The ancient civilization of Sumeria, in southern Mesopotamia (modern-day Kuwait and Saudi Arabia), saw some of the earliest versions of shaving cream. Like the Babylonians in the northern region of Mesopotamia, men in the Sumerian civilization of around 3000 B.C. used a mixture of animal fat and wood alkali to prepare beard hair for shaving. Fortunately, in today's society, you can just go to your local retailers to get your non-drying shave prep, such as Gillette Fusion HydraGel.