After a year in Israel, I've decided to try out the only Israeli brand of shaving cream I've seen - Mem (ממ
. There are two kinds - one in a green box, and another in a black and white box. While I was out this morning I bought a tube of the black and white box. The damage was 8 Israeli Shekels, which at today's exchange rate works out to a little less than $2. Nice.
The ingredients are listed as: Stearic Acid, Purified Water, Glycerin, Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance [?], Allantoin, Sodium Borate, Mineral Oil, Propylparaben, and Methylparaben. Doesn't look like we're dealing with an all-natural ingredient here, but that doesn't particularly bother me.
I started as usual with a small almond-sized dab of cream, using my cheap Tweezerman badger brush and bowl lathering.
It lathered up really well, and I smelled a mix of menthol and fruit, maybe coconut. The scent certainly wasn't unappealing, but it didn't smell as good to me as Cella or Proraso Green, my go-to soap and cream, respectively.
Ease of lathering: 8/10. Lots of foam quickly, but it took a while longer than Proraso to thicken up.
Longevity of the Lather: 9/10. Nice and thick, and didn't dry out during a (slow) 3-pass shave.
General skincare: 9/10. I was actually surprised at how my skin felt afterwards. Nice and smooth shave.
Scent: 6/10. I personally didn't care for the scent all that much, but scent is very subjective. YMMV.
Price: 10/10. Less than $2? Sold. $10 a tube in the US? I'd pass.
Would I buy again: 7/10. I'd consider having a tube on-hand for travelling, but I don't think it'll ever be my daily driver. I may work it in to the rotation.
. There are two kinds - one in a green box, and another in a black and white box. While I was out this morning I bought a tube of the black and white box. The damage was 8 Israeli Shekels, which at today's exchange rate works out to a little less than $2. Nice.The ingredients are listed as: Stearic Acid, Purified Water, Glycerin, Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance [?], Allantoin, Sodium Borate, Mineral Oil, Propylparaben, and Methylparaben. Doesn't look like we're dealing with an all-natural ingredient here, but that doesn't particularly bother me.
I started as usual with a small almond-sized dab of cream, using my cheap Tweezerman badger brush and bowl lathering.
It lathered up really well, and I smelled a mix of menthol and fruit, maybe coconut. The scent certainly wasn't unappealing, but it didn't smell as good to me as Cella or Proraso Green, my go-to soap and cream, respectively.
Ease of lathering: 8/10. Lots of foam quickly, but it took a while longer than Proraso to thicken up.
Longevity of the Lather: 9/10. Nice and thick, and didn't dry out during a (slow) 3-pass shave.
General skincare: 9/10. I was actually surprised at how my skin felt afterwards. Nice and smooth shave.
Scent: 6/10. I personally didn't care for the scent all that much, but scent is very subjective. YMMV.
Price: 10/10. Less than $2? Sold. $10 a tube in the US? I'd pass.
Would I buy again: 7/10. I'd consider having a tube on-hand for travelling, but I don't think it'll ever be my daily driver. I may work it in to the rotation.
