what is the deal with all of these hair/body/shave gels?

**Torretta13** · 03-08-2011, 07:45 PM

has anyone noticed that a number of companies (Gillette, Nivea, etc.) are not selling body washes, which can also be used as shampoos AND shaving gels? Seriously. I was in my local Walgreens today, and noticed what I thought were several large containers of body wash. When I read the label, however, I noticed that the product inside was intended to be used as a 3-in-1 body/face wash/shampoo/shaving gel. Seriously. Does anyone else think that this is patently absurd? How can a product serve all three functions safely and effectively? Has anyone ever tried to shave with their "body wash/shampoo?" If so, how did it turn out?

**touchdowntodd** · 03-08-2011, 08:00 PM

i cant imagine it working WELL, but it would be passable for some i bet

its funny, because i love my body wash/shampoo .. but just gave it up for proper soap

**Torretta13** · 03-08-2011, 08:10 PM

Yeah, I guess that is my point, Todd. I can't imagine that it would excel at being all of those things.

**tvldatsi** · 03-08-2011, 08:12 PM

..... it's not that big of a deal. works fine

**Torretta13** · 03-08-2011, 08:20 PM

with all due respect, I find that claim to be highly dubious. I will stick with my trusty puck o' Williams when it comes to my morning shave. Thank you very much.

**ShavelockFoams** · 03-09-2011, 04:34 AM

I guess the thinking was "if they are willing to put up with goo in a can, they will out up with anything". Then again, maybe it is a secret plan to get men to start shopping at AOS by making everything else so bad.

The bit I don't get, esp. for Gillette, is they are part of a major consumer products company. Put it all in one bottle, and you are just stealing sales from your other product lines.

**Ceri** · 03-09-2011, 04:56 AM

My father had a favourite expression, 'lazy man's load'. He used it whenever someone - especially me - tried to do too much just for the sake of finishing quickly, and ran the risk of a half-arsed job. I'm pretty sure he'd have used it for these combination products.

**ZJ68** · 03-09-2011, 05:34 AM

Originally Posted by Torretta13

Has anyone ever tried to shave with their "body wash/shampoo?" If so, how did it turn out?

Apparently not, but that won't stop anyone from slamming them based on completely uninformed opinions.

**Absolute Mustard** · 03-09-2011, 06:35 AM

I would imagine that it would work just fine with a cartridge razor....probably as good as the can stuff

with all of the moisture strips on the cartridges these days, you could shave with vanilla yogurt

**btuer60** · 03-09-2011, 07:06 AM

I have used various shower gels and am not a fan. Besides the fact that using a "puff" always seemed decidely unmasculine - I needed a ton of that stuff to complete a shower. Went back to a bar of soap and will never use the gels again.

**gearchow** · 03-09-2011, 07:11 AM

Originally Posted by Ceri

My father had a favourite expression, 'lazy man's load'. He used it whenever someone - especially me - tried to do too much just for the sake of finishing quickly, and ran the risk of a half-arsed job. I'm pretty sure he'd have used it for these combination products.

being lazy requires a lot of effort.

I think it's just marketing gimmicks. Its just soap. and soap is used to wash, shampoo and shave with. I used to use bar soap to shave with, being too cheap and ignorant at the time to use a specialized product. It will do in a pinch, but I don't recommend it.

-jim

**maxman** · 03-09-2011, 07:16 AM

I bought some Nivea body wash once because it was on sale.
It said that it could be used for shaving, but I didn't give it a try.

Other Nivea products are good, this might have been ok.
I didn't like it as a body wash and wouldn't buy it again.
It was this stuff

**mmack66** · 03-09-2011, 08:23 AM

Only 3-in-1? Heck, Dr. Bronner's is 18-in-1, and one of them is brushing your teeth.

**Lasse** · 03-09-2011, 09:20 AM

Great I can already visualize the ultimate shaving pig; naked in the bathroom, lather from head to toe & ready for a-shavin´ and a-washin´

**tvldatsi** · 03-09-2011, 11:33 AM

whoops didn't notice the "shave" part. lol

**tvldatsi** · 03-09-2011, 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by Torretta13

with all due respect, I find that claim to be highly dubious. I will stick with my trusty puck o' Williams when it comes to my morning shave. Thank you very much.

you're welcome. do you know that saying "with all due respect" before you make a complete jerk off statement doesn't excuse your rudeness?

**mattface** · 03-09-2011, 11:46 AM

Honestly, damn near ANY kind of soap or conditioner will work tolerably well for a shaving lubricant. I know folks here are very into their specialized shaving soaps and creams. Most of the ingredients in commercial personal care products serve no functional purpose, rather they are there to alter the users perception of the product with scents and lather =ing qualities that serve no functional purpose. Inch thick foam for instance works no better than a layer of soap for lubricating a microns thick layer of skin before you scrape it with a microns thick blade edge. Lots of folks have already discovered that and stopped buying specialized shaving creams, so it really doesn't surprise me to see soap companies capitalizing on it and marketing their products that way.

Now I know lots of people here love to fetishize shaving soaps and have their favorites, and more power to them. Finding enjoyment from what for most is an unpleasant task is sorta what we're all about here, but for the vast majority of consumers, the stuff they wash their parts with will work just fine for shaving said parts.

**_JP_** · 03-09-2011, 11:49 AM

There was a time when most folks didn't have the various sudsy things that we use these days to wash with. And many of them made their own soap, usually a lye based soap. And that one soap was used for both body and hair. We don't really need shampoo for hair (we got suckered by marketing and convenience) because shampoo is basically liquid soap that easier to use.