Shaving Cream V.S. Shaving Soap: What's the difference?

February 25, 2026

Our Shaving Cream & Soap collection in the Calgary Store - D.R. Harris, & MacDuffs Soap Co. are some of the popular brand names among these shelves!

The first part of a good shave is always face preparation – the creation of a luxurious shaving lather with your favourite brush and bowl – using either a shaving soap or a shaving cream.

We often have folks ask, “Soap – cream. What’s the difference?”

As a user, here are some pointers and facts to help you tell the difference, and choose the right one for you.

Photo of a castle forbes shaving cream and kent of inglewood brush on a bathroom sink

Castel Forbes makes some of the best shaving cream in the world!

Shaving Creams

The first thing to note is a difference in time to lather. A shaving cream is infused with more moisture and comes up on the brush from the container immediately, providing a quick lather. Gratifying if you’re in a rush. Just dip the brush in the container of cream, and lather in a shaving bowl or mug, it's that easy!

Compared to soap, a shaving cream lather tends to hold more moisture. I find it stays hydrated on my skin for longer, and leaves my skin feeling fantastic. It's also much easier to use, if you're a beginner with a brush.

Taylor of Old Bond Street has been making shaving products since 1854 and make some of my personal favourite shaving creams!

The trick with shaving cream is to not use too much. A common error with people new to wet-shaving (shaving with a brush and bowl) is packing the brush with cream and using too thick a lather. This can clog your razor, but it also burns through your lovely cream too quickly.

You don’t need a lot to make a great deal of lather; a few circles with the brush tip on the cream will load plenty. You control proportions in your shaving mug, you can always add water or more cream but you can't add less. Be conservative to start. The goal is a volume of lather the consistency of whipped cream, you should have stiff peaks that won't run down your face and hands.

Grey Hair Badger Brushes are firm enough to exfoliate while being slightly more affordable than their Silvertip counterpart

When you lather your cream, you can use a relatively vigorous motion in the shaving bowl and add drops of water in slowly. Continue whipping to thicken it, then lather the cream directly on your face. The result is a thick, cushiony lather that is very easy to use and satisfying to shave with.

Here's how our resident shaving class instructor Mack likes to prepare his lather

Shaving Soap

Soaps are harder in texture and require a bit of work to pick up on the brush, but they provide a more robust lubricating layer than creams. Make your life easier by splashing a little water on the puck and let it sit for a few minutes - it'll lather much easier. Also, some people prefer soaps as the scents are usually less potent and they typically last 2-3 times longer than a tub of shaving cream.

With a soap you will load your brush quite generously right on the puck, then build the actual lather in a bowl or on your skin. You’ll want to add water occasionally until you get the right texture, the result should be dense and smooth to shave with. It takes more work to master, but the result is a rewarding shave.

Wooden shaving bowl with a label, placed on a textured surface with bottles in the background. D.R. Harris are one of the pillars in traditional wet shaving and their refillable hard soaps remain the best in the business

I enjoy the time spent making lather from a solid shaving soap, yet it’s easy to appreciate the quick-lather nature of a quality shave cream. I use a cream with my safety razor when I'm in more of a hurry, and a soap when I'm taking my time using the straight razor. I highly recommend trying both, and figuring out your preference for yourself. That said if you're looking for a zero-waste shave, many shaving soaps come in re-fillable wooden bowls or metal containers that can be re-used or recycled.

Up close photo of overlapping shaving brushes with a focus on the texture of the animal hair bristles

The Brush

The tool you use to lather your product will dictate its quality almost as much as its composition. While any brush is better than none, badger is always best. Badger bristles hold water well, are soft enough to treat your skin right but are stiff enough to scrub a dense soap or whip up a nice lather with a cream.

The best badger brushes are silvertip. They feature a stiff backbone that exfoliates your skin and softens your hair, while the soft tips keep the brush feeling pleasant to the touch.

Soaps lather best with a stiffer brush – and the creams lend themselves well to any brush, a good choice if you’re using a Synthetic Shaving Brush or Horsehair Shaving Brush. If you're like me, it's a perfect case for having more than one brush – you can experiment with any soap or cream you please.

Brushless Shave Creams & Shave Lotions

A third option also exists for shavers that are traveling, or just overly constrained for time. These products are closer in consistency to what folks might be used to outside of the traditional shaving world when comparing them to regular shaving creams or soaps.

Brushless Shaving Creams and Shave Lotions are often ready to go directly out of the box. No Brush is necessary (though I personally still like to use my brush to apply them, as I like the exfoliation the brush gives my skin), you can apply them directly to your skin and get to shaving!

Brushless lotions and creams typically come in smaller size format and don't last as long as traditional creams/soaps, but some folks use them as their go-to product purely for the convenience.

Kent of Inglewood Citrus Shave Lotion in an amber-glass jar sits on autumn leaves, highlighting its conditioning formula for a smooth, refreshing shave. Kent of Inglewood Shave Lotions are locally made and come in either Citrus, Forest, or Spice scents