Gillette Hydrating Gel

Very good gel

Had this at cost a few months back when i went from de shaving, apart from that nothing to say.

Did anyone say hydrating?

after using this crap for over 10 years
the scent is chocking and the skin becoming dry after using it .
I have one full and new . if anyone wants it for free...

sucks

I know, I know -- the reason we're all here is that we grew tired of "canned goo" and wanted something better for our shaves that the ubiquitous Gillette or Edge gel that overwhelmingly predominate U.S. supermarkets, drugstores and other retailers. But before you dismiss this product as against your shaving religion, don't take it too seriously -- there's a reason for this review:

For me anyway, there are some days when there's just not enough time for a nice, long wet shave with my favorite DE and soap. Like many of us, these days are regrettably not uncommon. Sometimes I opt not to shave at all, but on other days when my schedule dictates that I have to be clean-shaven at the office, there's little choice but to use ready-made cream or gel and a Mach 3 or disposable that allows me to be clumsy, fast and furious on my way out the door.

I acquired a can of Gillette Series "Super Hydrating" Gel with Glycerin free from my local CVS with the purchase of some Mach 3 blades and decided just to save both for a rainy day, which turned out to be this morning. Usually on these rush days I opt for plain old Barbasol foam, which is surprisingly not bad for 99 cents. I like the Barbasol for its nostalgia and "barbershop scent," but today I thought I'd reach for the Gillette and give it a try.

Having used either Gillette Series Gel or Edge Gel for almost my adult life, I expected the same old performance and feel that I'd grown accustomed to over the years. I was pleasantly surprised however that the "with glycerin" version actually is more hydrating than the more common "with aloe" products. It actually felt somewhere between Colonel Conk and typical canned gel...not bad for my needs. The smell was sufficiently clean and neutral. For my "quickshave" I selected my Mach 3 (which hasn't seen much use in recent years) with a new cartidge so that I could get the full "Best a Man Can Get" feeling that supposedly comes only from Gillette.

The Mach 3 felt foreign as it scrapped against my face as I'd forgotten how totally different this type of shaving is from DE. A quick scrape and the beard was satisfactorily gone, leaving a relatively hydrated feeling on my skin, which I attribute in part to still having still gone through my pre-shave routine, but also in part to whatever glycerin-esque substance is used in the gel. The Mach 3 did it's job and I was soon out the door just in time to sit in traffic.

My point of this whole review is that if you have to use what's at the supermarket or corner drugstore, the glycerin-based Gillette is better than Edge gel or the other Gillette Series gels. If you need to keep a can of something around the house like me, I wouldn't recommend spending extra money on Nivea, Neutrogena or other "fancy" canned stuff (although I have heard some people swear by Aveeno). This may remain my "break glass in case of emergency" shave gel, though I'm not sure I would go out of my way to buy it again.

My main complaint with all canned shave gels or creams is the wasteful and leaky-nature of cans. After a while, even with careful use, dried goo ends up all over the sides of the can, it runs out of propellant before it's empty, or the dispenser breaks or malfunctions and it has to be trashed. In fact, my interest in DE shaving sprouted initially from my quest to find something that didn't come in a can.

I'm looking forward to a DE shave with some good soap tomorrow morning. This will probably be the only review I ever do for this site and I'm sure folks are going to go whacky and accuse me of blasphemy for reviewing such a villified product, but sometimes not every shave can be perfect.

FOLLOW-UP:

So I've had the chance to try this product a couple more times since I first wrote this review and I have to say that I haven't been able to replicate the "good glycerin" vibe I had in my earlier post. This product isn't really that different from any other Gillette product, which is to say that it will give you a no frills shave if you need it. But so will any other shave product off your grocery store shelf...or mineral oil...or water for that matter. And after less than a week of use, the can is oozing dried blue slime, as has always been my experience with these cans.

If there is anything good to come from this experience, it's that some of my fellow members shared their like experiences to conclude that if you go with one of the mass market products for your non-DE shaving needs, it's best to try to stick to one with glycerin, regardless of the brand. Reading labels however, it's not easy to ascertain which ones have it and which ones don't: It appears that all Gillette products have some "gly" chemical compound in them.

I will likely toss this product and not come back to it or its kin ever again; you can do so much better with your "shaving" money.

