This morning at the gym I was shaving when I discovered I was out of shaving cream. As I reached for my phone to record “Add shaving cream to the Target list,” I paused. What gave me pause? Was it the realization that I already had some in the pantry? Was it because mamazilla already put it on the list? No. What stopped me was a big ‘ol vat of lotion staring me directly in the face. I began to rethink shaving cream.
“Why do we have shaving cream?” I wondered. Without doing a single stitch of research, I surmised that shavers from the beginning of time needed some type of lubricant, and soap had fit the bill quite nicely. As we entered the postmodern era, product companies probably thought, “we can make a better shaving experience if we pre-lather the soap, so users don’t have to exert excess energy and time.” An industry was formed, and a paradigm established.
Some of the answers that popped in my head were, “I’ve always done it that way,” or “When I watched my dad shave, that’s what he used.” None of the answers were good enough for me.
I started by asking, what purpose did shaving cream intend to serve? People needed to lubricate their faces (or armpits or legs or back) so as not to irritate or chaff the skin. Then, I remembered…
What isn’t clear to me is why we settled on soap? Oils and lotion have been around for ages, and they do a fine job of lubricating. Were they just too expensive for mass consumption to be practical to most people? Probably. In history class, I remember someone saying that fine oils were one of the precious goods traded during the middle ages. Yeah, that sounds about right. Well, now that I think about it, I bet soap was pretty expensive too, so there goes that idea. Hmm…maybe most serfs didn’t shave. I don’t know.
In any case, lotion seems to be flowing all over the place nowadays. And it’s cheap!
Anyone who knows me, knows that lately I’ve been on a simplification binge, getting rid of stuff that I don’t need. I’ve just replaced the need for a big bulky shaving cream can with company-supplied lotion that’s always where I need it. I’ll always vote for fewer moving parts.
Dan Saffer says enough with the hammers! Alton Brown says Death to the Unitaskers!. My new mission is to declare a War on Shaving Cream! C’mon, there are stupider wars out there.
Did I miss something? Is there a reason why we need shaving cream? Put it in the comments!
Now, if anyone knows what I can use instead of toothpaste, I’ll be well on my way.
17 responses so far ↓
Bryce // November 21, 2006 at 12:17 pm
I ditched bulky Shaving Creams for shaving lotion about 2 years ago — absolutely no regrets. They travel much better and are alot easier on my skin.
One reason to consider an actual shaving lotion (instead of any ol’ lotion) is probably the ease of cleaning it up afterward — the one I use is waters-soluble and just rinses right off. I suspect that some lotions with animal byproducts will still feel oily and won’t break down so easy with just water.
http://gleamingskin.myarbonne.com/arbonne/gleamingskin.nsf/viewpage/3?OpenDocument&pagename=t8body2.htm
Arbonne products contain no animal ingredients (who wants to rub a sheep’s intestinal lining on your face, after all?)
Mamazilla // November 21, 2006 at 1:06 pm
Using regular lotions will clog your razor. The shaving cream/lotions rinse out much better. Also, soap will leave razor bumps where lotions/creams will not. I do not use soap for this reason. And, after using shaving cream, your skin is just much softer and I know that men don’t like to feel stubbly legs on their women, do they?
lance // November 21, 2006 at 1:25 pm
mmmm….intestinal lining…
mmmm…..stubble..
Sorry got distracted there for a second.
Yeah, I see your point about the cleanup. So far, I haven’t experienced any noticeable residue or razor-clogging yet. I should report back in a week.
Richard D. Chennault // November 21, 2006 at 8:15 pm
When did we enter the post-modern era? I think you are refering to late-capitalist modernity. Yep, you are cuaght up in the ol’ culture industry cycle of just enough questiniong of the ‘man’ that leads to interogrative perspective about consumerism but not so much that it would lead to critical discourse in the public sphere.
Yeah I may make the switch to lotoin if it works well with my ol’Mach III from Gillette.
erin // November 21, 2006 at 10:22 pm
you can use baking soda instead of toothpaste. You make a paste using it and some water - look on the back of the baking soda box - the recipe is there. Toothpaste tastes better though and has flouride.
lantzilla // November 21, 2006 at 10:44 pm
First, get seven people to agree on the definition postmodernity, then we can begin to speak intelligently on the matter. If you define modernity as the time when rationality and objectivity influenced much of societal, public, cultural and political life, and postmodernity was period “after that” (when things got all crazy), then I’d say around 1952 (Kerouac, Ginsburg, Warhol, Chuck Berry). But that’s just my best guess.
No, I’m not talking about late capitalism. We are currently living in late capitalism.
(BTW, big impressive grown-up words have more impact when spelled correctly)
lantzilla // November 21, 2006 at 10:46 pm
Thanks Erin…perhaps I’ll give that a shot
Linc // November 22, 2006 at 6:28 am
I have used soap…shaves just fine. I have used plain hot water…shaves okay in a pinch. I like shaving cream because the GEL turns into foam. How COOL is that? One minute it’s gel, the next it’s foam! CRAZY!
As an aside Lance….can you keep us updated on the “things” you decided you didn’t need? The simplification of Lance is something I am very interested in.
lantzilla // November 22, 2006 at 7:38 am
Actually, Linc, it\’s been this thing that\’s been in my mind for quite some time. I was going to write a post about a concept called, Spartanization. I\’ll see if I can get a working draft sometime soon.
Gene // November 22, 2006 at 1:09 pm
advice on toothpaste…. not lube.
Richard D. Chennault // November 22, 2006 at 4:32 pm
Lance: Can you spell satire?
lance // November 23, 2006 at 2:01 pm
Yes, I can. Have you ever heard of (sic)?
If you were, in fact, trying to demonstrate your wit through irony, I\’d say you missed the boat. What does the misplacement of postmodernity in a historical or contemporary context have to do with completely butchered spelling? Perhaps I may be misunderstanding your intent. Unless, the intended irony stems from an academic blowhard using overcomplicated vernacular and misspelling every other word. In that case, well done, sir.
Great, now I\’m writing like an asshole. Thanks Rich!
Richard D. Chennault // November 23, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Odd turn of events. Me thinks something deeper herin lies. Oh well, my spelling has always been bad and my reliance on spell checkers perhaps to great.
I’ve never heard of (sic). But I’ve read about it.
lance // November 25, 2006 at 7:58 am
The new version of Firefox has spell checking (in form input boxes) as a standard feature. Just thought you might like to know that.
Babe // October 5, 2007 at 9:15 am
If you really think about it, what not just make your own shaving cream, i’ve been using dove soap for years as my shaving cream. IT WORKS. Also you could buy shaving cream in bulk
Babe // October 5, 2007 at 9:16 am
in fact lets just have sex and not bothrer shaving
I’m No Longer Gillette’s Bitch « Son of a Pig Farmer // January 19, 2008 at 6:33 am
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