To those that use Cremo brushless

[MrFritz]

For years and years I have heard about how incredibly slick Cremo is.
I've bought it several times and it just goes unused and I can't remember what turned me off of it.
I wanted it for those days I need a quick NO BRUSH shave.
And not to be used as a pre shave.
Simply what they intended, rub it in, "activate it" with water whatever that means, and shave.
I just can't get it right apparently.
It's about as slick as some random lotion that my wife might have left around.
My friend brags about how he lightly wets his face, rubs in Cremo, and gets the slick ingrown free shave that it's supposed to.
Is mine broken?
The two or three times that it did get close to this was accidental.
Any one who uses this brushless and can send pointers my way, they will most certainly be welcome.
I'm ONLY using this for my quick shaves that are specifically not meant to be used with a brush, but I'm willing to bet someone will come on here and tell me to use one anyways

 

[blethenstrom]

For years and years I have heard about how incredibly slick Cremo is.
I've bought it several times and it just goes unused and I can't remember what turned me off of it.
I wanted it for those days I need a quick NO BRUSH shave.
And not to be used as a pre shave.
Simply what they intended, rub it in, "activate it" with water whatever that means, and shave.
I just can't get it right apparently.
It's about as slick as some random lotion that my wife might have left around.
My friend brags about how he lightly wets his face, rubs in Cremo, and gets the slick ingrown free shave that it's supposed to.
Is mine broken?
The two or three times that it did get close to this was accidental.
Any one who uses this brushless and can send pointers my way, they will most certainly be welcome.
I'm ONLY using this for my quick shaves that are specifically not meant to be used with a brush, but I'm willing to bet someone will come on here and tell me to use one anyways

I have tried it several times and for me it is just ok. Can I get nice slick shaves with it? Sure I can. Can I get decent shaves with it? Yes, but I prefer my soap and brush much more. I do use it sometimes together with my regular shave soap and brush just to amp things up a bit. @Lockback I think is a regular user of Cremo and he can probably tell you much more about it.

 

[Lockback]

I have tried it several times and for me it is just ok. Can I get nice slick shaves with it? Sure I can. Can I get decent shaves with it? Yes, but I prefer my soap and brush much more. I do use it sometimes together with my regular shave soap and brush just to amp things up a bit. @Lockback I think is a regular user of Cremo and he can probably tell you much more about it.

I am, indeed. Used it this morning ...
I'll read this and probably wade in with an opinion.

 

[Lockback]

For years and years I have heard about how incredibly slick Cremo is.
I've bought it several times and it just goes unused and I can't remember what turned me off of it.
I wanted it for those days I need a quick NO BRUSH shave.
And not to be used as a pre shave.
Simply what they intended, rub it in, "activate it" with water whatever that means, and shave.
I just can't get it right apparently.
It's about as slick as some random lotion that my wife might have left around.
My friend brags about how he lightly wets his face, rubs in Cremo, and gets the slick ingrown free shave that it's supposed to.
Is mine broken?
The two or three times that it did get close to this was accidental.
Any one who uses this brushless and can send pointers my way, they will most certainly be welcome.
I'm ONLY using this for my quick shaves that are specifically not meant to be used with a brush, but I'm willing to bet someone will come on here and tell me to use one anyways

Well, I don't know if this will be of any help but here goes ...
I use Cremo frequently, probably every other shave or so, and have for many months. I'm retired so I rarely am in a hurry. Some days I prefer the old soap/mug/brush/lather way and others, like this morning, I just use Cremo because it's a lot less work.
As always, YMMV but this is what works for me:
I always shave after my shower. I re-wet my face. I squeeze out a line of Cremo onto my left index finger, from the first joint to the tip, and using only my left hand, smear it equally onto both sides of my wet face with my fingertips. (I keep my right hand dry and Cremo-free so I can grip the razor better). I use the tips of my left hand to work the Cremo around my face, then wet my razor and do the first pass. Then I rinse the razor, wet my left hand that has Cremo on it and smear some more around my face and do the second pass. Usually I wet my left hand again and it still has enough Cremo on it to easily accommodate a touch-up phase.

I don't know if this helps but I hope so.

 

[MrFritz]

Well, I don't know if this will be of any help but here goes ...
I use Cremo frequently, probably every other shave or so, and have for many months. I'm retired so I rarely am in a hurry. Some days I prefer the old soap/mug/brush/lather way and others, like this morning, I just use Cremo because it's a lot less work.
As always, YMMV but this is what works for me:
I always shave after my shower. I re-wet my face. I squeeze out a line of Cremo onto my left index finger, from the first joint to the tip, and using only my left hand, smear it equally onto both sides of my wet face with my fingertips. (I keep my right hand dry and Cremo-free so I can grip the razor better). I use the tips of my left hand to work the Cremo around my face, then wet my razor and do the first pass. Then I rinse the razor, wet my left hand that has Cremo on it and smear some more around my face and do the second pass. Usually I wet my left hand again and it still has enough Cremo on it to easily accommodate a touch-up phase.

I don't know if this helps but I hope so.

I really appreciate the advice!
Will be trying on my next shave.
Do you think all the Cremo flavors perform the same, just different colors?

