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WORST shave so far.

I started about a month ago with some hand-me-down DE's, wal-mart brush and shave soap and have been using that for some time now. The brush is broken in and I get decent lather with the soap.

I was in the local food coop tonight and saw Men's Stock shave cream by Aubrey Organics. "Hmmm..." I thought to myself. "I really need to experiment my way away from Wal-mart stuff" so I picked it up.

I got NO LATHER! ...none ...at all! Just a wad of greasy goo in my mug and hand (Tried to lather in both places) Since I'm new I thought it may just be something new, so I put it on my face and attempted a shave that felt scratchy and bad. I said to heck with it, got out the Wal-Mart finest and finished with two more passes. (Realizing after the fact the scratchiness was probably due to the fact my blade was dull and didn't realize it because I was distracted by this NEW PRODUCT! YAY!!! or ...not so yay it turns out. The aftershave has never burned so much!

So bad shave aside. Talk to me about creams.. Is this some greasy hippie excuse for a cream or is it supposed to be like this? I read the directions and it simply says "Apply thinly and massage into beard."

Am I just not knowing what I'm looking for as I shop for a cream? Can someone enlighten me?

Thanks
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
I started about a month ago with some hand-me-down DE's, wal-mart brush and shave soap and have been using that for some time now. The brush is broken in and I get decent lather with the soap.

I was in the local food coop tonight and saw Men's Stock shave cream by Aubrey Organics. "Hmmm..." I thought to myself. "I really need to experiment my way away from Wal-mart stuff" so I picked it up.

I got NO LATHER! ...none ...at all! Just a wad of greasy goo in my mug and hand (Tried to lather in both places) Since I'm new I thought it may just be something new, so I put it on my face and attempted a shave that felt scratchy and bad. I said to heck with it, got out the Wal-Mart finest and finished with two more passes. (Realizing after the fact the scratchiness was probably due to the fact my blade was dull and didn't realize it because I was distracted by this NEW PRODUCT! YAY!!! or ...not so yay it turns out. The aftershave has never burned so much!

So bad shave aside. Talk to me about creams.. Is this some greasy hippie excuse for a cream or is it supposed to be like this? I read the directions and it simply says "Apply thinly and massage into beard."

Am I just not knowing what I'm looking for as I shop for a cream? Can someone enlighten me?

Thanks

I think you know the answer to your question already.
I have not heard of that brand, but 5 will get you 10 it's "all natural ingredients" right?
There are some fabulous creams available. Look about in the reviews and pick one that interests you and give it a whirl.
My suggestion would be to go to a Bath and Body Works and pick up a 5 dollar tube of CO Bigelow, which is rebranded Proraso.
 
There are some fabulous creams available. Look about in the reviews and pick one that interests you and give it a whirl.
My suggestion would be to go to a Bath and Body Works and pick up a 5 dollar tube of CO Bigelow, which is rebranded Proraso.

Excellent ideas all around. The review section contains more ideas than you'll know what to do with. The Bigelow option makes Proraso easy to come by. Among other brands that are easily obtainable, although more expensive, is Art of Shaving. You might swing by a Nordstrom and see if they're offering samples of it. Their pre-packaged samples are only available in unscented, but that will at least let you try the cream to see if you like it; then, if you want to buy some, you can see which scents appeal to you.
 
The best thing to do is to keep a journal on the soaps/creams you use. Then you can write off the ones that don't work for you. If they are soaps and they don't work for you, you can always use them in the shower until their gone, then they're not wasted.

