Item Description
This is my first product review, so I'll follow the standard format...
Price This stuff is very cheap - I got my 8oz tube for only $5 Canadian at a local health food store - this is below the $6 MSRP. You can find Alba products at drugstores with an organics/natural products section, health food stores, etc.
Quality The quality seems very good - the Alba products are well made products and this cream is hypo-allergenic, soap-free, paraben free, has no synthetic colors, is EU Cosmetics Directive compliant and uses 100% vegetarian ingredients. This all means that it is likely a good product for those with sensitive skin or who want to avoid products that contain parabens or SLS, etc.
This cream is loaded with good stuff, including organic aloe juice, vitamin E, jojobaoil, certified organic calendula, ginkgo biloba, green tea, mentha peppermint oil, menthol, vegetable glycerin, among others.
For a full list of the ingredients:
http://www.albabotanica.com/?id=65&pid=466
Scent The primary scent is a nice pepermint/menthol scent - more peppermint than menthol and not overpowering in any way. The scent quickly fades and doesn't interfere with any other scented products you may want to use - this is a plus as far as I'm concerned.
Laterability This is a brushless cream and my sense is you would both gum up your brush and have poor results if you tried to lather this stuff.
The directions for use are as follows:
Rinse skin thoroughly with warm water. Apply a thin, transparent layer over damp skin. Shave normally, rinsing razor periodically.
*NOTE: Performs best when used sparingly.
Efficacy All I can say is that this stuff works - I bought it for rush shaves at work/gym, etc. and it works very well. I've used this with cartridge razors, as well as injectors and it works very well.
You get a nice pepermint/menthol cooling effect and a very smooth shave. I've torture tested this stuff with crappy cartridge razors and quick shaves with narry a problem. As part of my testing, I applied alcohol-based aftershaves that often burn like the fires of Hades - no burn when I used the Alba.
I reapply between passes, which takes minimal time and you still don't use a lot of product for a shave.
Moisturizing In addition to being a very slick product, this cream provides a good amount of moisturizing/conditioning. I think this is due to the combination of aloe, jojoba and glycerine. I think this would be a good product for those with dry skin.
Packaging Green plastic squeeze tube with a flip cap. Its not fancy or pretty, but it works - what more do you need or expect from a product that costs $5.
Summary While I'm not giving up my brushes anytime soon, this is a good product for those who want to go brushless and would make a good product for use at work, the gym or travel - or any other time/situation when you need to shave in a hurry or don't want to bother with a brush.
I had low expectations for this product - all of which were exceeded. Its an interesting product that works well (when used as directed) and is worth trying if your shaving needs include having to take quick/impromptu shaves.
If you don't like mint, Alba makes shave creams in other flavours (Coconut Lime, Mango Vanilla and Unscented) - all of which share many of the same ingredients as the Aloe Mint.
Price This stuff is very cheap - I got my 8oz tube for only $5 Canadian at a local health food store - this is below the $6 MSRP. You can find Alba products at drugstores with an organics/natural products section, health food stores, etc.
Quality The quality seems very good - the Alba products are well made products and this cream is hypo-allergenic, soap-free, paraben free, has no synthetic colors, is EU Cosmetics Directive compliant and uses 100% vegetarian ingredients. This all means that it is likely a good product for those with sensitive skin or who want to avoid products that contain parabens or SLS, etc.
This cream is loaded with good stuff, including organic aloe juice, vitamin E, jojobaoil, certified organic calendula, ginkgo biloba, green tea, mentha peppermint oil, menthol, vegetable glycerin, among others.
For a full list of the ingredients:
http://www.albabotanica.com/?id=65&pid=466
Scent The primary scent is a nice pepermint/menthol scent - more peppermint than menthol and not overpowering in any way. The scent quickly fades and doesn't interfere with any other scented products you may want to use - this is a plus as far as I'm concerned.
Laterability This is a brushless cream and my sense is you would both gum up your brush and have poor results if you tried to lather this stuff.
The directions for use are as follows:
Rinse skin thoroughly with warm water. Apply a thin, transparent layer over damp skin. Shave normally, rinsing razor periodically.
*NOTE: Performs best when used sparingly.
Efficacy All I can say is that this stuff works - I bought it for rush shaves at work/gym, etc. and it works very well. I've used this with cartridge razors, as well as injectors and it works very well.
You get a nice pepermint/menthol cooling effect and a very smooth shave. I've torture tested this stuff with crappy cartridge razors and quick shaves with narry a problem. As part of my testing, I applied alcohol-based aftershaves that often burn like the fires of Hades - no burn when I used the Alba.
I reapply between passes, which takes minimal time and you still don't use a lot of product for a shave.
Moisturizing In addition to being a very slick product, this cream provides a good amount of moisturizing/conditioning. I think this is due to the combination of aloe, jojoba and glycerine. I think this would be a good product for those with dry skin.
Packaging Green plastic squeeze tube with a flip cap. Its not fancy or pretty, but it works - what more do you need or expect from a product that costs $5.
Summary While I'm not giving up my brushes anytime soon, this is a good product for those who want to go brushless and would make a good product for use at work, the gym or travel - or any other time/situation when you need to shave in a hurry or don't want to bother with a brush.
I had low expectations for this product - all of which were exceeded. Its an interesting product that works well (when used as directed) and is worth trying if your shaving needs include having to take quick/impromptu shaves.
If you don't like mint, Alba makes shave creams in other flavours (Coconut Lime, Mango Vanilla and Unscented) - all of which share many of the same ingredients as the Aloe Mint.
