Shaving Products for Men

Shave/Shaving - to remove hair from the face or body by using a razor or any
other kind of bladed implement, to slice it down—to the level of the skin or
otherwise; Age-old art viewed as a chore by most men but, at the same time,
seen as an important part of good grooming and as a social necessity. Some
men prefer to grow beards, the number rising or falling according to fashion, but
for a small minority of men who suffer from certain skin problems which are
exacerbated by shaving, the growth of a beard may be a last resort.

Some men may suffer from razor bumps or pseudofolliculitis barbae, which
results from ingrowing beard hairs. These are curved hairs which grow out and
re-enter the skin like a small splinter, resulting in inflammation and in some
instances pustule (pimple) formation.

The most common problem associated with shaving is skin irritation, which
includes nicks and cuts. Some skin irritation is unavoidable because of the
removal of some stratum corneum along with removal of beard hair. The degree
of irritation is dependent on factors such as blade sharpness, angle of incidence
of blade, pressure exerted on blade and beard wetting and lubrication.

The growth of male beard, axillary and pubic hair is a secondary sex
characteristic, which begins at puberty influenced by increase in the male sex
hormones.Hair growth of the beard is similar to that of the eyebrow, the nose, the
ear and the body except in the pubic and axillae regions. The rate of growth of
facial hair is about 0.3-0.4 mm/day.

An effective shave is dependent on the following:

 Preparation of the beard, i.e. hydration of the hair by the use of soap and
warm water. Ideally the preparation time is reported to be 4 minutes at
49°C.
 Application of a good shaving aid.
 Sharpness of blade.
 Angle of incidence of blade to hair.
 Pressure exerted on the razor.

Wetting of the hair fibre allows it to swell and soften and to lower the force
required to cut the hair, reducing discomfort during shaving. So a good shaving
preparation should provide some lubrication and an individual will obviously
adjust the angle of incidence of the blade and pressure on the blade, to minimize
the risk of cutting the skin while shaving effectively.

1. Lathering Shaving Cream- Stearic acid, Coconut oil, Potassium hydroxide

(50%), Sodium hydroxide (100%), Glycerol, Water, and Perfume
  are based on a mixture of sodium and potassium soaps, except for
aerosol shaving foams which may have triethanolamine as the cation.
(Potassium soaps are more readily soluble than sodium soaps and they
help to generate foam more quickly)
 Shaving creams normally contain 30-50% of soaps.
 Lather shave creams have some free fatty acid although their pH is about
10. (The reason for this is that pockets of unneutralized alkali remain
even under well-controlled manufacturing conditions)

 Formulations based on stearic acid alone do not give sufficient lather. It

is therefore usual to combine it with some coconut oil fatty acid. The ratio
of stearic acid to coconut oil may vary, but a satisfactory ratio would be
25% coconut oil to 75% stearic acid.

2. Lather Shaving Stick - This type of product contains a much higher level of
soap (about 80% compared to creams, 35%). Of this 20-25% are made from
coconut or palm kernel oils. Other ingredients are glycerol 5-10% and water
8-10%.

 The fatty acids ratio and the sodium/potassium ratio are similar to those
of the lather shaving cream. After saponification, the mass is dried,
formed into chips, and milled with other ingredients such as perfume,
colour and opacifler as required. The soap chips are moulded to the
desired shape using a soap plodder.

3. Aersosol Shaving Foam - Aerosol shaving foams have been on the market
for more than 30 years and they are probably the most popular shaving aid
today.
  The aerosol can is filled with a soap solution, the concentrate, together
with liquid propellant added under pressure. The propellant, formerly a
mixture of chlorofluorocarbons, is now being replaced by 'ozone-friendly'
hydrocarbons. On shaking, some of the propellant becomes temporarily
emulsified in the concentrate. When the valve is actuated the propellant
pushes the concentrate up the dip tube and out of the valve. On reaching
atmospheric pressure the emulsified propellant expands to form an
instant foam. This foam, applied to the pre-wetted beard, is sufficiently
stable to last throughout the shaving process.

4. Aerosol Barrier Pack - This pack is described where the liquid concentrate
is contained in an inner bag separated from the propellant. This prevents any
unwanted reaction between concentrate and propellant and allows foam to
be dispensed consistently throughout the life of the product without a drop in
pressure as the contents are used up.

