Shaving Cream like Cremo?

[dblbubble]

My husband uses Cremo (a creamy shaving cream...it's not a traditional wet shaving soap) that he shaves with. I would love to make something like it for him.

Has anyone made a shaving cream like this? If so, would you be willing to share a recipe or technique?

 

[DeeAnna]

Water (Aqua), Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Glycol Distearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Polyether-1, Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Allantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Xylitol, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Fruit and Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract, Linalool, Limonene, BHT, Perfluoromethyl-cyclopentane, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Titanium Dioxide, Citric Acid, Fragrance (Parfum)

This is going to be tough to duplicate if you want to start with a true soap made with NaOH or KOH and fat. The primary ingredient is Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI), and that's a synthetic detergent. The rest of the ingredients read more like a recipe for a lotion.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Real cream soaps (made with oils and lye) have a lot of stearic in it, which is good for shaving soaps, but some of the other ingredients which seem to be good for a cream soap aren't always ideal for a shaving soap. I think that it would be possible, but I would make a small batch of shaving soap with only KOH as the lye and see how he finds it (if he has a brush, of course)

 

[Ivanstein]

Creamo is OK if you just slather it on and don't lather it at all.

It is nowhere near as good as a high quality shave soap with a decent brush.

Try this:

50% stearic acid
48% coconut oil
2% castor oil

Use 100% KOH. (Note: most KOH is 90% pure, so take that into consideration) Generally I do a 33% lye concentration.

Hot process until translucent and put it in a wide bowl for easy lathering. Let it cure for a week or so before use.

It can be scented with essential oils or fragrance oils, which I stir in just before putting in the container. Personal Favorite is the "clarity" blend from eocalc.

Also, 1lb of oils is A LOT of shave soap. Of you have an accurate scale, I would start with 1/2 lb.

Some people add extra glycerine because stearic acid doesn't make glycerine when saponified. I haven't found it necessary. But, there is a possibility you could make a creamo like substance if you stirred in some glycerine after the cook. I have never tried it....


...but looks like I have another project now!!!

 

[dblbubble]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Deanna is right in that Cremo is a shaving lotion rather than a soap. Ivanstein, just curious...why is a shave soap better? I think my husband likes Cremo because it is a moisturizing lotion. Heck, as a woman, some of the best shaving products I've used to shave my legs with in the past have been cheap bottles of hair conditioner.

Is lather better for shaving (for a man)? I don't think my husband has ever used a soap and brush, but there's always a first! I suppose that maybe I should have him try some first before I go down the rabbit hole and make a shaving soap.

 

[toxikon]

It looks like Susan has a few recipes for shaving lotions.

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.ca/2009/03/modifying-recipes-conditioner-into.html

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.ca/2010/07/asideconditioners-become-shaving_02.html

 

[Ivanstein]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Deanna is right in that Cremo is a shaving lotion rather than a soap. Ivanstein, just curious...why is a shave soap better? I think my husband likes Cremo because it is a moisturizing lotion. Heck, as a woman, some of the best shaving products I've used to shave my legs with in the past have been cheap bottles of hair conditioner.

Is lather better for shaving (for a man)? I don't think my husband has ever used a soap and brush, but there's always a first! I suppose that maybe I should have him try some first before I go down the rabbit hole and make a shaving soap.

As for why, I suspect there is a lot to do with the glycerine byproduct of soap making. When you chemically alter fatty acids to make soap, glycerine comes out as a byproduct. Notably not as much when shaving soap uses a lot of pure stearic acid. However, from experience with Creamo vs. a good shave soap, it is noticable in terms of shave quality and comfort.

Creamo vs. a very good shave soap is not really even a comparison.

Creamo's "Impossibly slick" formula is impossible, for sure. Slick...kinda? It is a great mediocre range shave, but not anywhere near spectacular. I wouldn't suggest using it with a straight razor. But with a Mach5 cartridge it yields reasonable results.

Another great aspect of a good lather from a quality soap is the "cushion" it gives. Creamo goes on as a thin layer and therefore doesn't have much "body" to help the blade discern between skin and stubble. Again, creamo is great with a cartridge, but a quality straight or double edge safety razor will chew your neck (or legs???) To death with creamo.

So. If you make a shave soap and he doesn't like it, you've learned how to make shave soap. Buy a cheap synthetic brush (great one from the haircut co on Amazon for $12) and use it on your legs. I bet someone will enjoy it...

 

[BrewerGeorge]

There has grown something of a cult of shaving in the last several years. Shaving soaps of the type that Ivanstein is talking about are generally considered "the best" because of the way they build lather, cushion the blade, and help it slide.

