Apologies for the short absence… Work kind of piled up and didn’t leave much time for a post or two. Let’s hope that things don’t get too hectic again and we can all get our dose of My Men Stuff.. 
As a kid, I used to think it was fascinating to see these western men on television slathering their face with shaving cream or foam before putting a razor to their face. I used to wonder why they did it. My dad never used shaving foam and neither did my uncles, or rather, those which I had peaked into their bathroom before. 
Later on when I grew up, my dad said there was no point in buying shaving foam as just plain soap, worked up into a lather will do.
I tried using shaving foam for a bit but I stopped when my face started breaking out and switched back to using my cleanser to assist in my shaving. Another issue with having problem skin is that you need to see where the spots are if you don’t want to risk cutting any of them and having them bleed all over the place. Ok, I’m exaggerating a bit there but I think you get what I mean.
Basically, you need to wet your face and apply something that will allow the shaver to glide over your skin if you want a clean and painless shave. This is what the shaving foam is used for. There are many in the market nowadays that contain many other ingredients that will help to soften the hair before you shave or that will help retain moisture after you shave. Having a smooth surface also allows for a closer shave and this is what shaving foams claim to provide. Besides that, they also reduce “razor burn” which is also a very good thing.
Having compared using soap and using a shaving foam, I have found that they are almost the same. They both give an equally close shave. However, using shaving foam does provide a more comfortable experience as the hairs do not feel so rigid and have softened a bit. Using soap tends to dry out the skin as well which isn’t so bad with the shaving foam.
I’ve been using shaving foam and am quite happy with the results. However, I have no qualms with turning to soap when I am travelling. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a bit of luxury for the sake of necessity. How about you? Do you use shaving foam or do you stick with the good old soap for your shaving needs? Let’s hear your comments and maybe we can share pointers with each other.