5. Post-foaming Gel - These gels call for some form of compartmentalized

packaging such as the barrier pack 13 that allows the propellant (driving
gas), which expels the contents, to be separated from the gel itself.

 The gel, a soap-based system, stabilized with a water-soluble polymer,

blended with lipophilic ingredients contains a hydrocarbon with a suitable
boiling point so that when the gel is manipulated between the hands, prior to
 application to the face, the heat from the skin, aided by the mechanical
action, vaporizes the hydrocarbon component transforming the gel into a
dense creamy foam.

6. Brushless Shave Cream - Brushless shave creams are oil-in-water

emulsions and similar to vanishing creams. The main difference is that the
levels of oil and emulsifying agents tend to be higher in shaving creams.
  Brushless shave creams have a pH of 7.5-8.5 and are thought to cause
less irritation than lather shave creams. However they have certain
disadvantages.
 More product is required per shave; it is difficult to rinse them from the
razor; the beard-softening action is less effective than a foam due to
slower uptake of water from the emulsion by the hair; and they leave the
skin greasy.

7. Shaving Oils - Shaving oils have recently come onto the shave preparation
market, in an attempt to introduce to the market something significantly
different in form and mode of application.

 They are blends of naturally occurring oils either alone or in combination

with emollient ingredients such as fatty esters, silicone or hydrocarbon
oils to provide a lubricating effect during shaving.
 A particular characteristic is the small amount of product that is required
for an application prior to shaving.
 These are normally clear liquids so do not provide a marker on the face
like a foam or lather to enable the user to distinguish the areas he has
shaved from those he has not.

8. Dry Shaving Preparations - These are pre-shaving preparations for use

with electric razors. It is generally known that electric shavers do not cut the
beard as close to the skin as razor blades in wet shaving.

 Many users prefer the convenience of the dry shave with an electric
razor, even though for most of them it does not give quite such a
satisfactory shave as is obtained in wet shaving. The proportion of razor
blade users (wet shavers) to electric razor users (dry shavers) is
approximately 70:30.
 Whereas comfortable and efficient wet shaving requires the hair to be
soft and swollen to minimize cutting forces, shaving with an electric razor
is believed to be efficient if the hair is stiff and dry. This is achieved by
removal of the film of perspiration from the face by the use of an alcoholic
pre-shave lotion. In addition to being antiseptic, the alcohol also imparts
a mild astringent effect which tightens the skin.
 The following formulation [11] is an example of an emollient type of pre-
shave lotion:
After-Shave Products

After-shave preparations are intended to alleviate the degreasing effect of soap

and surfactant used in shaving products results in the familiar after-shave skin
trauma and also to cool and refresh the skin as well as exert a mild astringent
effect. They also protect it from bacterial infection while it recovers from the slight
injury.

The most popular types of product have been, and continue to be, clear lotions
containing about 40-50% of ethanol and the appropriate level of water. The
ethanol/water ratio may be adjusted depending on the type and level of perfume.

Other ingredients used are various combinations from the following examples of
raw materials: propylene glycol as humectant; menthol as cooling agent; witch
hazel as astringent; quaternary ammonium compounds as biocides; di-isopropyl
adipate as emollient.

1. Afer-shave Gel - An after-shave product in the form of a gel can be made by

using a combination of a carboxyvinyl polymer (A) and a base (B). The
stiffness of the gel can be altered by varying the amount of the polymer and
the triethanolamine addition.
2. Quick-breakling After-shave Foams - These are dispensed from the
aerosol as a foam which, on application to the skin, breaks easily. They have
declined in popularity since they were first introduced but the following is an
example of a formulation in which the triclosan acts as an antiseptic:

3. After-shave Balm - For shavers with sensitive skins, after-shave products

with high levels of alcohol can be more irritating than refreshing. In such
cases an after-shave cream or balm is useful. These are oil-in-water
emulsions, similar to vanishing or moisturizing creams. They may contain no
alcohol, or only a low level.
4. After-shave Powder - This form of after-shave product is not popular but
could be useful for those with certain skin conditions such as acne. It is
based on talcum powder to give a smooth, matt appearance, with additives
such as menthol for a cooling effect, colour and a bactericide, e.g. cetrimide.