But make no mistake that this is still a matter of personal preference, and shaving with a soap and brush takes longer than just slathering on some shaving lotion, too. Cremo is decidedly better than almost anything that comes in a can, so the question you need answered is "Is he using it because he doesn't know there are better choices, or because he actually prefers that style?" Maybe his morning routine and habits don't allow for the time it takes to "wet shave" (the usual descriptor of the process of soap & brush, straight or double-edged razor shaving). Maybe he specifically likes the speed of the Cremo lotion and a quick swipe with that Dollar Shave Club cartridge to get out the door fast.

So I think you should probably ask him whether he's interested in using a soap and brush at all before you get too deep into this. If he is, I think maybe I'd just buy one until you find out if he likes the process - unless you already have KOH and stearic acid on hand, that is. Something middle-of-the-road in price and quality like Taylor of Old Bond, or Proraso, maybe Wool Fat. Then if he likes it, then you get to go wild with making it for him from then on out.

 

[Ivanstein]

There has grown something of a cult of shaving in the last several years. Shaving soaps of the type that Ivanstein is talking about are generally considered "the best" because of the way they build lather, cushion the blade, and help it slide.

But make no mistake that this is still a matter of personal preference, and shaving with a soap and brush takes longer than just slathering on some shaving lotion, too. Cremo is decidedly better than almost anything that comes in a can, so the question you need answered is "Is he using it because he doesn't know there are better choices, or because he actually prefers that style?" Maybe his morning routine and habits don't allow for the time it takes to "wet shave" (the usual descriptor of the process of soap & brush, straight or double-edged razor shaving). Maybe he specifically likes the speed of the Cremo lotion and a quick swipe with that Dollar Shave Club cartridge to get out the door fast.

So I think you should probably ask him whether he's interested in using a soap and brush at all before you get too deep into this. If he is, I think maybe I'd just buy one until you find out if he likes the process - unless you already have KOH and stearic acid on hand, that is. Something middle-of-the-road in price and quality like Taylor of Old Bond, or Proraso, maybe Wool Fat. Then if he likes it, then you get to go wild with making it for him from then on out.

Wet shaving does take a bit more time, especially in the beginning. However, as it is now, with a safety razor, I can scrape the wirelike stubble off my neck in about two minutes from wetting the brush to applying aftershave. With practice, time isn't such a factor.

Straight razor though...yeah. Give yourself a good half hour.

As for the cult aspect, I got into it because I cant see paying $6 for a cartridge that might give me two uses before sandpaper would be a better choice. A Fatboy with a $0.10 Feather blade in it will last 4-5 shaves. Making my own soap, ¼ pound of which will outlast 20 (or more) $4 cans of goo, costs about $3.50/lb or there about depending on the fragrance method. So, not a cult for me, just good economics.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

...

As for the cult aspect, I got into it because I cant see paying $6 for a cartridge that might give me two uses before sandpaper would be a better choice. A Fatboy with a $0.10 Feather blade in it will last 4-5 shaves. Making my own soap, ¼ pound of which will outlast 20 (or more) $4 cans of goo, costs about $3.50/lb or there about depending on the fragrance method. So, not a cult for me, just good economics.

Oh, I'm with you. Takes a cult member to know a cult member. :twisted:

My advice to buy one first puck to see if he likes it was based on KOH and stearic both being sort of specialty items that would cost about $25 to get a working amount of - about half the cost of a decent puck from Amazon.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Shaving soap and a straight razor (with cold water) is the best shave I've ever had. It takes me 20 minutes from start to finish, costs next to nothing (apart from the addiction of buying razors, of course) so all in all I can't fault it. I don't need to be clean shaven each day, so at most twice a week when I get so smooth works. Time taken when learning, however, was an issue. Getting up around an hour early to shave was not fun.

You can get a little sample from most shaving soap makers quite cheaply, and a starter brush doesn't have to break the bank.

 

[Ivanstein]

Shaving soap and a straight razor (with cold water) is the best shave I've ever had. It takes me 20 minutes from start to finish, costs next to nothing (apart from the addiction of buying razors, of course) so all in all I can't fault it. I don't need to be clean shaven each day, so at most twice a week when I get so smooth works. Time taken when learning, however, was an issue. Getting up around an hour early to shave was not fun.

You can get a little sample from most shaving soap makers quite cheaply, and a starter brush doesn't have to break the bank.

The acquisition addiction is one of those first rule of Fight Club type things!