than using cream, as we have to get the puck wet and get the brush loaded. Whereas a traditional type of shaving cream or other lubricants can be taken to the face, bowl, or brush with the desired amount.

A puck of soap also needs a place to keep it, and not all soaps are made the same size, so you need to use the right bowls or tubs to keep them in–if they do not come in a suitable tub or bowl. Some come with a bowl like D.R. Harris (example), but they can be pricey, and then we refill with a cheaper soap puck once the first puck is used.

I love a good shaving soap and the whole process of lathering with it, and it’s all part of the shaving routine ritual that can be satisfying, almost meditative. It feels like the purest way to start the process if that makes sense!

You can use soap with a cartridge razor, as I have, but the soap needs to be a foamy lather to prevent the multi-blades from gumming up. Ideally, a safety or straight razor is best suited!

When you are using soap pucks, I class you as knee-deep into traditional wet shaving and praise your grooming with patience style.

Shaving Cream (traditional lathering)

Traditional shaving cream is the stuff we get in tubs, although some, like the Italian brand Proraso, come in a tube as well as in tubs.

Traditional cream is just as popular as soap and preferred by some traditional wet-shaving gents. Its ease of use while keeping all of the traditional elements, including ingredients and brush lathering like soap, makes it a great option.

Cream in a tub won’t last as long as a puck of soap, but a typical 150 g/5.3 fl-oz tub still goes a long way.

Myself and others use this type of lubricant with a safety or straight razor just like a soap. However, I have, and you can too, use this type of cream with a multi-blade razor, but just keep the cream a bit more foamy to prevent too much gumming up of the blades (it won’t harm them, but makes them prone to clogging up easier).

Shaving Cream (non-lathering)

I have not had a lot of experience with the more modern shaving creams that do not lather. However, I have tried it with a cartridge razor and wet shaving with a dedicated electric head shaver, and it worked fine and very well with the head shaver.

This type of cream is just that: it is a cream in appearance from a tube and continues to look like a cream once applied.

As a multi-blade razor comes with a lubrication strip, this type of shave cream works well. They seem to work together well. This cream does not provide the slickness that a traditional soap or cream provides and is not required as much because of the added lubrication from the gel strip provided.

I am seeing more guys using this type of cream these days, with some finding it great and others don’t. For me, it is missing everything a lather and lubricant is about!

Head shaving with a dedicated head shaver worked very well because I only require a thin layer of lubricant with this type of shaver.

I have more to test out in this department, to be honest, and I don’t want to rubbish it too much without enough experience.

Shaving Foam (in a can)

I used shaving foam in a can for many years before starting my wet shaving journey with safety razors, and I knew no better.

Nothing is easier than just squirting a bit of foam from a can and straight onto the face without any lathering up. But this is about the best aspect!

Other ingredients have to be added to the foam to enable it to be ready to squirt out and apply, whereas these ingredients are not required with other lubricants. These ingredients could mildly irritate the skin like I had recently with a tin of Proraso Red Shaving Foam.

Unlike the yogurt-like lather from soaps and traditional shaving soaps that are less foamy, the foam has more–well, foam! This thinner foam lather is fine with a multi-blade razor as the multi-blade has a gel lubrication strip at the top that helps both the razor and foam work well together.

Shaving Gel (foaming)

The first time I used some of this in a can made by Gillette was great with a Mach3, in my Mach3 days.

Starting off with a gel makes the user have to massage the gel in the stubble to create the lather, which is better than just putting the canned foam on the skin (of course, you can also massage foam in a can, but I guess many don’t).

If I had to choose from gel in a can and foam, I would definitely choose the gel. Some of these are powered by air rather than aerosol, which makes them more skin and environmentally friendly.

The slickness and protectiveness are still not what we get from using traditional shaving soap or cream. However, foaming shaving gel works well for a multi-blade razor.

Shaving Gel (non-foaming transparent)

King of Shaves was the first non-foaming gel I used a fair few years ago, and compared to shaving foam or gel in a can, it worked better for me.

As the cartridge razor has that top lubrication gel strip, adding additional gel just makes sense to me.

I have been testing a good few of these shave gels out recently and found that a good one only requires a small amount, but some require more.

A typical 150ml tube is not going to last as long as some other lubricants and, of course, nowhere near as long as a traditional soap or cream.

While most of these are transparent, I still find some of them create a white film.

I guess an attractive feature of this type of gel is seeing where you are shaving on the skin.

Final Thoughts

Some of these have some obvious advantages, like more slickness, moisturizing properties, and cushion with the traditional soaps and creams. Shave gel works well with the already-gelled feature of the multi-blade razor lubrication strip and does not necessarily require all of the qualities a traditional soap and cream provides.

However, much of this is also about personal preference, especially when deciding to use traditional shaving soap vs cream or shaving foam vs gel.

If you go down the traditional route, then be warned you are going to get introduced to some great scents that make lathering up a joy.