Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
bunnyemerald

Rust rings from shaving cream cans

Bunny
9 years ago

I buy Gillette shaving cream at Costco. I know that the wet can makes rust rings on whatever it's sitting on. The old shower floor in my master bath (the one piece kind, not tile) has marks on it from before I learned to set the can on something else (upturned Fage container).

So, now I have a remodeled guest bath with a nice niche lined with white subways. Rust circles will be a no-no. I tested a spare tile in my other bathroom and rings formed overnight. I could get them out with Softscrub and a little elbow grease. I just hate the idea of it now.

What do you all do? You'd think shaving cream mfrs would figure out a way to put a plastic, noncorrosive bottom on their cans. It's so annoying.

Comments (28)

  • sawallis
    9 years ago

    Paint the bottom ring of the can with clear nail polish and let it dry overnight. No more rust!

  • rosiegolden
    9 years ago

    I agree with austinaggie. Another alternative is to hot-glue a plastic or metal top of a can or bottle to the shaving can bottom the moment you bring it home. That way it won't be separated from that protective barrier.

  • Jasdip
    9 years ago

    Or you can just use conditioner to shave with, instead of shaving cream. I've been using conditioner for over 20 years.

  • jrueter
    9 years ago

    I agree with jasdip - switch to conditioner. you will get a better shave, it is cheaper, and no metal cans!

  • mowers
    9 years ago

    cant use painted steel cans such as Barbasol. look for aluminum ones.....NO rust

  • Bunny
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Wow, you guys have it all figured out! :)

    Conditioner? The one I use in my hair is too expensive. Will any old stuff do?

    The plastic "saucer" is also a good idea.

    I like the idea of painting with nail polish. It doesn't have to be clear, right?

  • Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
    9 years ago

    It's not really a saucer - it's a clear, flat plastic lid - but the reason I like it is because it is one-and-done. If you use nail polish, it is costly and you have to repeat the process on every can. Not only that, it does not always work 100%. If you have a can around a little longer in winter, they sometimes still rust. With the lid, you only have to do it once. You take a flat plastic lid, punch holes around it with regular paper hole-puncher, turn it upside down and you are done. Some lids even match the size of the can and snap on.

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    9 years ago

    I just Googled "conditioner for shaving". Learn something new everyday!

    It seems that it softens hair before you shave it off. No need to use anything but the cheap stuff since the hair goes down the drain. ;-)

    -Babka

  • Bunny
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Babka, yeah, I had never heard of conditioner for shaving before. I like the idea of it.

  • User
    9 years ago

    I use brands that have flat top and put it on the tub - upside down, so the cap is on the tub surface.

    Have also used conditioner, just think it clogs up razor faster.

  • herring_maven
    9 years ago

    Babka: "I just Googled "conditioner for shaving". Learn something new everyday!
    It seems that it softens hair before you shave it off."

    Conditioner -- especially a conditioner that contains avocado oil, like Burt's Bee's More Moistiure with Baobab, is excellent for pre-shave conditioning: you just rub a tiny dab of it on the area to be shaved at the beginning of your shower, and by the time you have completed your shower, the hair is softened.

    But for the shave itself, use a product that was formulated for shaving itself, except anything that comes in a can. (The chemicals that are put in there to make the aerosol work actually dry out the area where the foam is applied.) An excellent, and really cheap, solution is Kiss My Face Lavender Shea Moisturizing Shave Cream, which comes in a toothpaste-size tube that stands on its head, and is a simply wonderful purpose-designed cream for shaving. That is it makes your skin slick and provides a cushion between your skin and the blade as you shave. As the name suggests, it contains shea butter, which is an excellent moisturizer that leaves the skin soft and conditioned when the shave is done. Smells good, too, but the scent is light and does not linger after the shaving is done.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Kiss My Face Lavender Shea

  • Bunny
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Okay, time to find a new shaving cream. And it probably won't be something i can buy in bulk from Costco. Like toothpaste. I discovered that sodium laurel sulfate in Colgate Total (and most other toothpastes) was what was causing my mouth to peel. Sorry, TMI.

