I find that the thick lather isn&#x27;t really the issue. The issue for me is that I need something slick directly on the skin.  A good shaving soap will have fats in it that do this job, whereas a cheap shaving foam&#x2F;gel will not.  You can spend 5 minutes (cannot imagine needing 10) getting a good foam from a shaving soap, or you can be lazy and slap some moisturizing lotion directly on the skin and then follow it up with some cheap gel.  If shaving short stubble, you might not even need the gel.  It really just helps lift the hair.  You can also replace the lotion with a shaving oil, or hair conditioner, or anything else that will keep the skin slick while you shave and won&#x27;t be lifted off by the gel.<p>I prefer the shave I get with a brush and shaving soap to the shave I get with lotion and shaving gel, but I prefer the lotion and shaving gel with a safety razor to any shave I can get with a cartridge razor.  The lotion and shaving gel doesn&#x27;t take me any more time than just using gel, either, because I can shave more efficiently.