Greetings. For show 'n' tell I like to show something that very few B&B members will have heard of, even fewer have tried, and even fewer still would ever prefer to soaps and croaps. By process of elimination, I'm probably the only member here who uses shave jelly. Yes, shave JELLY. Not a cream, and not exactly a gel. It's brushless and latherless. Over the past few months I've tried several vendors' products (all bought from Etsy) before realizing, that every instance of scented shaving jelly available on the market right now is merely a scented version of this bulk product. Just compare this ingredient list:
With these:
Portland General Store
Anderson Soap Co.
Tree & Sapling
Nevermore Body Co.
With the exception of some fragrance listed at the end, or some more daring companies actually adding some additional extract(s), all shave jellies on the market are essentially the same product. Not that comparing ingredient lists alone is enough proof, but after having used products from all of the aforementioned vendors, I'll posit that I have enough experience to reasonably conclude that they're literally the same thing. So I figured, instead of paying for a repackaged, rebranded, scented and marked-up version of what's made by Farm Fresh Organics, how about I save a few bucks and just get the stuff from the original source?Much to my dismay, such savings were not meant to be; the company charges $13.95 shipping for this 16 ounce jar.
Whatever. We all know that the majority of this community will not even begin to consider anything that doesn't lather. Fair enough. Odd reason in my view but hey, different strokes for different folks. From my experience, shave jelly has no equal. Being made mostly of aloe, this jelly softens my fairly sensitive skin like nothing I've used before or since, and I truly mean nothing. By the time I step out of the shower (yes, I shave in the shower) my skin is so absurdly soft and moist that it almost feels a bit "rubbery", for lack of a better term. Soap can't touch this. I strongly suspect that shave jelly can be used waterless but I haven't tried that, and I dont think I care to because I simply enjoy shower shaving too much.I couldn't get a good photo of the jelly in its white jar, but fortunately I keep a small amount in a clear jar for traveling. The jelly isn't clear, but almost is. Once applied, it's completely clear.
With this I do two passes every day, wtg then atg, including my upper lip. I might get a nick only if my Merkur Fakelite keeps the same Astra blade for more than a couple days, which is very rare. I get zero ingrowns and zero irritation. I actually don't need aftershave, but just like Oliveology, this stuff actually can double as such. I use Feather Kanwa just so my $34 jar will last longer, which I'm sure will last several months anyway.
And no, it's not petroleum jelly in case anyone is wondering. This is primarily water and rinses cleanly.
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"M****d that launched a thousand rants"