So another follow-up:

I recently went through a stressful couple of weeks where I really didn't have time each morning to go through the whole routine of getting a DE shave -- but I did it anyway. The result was that I forced myself, out of necessity, to improve my technique and speed up the whole DE shaving process to the point that DE shaving is no longer a burden on my time. One morning I even had to shave with a crying baby in one arm.

What I've learned from this is that once you master your DE technique, time and convenience are no longer a relevant consideration and there's no real reason to consider using a product of like Gillette Gel. It's not a terrible product by any means, it's just not necessary given that a better shave is available. Even cost becomes irrelevant when you consider that most shaving soap or cream will last most users 2-4 times longer than a can of Gillete Gel.

If your new to the wet shaving experience or thinking about it and wondering if you need to spend quite a bit of money to get a truly close shave, the answer is no.

Everyone here on the forum enjoys the “gourmet” shave and appreciates the sometimes small and subtle differences between products. Subjective and objective lines often blur, and referring to a product as “goo in a can,” is not a real criticism.

I have creams at all price levels, and this is not my favorite cream\gel, but its not because it does not do a good job. There are many ways to get a close shave. Recently, I used this gel after applying a pre-shave oil (which I use even with my expensive creams) and hot towel, the result was a shave as good as any achieved with my expensive creams. When I have been in a hurry, I have used an electric razor for the first pass, and this gel and a razor for the second touch up pass with very good results. This gel will not provide much if any moisturization alone, but few people in the wet shaving world use a gel\cream alone anyway. Use a pre-shave oil and\or a good aftershave balm if you need moisture.

Sometimes people will write about how these cheap products contain alcohol, and will therefore dry your skin. Well, what many don’t know is that the highly touted ingredient, glycerin, is also an alcohol.

Basically, by adjusting your technique (hot towel, pre-shave oil, balm) you can achieve excellent results with this $2 gel.

I am not doing this review for BB members. Instead I think it is useful for lurking guests to have a base point to compare what they now know to what they could get by using higher end creams (Brushless or not).

Price. At 5$ a can it is not that costly and yet it is not really a good value either. You can get Williams, Arko, Mama Bear Soaps and tabac that will last longer for a similar price and FAR superior value. After 4 Months of daily shaving I have not been able to finish a single soap or cream I have bought.

Quality. You get what you pay for (Don't forget to include the Millions of dollars on adds that you are paying of course). It is a mass marketed product, no better than regular beer, frozen meals, McDonalds. Well maybe I am being a bit unfair with mass marketed products... Aqua Velva is really one of the best AS I have tried.

Scent. One of Reasons to change and never go back to canned goo... mmm Gillette Shaving Gel (Must stay as objective as possible) This product does have a smell and not the best one. Synthetic and metallic, not attractive at all. Either in the morning just after waking up, or at night to indulge ourselves, we have the right to a smell something good.

Latherability. This is not real lather. It just produces a white foam that it is hard to get rid off and clogs like crazy on your razor. It is not even soluble in water and requires more pressure from a M3. Now that I have a fairly good lathering technique, I found that shaving with this gel is not faster than using a good badger brush and tabac or Williams and Taylor's cream... that is super (cheap) lather.

Efficacy. No water? What kind of prep is that? sure, it might protect the skin from irritation, but it is not really softening the whiskers. I recommend other creams (like edge non-lathering cream), not gels or foams (although some have a very good opinion of Zirh).

M.P. It makes sense that the glycerin cream works better than the aloe Vera one... why? I bet that they are not really using aloe Vera to make it. The truth is that I do not use body lotion or anything similar, so when I changed from Shaving Gels to shaving soaps, I noticed a huge difference on my skin. Now it is even smoother than my girlfriend's skin

Packaging. The worst packaging I have seen for a shaving product. The review above nailed it. The fact that this gel is presurised only makes it more wasteful and "un-natural". I was never able to get just the right amount.

The only real advantage of this prodcut is how easy to use for a beginnner. What do you have to learn? Other creams can be really tricky when you start using them, so much that IMO, it is easier to learn how to shave with a DE than constantly creating a good lather. Still, once you are able to do it, You'll get the best shaves of your life.

p.s. I used the rating scale I would have used when reviewing any other cream.