  • elljays
    9 years ago

    You can also use body wash or shower gel.

  • Bunny
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I used body wash for years, but kinda like the close shave I get from shaving gel. It's just the nasty rust rings which I can't abide, esp. in my new niche.

  • busybee3
    9 years ago

    i have been using sauve conditioner for years on my legs-- a family size bottle is cheap and lasts forever! the scents of sauve ( i currently have a lavendar) aren't fabulous like some that i use on my head, but it is fine for shaving!

  • arkansas girl
    9 years ago

    I haven't used shave foam for many years, I find I get the best shave from plain old bar soap. Use the bar straight on your leg, not with a wash cloth. I have to say that I'm going to try the conditioner though.

    If I just had to use the foam and really loved it, I think you could just get a piece of plastic wrap and a rubber band and put it on the bottom. You could even use those really cheap shower caps that you get a whole package for a $1 at the dollar store, you would still probably need a heavy rubber band to hold it in place though.

    Something else that just came to mind, I always keep some really high quality packing tape around that's a couple inches wide, just wrap the bottom of the can and then wrap the ends around the bottom kind of like you were wrapping a present. That would work.

  • Bunny
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    just get a piece of plastic wrap and a rubber band and put it on the bottom

    arkansas_girl, sometimes a simple fix is just too obvious to see. :)

  • weedyacres
    9 years ago

    Mr. Weedy's shaving cream sits on a rubber coaster inside our medicine cabinet.

  • ellendi
    9 years ago

    I don't know how often you have to shave, for me only twice a week. So, I just keep it under the cabinet and use when needed, then put it back.

    Downstairs in my DD's bathroom I put a plastic lid on a shelf in her shower.

  • naughtykitty
    9 years ago

    I rarely have shaving cream in the house (I typically use the shampoo bubbles from my head or conditioner that I don't like), but when I do, I just store the can upside down. I do like the pringles lid idea. I've considered the nail polish idea but been to lazy to try it.

  • Bunny
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I decided saran wrap + rubber band works best for me. It's fast, easy and effective.

  • herring_maven
    9 years ago

    My goodness, are all of the posters in this thread living in households where no adult males live (or hang out)? I have never known an adult male -- not one -- who previously used canned foam shave cream and then tried a real shaving soap or shave cream (with hot water and a brush) who ever let canned foam touch his beard again, for the rest of his life. The experience with real shaving cream is a once-and-done experience, and what is done is the aerosol stuff; you simply cannot get to the garbage can quickly enough to dump it.

    And the reason that the can gets dumped is not that the can left rust rings.

  • xedos
    9 years ago

    just look for can with a solid aluminum bottom, not a crimped steel ring like most cans.

    Nivia makes one, and I believe Target has a house brand wtih the same type can.

    Tom's of Maine has cream in a tube that doesn't leave a rust stain in my shower. The Art of Shaving has a line in plastic tubes that would fit the bill, but I'm not sure they have anything for the fairer sex.

  • Bunny
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Sadly, no living adult males. Except my neutered cat. Does he count? :)

    The can of shaving cream exists so I can shave my legs in the shower. I'm sure there are old-school methods that work sublimely for facial hair where one can lean, drip and rinse over a sink. The shower is the best venue for my shaving needs.

  • piper101
    9 years ago

    Hi, I too had this same problem and noticed on a tv ad that this Pure Silk brand has a rust proof can. I switched and have been using it ever since. No rust!!!
    It's made by Barbasol and comes in silver can with whatever scent you'd like. Not every retailer carries it. Great find.

  • Bunny
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Piper, thanks for the tip! My local Walgreens sells Pure Silk.

  • Derek Lotts
    6 years ago

    I have stained my heavy old-fashioned bath tub by pouring sulphuric acid down the drain to remove a clog; the fumes have made dark brown stripes on the sides and bottom of the white enamel tub. I used oxalic acid and I removed all the stains. My warmest recommendation.