Soap is not a shaving product. Razor burn, razor bumps and ingrown hairs can all result from using soap instead of a product specifically designed for shaving, such as shaving gel. The ingredients in shaving gel lubricate your skin, allowing the razor to glide, rather than scrape over your skin. In addition, shaving gel opens skin pores, allowing you to remove hair at the follicle, preventing razor bumps and ingrown hairs.
Emollients
Emollient ingredients, such as sorbitol, silicone and dimethicone copolyol help prevent razor burn by reducing friction. As your skin absorbs these ingredients, they work to soften, smooth and slow the process of water evaporation from your skin.
Humectants
Humectants give your skin a velvety feel. These moisturizing and conditioning ingredients attract and bind with moisture from the air, trapping it on your skin. Glycerin, polyquaternium 10 and propylene glycol are examples of humectant ingredients.
Emulsifiers
Without emulsifiers, the ingredients in your shaving gel would separate. Emulsifiers act as binding agents, allowing oil and water-based ingredients to combine. These ingredients are also responsible for giving your shaving gel its smooth texture. Common emulsifying ingredients include polysorbate 20, stearic acid, triethanolamine and palmitic acid.
Preservatives
Preservative ingredients help keep bacteria, mold and yeast from contaminating the shaving gel. Common preservatives include diaolidinyl urea, methylparaben, propylparaben, chloroxylenol and tetrasodium EDTA. Tetrasodium EDTA does double duty as both a water softener and a preservative. It neutralizes minerals found in hard water, making these minerals water-soluble, eliminating wash basin scum or "ring around the tub." As a preservative, tetrasodium EDTA prevents microbe formation on hard water minerals.
Propellants
Propellant or aerosol ingredients help get the shaving gel from a can onto your skin. These ingredients include gases such as pentane and isobutene.
Other Ingredients
Ingredients such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, also called PVP, provide "sticking power." This ingredient helps shaving gel stay in place rather than running down your face or leg.
Shaving gel manufacturers also include coloring, fragrance and a number of oils and extracts to distinguish and make their products more appealing.
Water makes up the bulk of your shaving gel. Approximately 70 to 85 percent of shaving gel is the water.
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