By doing this you'll know which is good for you and which is not. Right now if the Walmart brand is treating you fine, then that's your best bet now. Use that as your mark in comparing others. If another one is better than the Walmart then that's your new best one. By doing this you'll always know which is good and which is not. You can always have several good ones that you can use in rotation. Give each one a fair shot though, as your technique improves the ones that were not so hot may get better. Good luck. :thumbup1: :thumbup: :w00t:
 
Kiss My face gets some love around here. I have some and the glide and cushion are great IMO. Also get yourself a blade sampler pack from WCS or BullGoose
 
I got NO LATHER! ...none ...at all! Just a wad of greasy goo in my mug and hand (Tried to lather in both places) Since I'm new I thought it may just be something new, so I put it on my face and attempted a shave that felt scratchy and bad. I said to heck with it, got out the Wal-Mart finest and finished with two more passes. (Realizing after the fact the scratchiness was probably due to the fact my blade was dull and didn't realize it because I was distracted by this NEW PRODUCT! YAY!!! or ...not so yay it turns out. The aftershave has never burned so much!

So bad shave aside. Talk to me about creams.. Is this some greasy hippie excuse for a cream or is it supposed to be like this? I read the directions and it simply says "Apply thinly and massage into beard."

Man, sometimes I forget that I'm in the minority here. I suppose I am a "greasy hippie" ...

Anyhow, sounds like you got a non-lathering cream. They are out there. Generally, they say "apply thinly and massage into beard," like you mentioned.

I agree with the other posters, though. Try C.O. Bigelow, which is just Proraso in disguise. It's $5-$10 at Bath and Body Works, depending on what size tube you get.
 
It's really simple. That is a brushless cream and is made NOT to lather. So there isn't anything wrong with the product per se, it's just not meant to be used with a brush. Most of the creams you see at health food stores will NOT lather with a brush. The one exception is Kiss My Face brand shave cream, which will work with a brush.
 
It's really simple. That is a brushless cream and is made NOT to lather. So there isn't anything wrong with the product per se, it's just not meant to be used with a brush. Most of the creams you see at health food stores will NOT lather with a brush. The one exception is Kiss My Face brand shave cream, which will work with a brush.

+1

You stumbled upon one of the many non-lathering creams. :bored: Some people like them, some people hate them, I think the best of them is at best usable when compared to the rich luxurious lather capable with a brush, and proper shaving soap/ shaving cream.

I would strongly suggest you not try out any products that are not reviewed in the reviews section here.

There are too many wonderful products to try out, for you to waste your money being a Guinna Pig for a new, untested, potentially horrifically crappy product.
 
I had the same issue with some alba botanical stuff. After figuring out I'd duped myself by buying it, I then decided to experiment. I put some of the AB into the bowl, and loaded my brush with my wal-mart VDH. Lathering in the bowl with the soap and the non-lathering cream gave me some great lather due to the soap, and the great mango-vanilla scent from the AB.

To keep from wasting what you bought, you might try that if the stuff you bought is decently scented.

Note: lather still wasn't as good as the C.O. Bigelow/proraso, but in winter the menthol is a pain anyways.
 
I must be one of the weirdos who actually likes the menthol feeling in the winter. I love stepping outside into the 20-degree weather just after shaving!

I'm in Colorado.. so recently my morning shave has been just after going running in weather below 15 degrees. I drew the line at running at 4 degrees after I made it two blocks and could no longer feel my face.
 
There are too many wonderful products to try out, for you to waste your money being a Guinna Pig for a new, untested, potentially horrifically crappy product.

yea.. just ask one of the guys who've picked up "American Crew Herbal Shaving Cream" ... :lol: :lol:


Definitely good advice.. I doubt there's a "lathering" cream available that hasn't been reviewed or at least mentioned by someone here @ B&B. I gave up a LONG time ago trying to find unknown treasures (and those usually come from the boutique or independent soapsters, not heath food stores)



and also.. you can usually get servicable-to-excellent shaves from those non-lathering shave creams if you just follow the directions on the tube.. case in point, Trader Joe's Honey Mango. Not bad at all brushless. Just.. not as much fun.
 
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I'm in Colorado.. so recently my morning shave has been just after going running in weather below 15 degrees. I drew the line at running at 4 degrees after I made it two blocks and could no longer feel my face.

Ha! I hear you. I run about 30 miles a week, and this time of year is always killer. I ran once in sub-zero temperatures. That was BRUTAL!
 
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