Saturdays are my day for spending a little more time with my shave. I usually have a 3-pass shave (rather than my weekday 2-pass) and I will usually use a razor that requires a little more care and attention. I've been using Biotique Bio Palmyra this week and thought it would be interesting to compare it to the other well-regarded (and reasonably priced) shaving cream that I have.
So for today's shave I used both:
Left side: Bio Palmyra Expert Shave Gel with Shavemac 170 20mm D01 2-band flat top
Right side: La Toja Shaving Cream with Paladin 26mm Cleo
Preshave: Crown Shaving Pre-Shave Gel
Razor: iKon Tech
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (1st shave)
Aftershave: None
I figured that this setup would provide the best set of circumstances for seeing the performance of the shaving cream/gel: a sharp, close 3-pass shave with nothing to either calm or smooth out my face afterwards.
First pass is North to South. Second Pass is ear to nose (and around the neck). Third Pass is South to North
Application: I put the shaving cream on each brush and then face lathered. The Biotique goes on a little more thickly than the La Toja and has a gooier consistency. With a little addition of water the Biotique is worked into a great lather. The La Toja lathered with just a little bit of water in addition to the water held by the brush.
Protection: I usually get a fair amount of blade feel with the Tech. Similar performance from the cream/gels. Two hours after the shave, I feel a tiny bit of irritation on the La Toja side.
Slickness: Both have good slickness. I noticed a little better post-shave slickness from the La Toja when I rinsed my face after shaving.
Face feel. Immediately after the shave, the Biotique side felt a little stickier than the La Toja side. About a half hour later when my face had completely dried, the skin on the La Toja side felt a little smoother. But two hours after the shave, my skin felt pretty much the same on both sides.
Scent: I happen to enjoy the slight mineral smell of the La Toja better than the slight herbal/soapy smell of the Biotique. Purely a personal preference. Neither scent is particularly noticeable.
Conclusion: If I had to choose only one of these products, I'd probably go with La Toja. But I don't think you can go wrong with either.
So for today's shave I used both:
Left side: Bio Palmyra Expert Shave Gel with Shavemac 170 20mm D01 2-band flat top
Right side: La Toja Shaving Cream with Paladin 26mm Cleo
Preshave: Crown Shaving Pre-Shave Gel
Razor: iKon Tech
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (1st shave)
Aftershave: None
I figured that this setup would provide the best set of circumstances for seeing the performance of the shaving cream/gel: a sharp, close 3-pass shave with nothing to either calm or smooth out my face afterwards.
First pass is North to South. Second Pass is ear to nose (and around the neck). Third Pass is South to North
Application: I put the shaving cream on each brush and then face lathered. The Biotique goes on a little more thickly than the La Toja and has a gooier consistency. With a little addition of water the Biotique is worked into a great lather. The La Toja lathered with just a little bit of water in addition to the water held by the brush.
Protection: I usually get a fair amount of blade feel with the Tech. Similar performance from the cream/gels. Two hours after the shave, I feel a tiny bit of irritation on the La Toja side.
Slickness: Both have good slickness. I noticed a little better post-shave slickness from the La Toja when I rinsed my face after shaving.
Face feel. Immediately after the shave, the Biotique side felt a little stickier than the La Toja side. About a half hour later when my face had completely dried, the skin on the La Toja side felt a little smoother. But two hours after the shave, my skin felt pretty much the same on both sides.
Scent: I happen to enjoy the slight mineral smell of the La Toja better than the slight herbal/soapy smell of the Biotique. Purely a personal preference. Neither scent is particularly noticeable.
Conclusion: If I had to choose only one of these products, I'd probably go with La Toja. But I don't think you can go wrong with either.
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