I recently decided to forgo the typical aerosol can shaving cream and return to the old school method of lathering soap with a brush.
It is kinda strange I know to go ‘backwards’ in technology…but there were just a few items I could not get around:
- Packaging waste – I dislike waste and it seemed that each aerosol can contained more packaging waste then a small bar of saving soap. Or, to use different words, an aerosol can is made with metal of which there is a limited supply in the earth. Saving soap is wrapped in a thin cardboard box made of wood which is a renewable crop.
Lather waste – No matter how hard I tried, I always managed to spray more cream/later out of the aerosol can then I needed. Meaning that the valuable product I bought was being washed down the bathroom sink. With a bush, you can control how much later is ‘created’ and where it goes – meaning less waste and longer lasting shaving soap (not to mention less water!).
- Travel Ease – Since aerosol cans are pressurized, they can not be taken on an airplane, which is a pain because you have to either buy some saving cream at one’s designation, or try to use the shaving cream out of a tube (tried it; don’t like it!). A saving soap and brush, on the other hand, is easy to travel with. Just throw it into your bag and live on; no worries.
- Coolness Factor – Come on, what is cooler then a 100% natural boar bristle bush and a hand-dipped ceramic bowl?
what kind of soap? I was looking around the other day at soaps and found a tar soap that was supposed to lather, had been around since the 1800s. It is now on the list of “must try”.
Now, not as cool but an electric shaver would meet the requirements of less waste (does use electricity) and travel is no problem.
by the way, you look waaaayyy to much like Steve in that picture
LOL – you would ask about the soap! =P
It is a Van Der Hagen’s hypo-allergenic shave soap containing “40% humectants moisturizers.” It came as part of the kit from Amazon – which I bought mostly for the brush as I was unable to find a local source. The good part is that most stores in the area sell shaving soap, so I won’t have mail order that.
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