Shaving Gel vs. Foam

With all the different shaving lubricants available on the market, it may get confusing to determine what the difference truly is between all of them. To simplify it, all shaving variants are designed to fulfill the exact same purpose: to aid the shaving process and to produce a clean and close shave. Both shaving foam and gel help prevent stubble from drying up and make the beard stiff during shaving. They are basically the safety cushion between your razor and your skin. Shaving foam and gel are both considered shaving creams but the key difference lies in the composition; the former coming in a foam-like texture while the latter in gel form.

So which is the best for you? 

Truth be told, it is to its greatest extent a personal preference. The best shaving foam for men or the best shaving gel is often subjective and depending on what a man looks for the most while shaving. 

SHAVING FOAM vs. SHAVING GEL 

If you have not yet figured out which shaving lubricant suits your personal preference best, presented below is a detailed comparison between these two products. We’ll also weigh in on classic shaving creams.

1. Shaving foam is stored in an aerosol dispenser and comes out of the can in lather-like form and is ready to use right away. Shaving gel on the other hand needs to be lathered up first with one’s fingers before it can be applied on the skin. Also, gel does not provide a rich lather as compared to its foamy counterpart. If it is important to your shaving experience to have rich, thick lather then foam may be better for you. 
2. Shaving gel is more transparent as compared to foam. This enables you to see where and what exactly you are shaving. If you have a well-defined beard with lines, then this type of shaving product may be more convenient so you can better see what parts of your face you are shaving so as not to destroy the shape of your beard. If you just simply want a clean shave of your entire face, shaving foam will not pose a problem as you will not miss out any patches since you can still see the stubble clearly against the white foam. 
3. Men’s shaving gel is usually more expensive than shaving foam but the advantage is that you need less of the product during the shave. In fact, an area that requires a lot of foam to cover requires a much smaller amount of gel. Hence, a can of gel tends to last longer than a can of foam. 
4. Due to the texture of gel, it tends to clog the razor more which requires you to rinse your razor more often during the shaving process. Shaving foam for men on the other hand requires less rinsing. 
5. Men who are fans of shaving gel claim that the shaving process is more effective and faster. This is because the gel doesn’t dry up unlike foam, which you may have to reapply during shaving. 
6. Most men say that shaving gel works better for thick hair as compared to foam. 

The Classic Shaving Cream 

There are many men who don’t use shaving gel or foam from the aerosol bottle but prefer to use the kind of classic shaving cream that usually comes in a tube or tub which is then applied with a brush unto the face. Most men say that cream is much slicker and provides a significantly better shaving experience as compared to either foam or gel. It is also healthier for the skin and leaves it feeling fresh and clean. You must however learn how to properly lather up the cream and learn how to apply it on your face correctly with a brush. Many men who have used classic shaving cream find no reason to go back to foam or gel.

Choosing the Right Products 

As said earlier, whether you use shaving gel or foam is ultimately your personal choice. In choosing the best product, it is important to go for those with little or no alcohol as these tend to dry up the skin and cause irritation. The best shaving lubricants are those that contain ingredients that not only protect your skin but also soothe and repair it. They provide moisture to keep your face soft and vibrant.

Photo by Clearly Ambiguous. Used under Creative Commons license: Attribution 2.0 Generic