 

[Lockback]

I really appreciate the advice!
Will be trying on my next shave.
Do you think all the Cremo flavors perform the same, just different colors?

I do.
I think the slickness is the same for all of the 4 I've tried. The only difference is the scent of each one.

 

[dotKomo]

I like Cremo. I've used it alone, as an addition to another soap and as a pre-shave. IMO, it works well in all three applications.

 

[MrFritz]

I like Cremo. I've used it alone, as an addition to another soap and as a pre-shave. IMO, it works well in all three applications.

I need to try it as a pre shave and see how that goes

 

[MrFritz]

This morning I used it as a pre shave under some Aveeno Positively Smooth, which is normally protective but not the slickest around.
Very nice shave!
I bet using Cremo even under Barbasol would be a good shave!
Will try that in the morning.
Still can't get Cremo to do that well on it's on, but now that I have found it's real superpower, at least for me, I can't wait to try it with all kinds of stuff!

 

[JCarr]

Cremo used to be my go to pre-shave. I switched to Lucky Tiger Liquid Cream Shave. For me, its superior to Cremo. Works great on its own too!

 

[MrFritz]

Cremo used to be my go to pre-shave. I switched to Lucky Tiger Liquid Cream Shave. For me, its superior to Cremo. Works great on its own too!

I still have some of that around. I'll have to try it as a pre shave!

 

[MrFritz]

Cremo used to be my go to pre-shave. I switched to Lucky Tiger Liquid Cream Shave. For me, its superior to Cremo. Works great on its own too!

How do you apply it as a pre shave?
Just squirt on your hands and rub it directly in or do you semi swirl lather in your hands first?

 

[SalS]

@MrFritz Cremo can liberate you from the burden of soap and a brush quite well but it can’t compete with the Jack Black Shaving products.

 

[MrFritz]

@MrFritz Cremo can liberate you from the burden of soap and a brush quite well but it can’t compete with the Jack Black Shaving products.

You might have noticed recently that I have liked your posts about JB, and even bought it because of you (the beard lube).
How do you use it?
I don't think I'm using enough, because it's kind of causing razor drag like Cremo used alone if I don't "activate" the Cremo with water.
Do you rub it in more like a lotion or just squeeze it out on your fingers and rub it everywhere you are shaving?

 

[SalS]

You might have noticed recently that I have liked your posts about JB, and even bought it because of you (the beard lube).
How do you use it?
I don't think I'm using enough, because it's kind of causing razor drag like Cremo used alone if I don't "activate" the Cremo with water.
Do you rub it in more like a lotion or just squeeze it out on your fingers and rub it everywhere you are shaving?

Very wet face, very wet hands and squeeze about a quarter’s worth into your hands. Apply to your face and neck like moisturizer and just shave. I rinse my hands off because its so slick I can’t hold onto my razor. Hair just falls off with every stroke. For touch up just splash some water on your face and the slickness is back again.

The whole point of Cremo is how it reacts with water so you missed that step.

My experience with Jack Black is that it is so slick someone using it can actually over shave.

 

[MrFritz]

Very wet face, very wet hands and squeeze about a quarter’s worth into your hands. Apply to your face and neck like moisturizer and just shave. I rinse my hands off because its so slick I can’t hold onto my razor. Hair just falls off with every stroke. For touch up just splash some water on your face and the slickness is back again.

Thank you!
Will try in the morning!

 

[Marco]

A quick question for my US friends: can the Cremo STICKS be used with a brush? Will they lather up properly as any other stick or are they supposed to be used brushless only?

 

[MrFritz]

A quick question for my US friends: can the Cremo STICKS be used with a brush? Will they lather up properly as any other stick or are they supposed to be used brushless only?

I have never seen one for sell on the shelves, at least here in the South. Have been wondering myself how they performed.

 

[Lockback]

I have never seen one for sell on the shelves, at least here in the South. Have been wondering myself how they performed.

Never seen one here in the Midwest either.

 

[MrFritz]

Well, I don't know if this will be of any help but here goes ...
I use Cremo frequently, probably every other shave or so, and have for many months. I'm retired so I rarely am in a hurry. Some days I prefer the old soap/mug/brush/lather way and others, like this morning, I just use Cremo because it's a lot less work.
As always, YMMV but this is what works for me:
I always shave after my shower. I re-wet my face. I squeeze out a line of Cremo onto my left index finger, from the first joint to the tip, and using only my left hand, smear it equally onto both sides of my wet face with my fingertips. (I keep my right hand dry and Cremo-free so I can grip the razor better). I use the tips of my left hand to work the Cremo around my face, then wet my razor and do the first pass. Then I rinse the razor, wet my left hand that has Cremo on it and smear some more around my face and do the second pass. Usually I wet my left hand again and it still has enough Cremo on it to easily accommodate a touch-up phase.

I don't know if this helps but I hope so.

So I tried again this morning with just Cremo as the shave cream and applied it like you suggested.
This time, right before I put the blade to my face, I ran my hand quickly under the faucet and rubbed water over the Cremo.
Finally!
It was actually slick this time!
It performed like it was supposed to for two WTG passes which is all I do for daily work shaves.
Now if I can just repeat whatever it is that made it work today from now on.
Thanks!