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| Sunday, 18 September 2005 |
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Magazine |  |
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After shaves - now a
must
Call it competition. Call it vanity. Call it what you will. Times and tastes might have moved on but one thing is guaranteed men are more sophisticated and take grooming seriously. Men today care about how they look and are getting a handle on their grooming habits - shaving is not any more a daily ritual but a way to look good and feel good. Shaving has been an important facet of society for centuries. Shaving a common method of depilation, and is most commonly used by men to remove their facial hair. Shaving creams and lotions are personal care products used to make the process of shaving body hair easier and less painful. They are typically applied prior to shaving and removed with a razor. Aftershaves are lotions that are applied after shaving to improve skin condition, relieve irritation, and provide a fresh, clean scent. Shaving instruments have been discovered dating back to the Neolithic and Stone ages. These devices were constructed from things such as shark teeth, clam shells, or flint and were ground to a sharp razors edge. Discoveries of ancient Egyptians artifacts show that these people used solid gold and copper blades. To these early societies, shaving was not done primarily for personal grooming, but for religious and political reasons. In Egypt priests were known to have their entire bodies shaved every three days. People in the ancient Greek and Roman societies were also known to shave. The practice was popularized among the Greeks by Alexander the Great. It is suggested that he ordered his soldiers be clean shaven so enemies could not use beard hair as something to grab during battle. Over the years, improvements were made in both the shaving instruments and the associated creams. These improvements focused on making shaving a more pleasant, convenient, and comfortable experience. Blades were more refined and could give a closer, longer lasting shave. Preshaving products were developed for similar reasons. As an outgrowth of these technological advances, hair removers like depilatories and epilatories, were developed as alternatives to shaving. From the middle of the fourteenth century up to World War II, shaving preparations were primarily shaving soaps. These were bars, cakes or powders, which would foam when applied. A shift away from these solid products to aerosols was a result of adaptation of insecticidal, high pressure spray systems. By 1946, aerosol lather shave creams became the standard product. Since then many minor ingredient changes have been introduced to shaving creams and aftershaves. Shaving creams improve the shaving process in a variety of ways. One of the primary ways in which they work is by lubrication. The compounds in shaving creams help reduce friction between the cutting blade and the skin. This helps to significantly reduce the occurrences of nicks and cuts. This also helps to eliminate the pain and razor rash associated with the pulling of hair that happens when shaving dry. Another way in which shaving creams improve the shaving process is by reducing the strength of hair. The hair absorbs water from the shaving cream thereby lowering the hair's tensile strength. During shaving, weaker hair gives less resistance to cutting which makes the whole process less painful. Additionally, shaving creams function by positioning the hairs in the optimal cutting position. When the lather is applied to skin, tiny air bubbles surround each hair. This causes the hairs to be separated from each other and maintain an upright position. While shaving creams prepare the skin for shaving, there may still be a significant degree of skin trauma. For this reason, aftershave lotions are used. These products are designed to relieve the discomfort, irritation and physical damage that may be caused during shaving. They work by refreshing and cooling the skin and soothing minor irritations. Shaving creams are sold in both foaming and nonfoaming variants. The first types of shaving creams required a brush for application. These products required mixing with the brush to create a foam which could then be applied to the skin. These were the standard product until the advent of the aerosol container. Today, the most common type of shaving product is a foaming aerosol shaving cream. This product is sold in a high pressure container and is dispensed as a foam when a button is pushed. The foam can be applied to the skin immediately after dispensing. Another popular type of shaving cream is a post foaming shaving gel. These products are also aerosols but they are dispensed in the form of a thick gel. The rubbing motion used when they are applied to skin, helps create foam. These products are generally easier to spread than traditional shaving creams. Powdered shaving creams are still available but rarely used. Aftershaves are typically clear, water-thin lotions that are splashed on after shaving. They can be provided in both glass and plastic containers. There are numerous ingredients used in making shaving creams including such things as surfactants, emollients, humectants, and diluents. During manufacture, each of these ingredients are mixed together in a large container to produce the final formula. Foam is one of the key characteristics of shaving creams and surfactants are used for this reason. The original formulas were based on soap surfactant. These materials foamed well but they had a drying effect on skin. Today, synthetic surfactants such as stearic acid are used to produce a quick, rich lather that is non-irritating, adheres to the face, has good wetting properties, and is easily rinsed. Coconut oil may also be used to boost foam. Lubricity and feel are other important characteristics. Therefore, oils and emollients are included in shaving cream formulas. These materials help improve the condition of skin and reduce friction between the razor and skin. Superfatting agents such as beeswax or petrolatum are examples. In addition, these materials also inhibit rust formation on the razor. Humectants are added to impart smoothness and softness to the products. They have the added benefit of preventing excessive water loss caused by evaporation which would reduce the stability of the foam. Glycerin is a common example. A variety of other ingredients are used. Water, which makes up the largest weight percentage of the formula, is included as a diluent. To control the thickness of the product viscosity stabilizers like cellulose derivatives are employed. Preservatives are used to prevent spoilage. Fragrance and colours are also included for aesthetic reasons. For aerosol products, propellants are required. While shaving creams are water based formulas, aftershaves are based on alcohol. This makes them evaporate more quickly and gives them an astringent characteristic. Additional ingredients may include fragrances, colorants, and UV absorbers. Moisturizers and emollients such as witch hazel are also added. |
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