Kiehl's Lite Flite Shave Cream for the Brush

Jeez, I don't know why this stuff gets such terrible reviews but here goes.

I honestly don't think the smell is that bad. I certainly don't smell anything on my face after I'm done shaving. Smells like menthol.

This lather is about as thick as peanut butter. It's different than anything I've used. I wouldn't say it lathers great in that it expands with air etc... it's like a very very thick cream. It does give you a cold feeling due to the menthol and camphor, which feels like Noxzema on your face. I know some people like that, me not so much. (also should mention, the rest of the Kiehls line while still moisterizing, some also without camphor/mentol, their lather sucks terribly. It's more like shaving with a watery lotion, and they're all brushless; not to say they don't work though.)

Moisterizes very well, just like all of Kiehls shaving creams.

Ingredient list is not very friendly if you're a skeptic but I don't think most people are. It's not for me, but I would imagine it would be for a lot of other people.

In summary, if you like menthol/camphor, like your lather as thick as peanut butter, and aren't a minimalist with ingredients... this stuff works very well.

I didn't rate packaging because I think it is absolutely irrelevant.

I too found this creame difficult to lather, scent was also poor.

Brought in House of Frazer and therefore was expensive £16. I prefer alternatives and would not buy again due to cost and lack of lather and scent.

My favorite with a straight razor.

I like this cream. $17.50 for the tub so the price wasn't unreasonable.

Quality: The cream has a thick texture and I don't have to use a ton of it to get 4 passes.

Scent: Decent but not amazing or foul. Better than Proraso Green in my opinion. Smell bad in the tub but good in the bowl or on the face.

Latherability: Just fine. Not the greatest but performs solidly.

Efficacy: I get fine shaves every time with this cream. The lather is cushioning and slick and seems to numb the skin some.

Moisturizing Properties: I don't expect a cream or soap to do any moisturizing. All I ask is that it doesn't dry me out completely. This didn't dry me out.

Packaging: I like the tub quite a bit. It stacks easily and is thick enough not to crack if dropped from a reasonable height.

I am a fan of most Kiehl's product, I use their Facial Fuel Face Wash every day and their Lip Balm #1, but they dropped the ball with this Lite Flite Shave Cream. I actually don't mind the scent unlike most reviewers, it has subtle menthol note but it's nothing special either. It has extremely inadequate lathering qualities, and I've sent Kiehl's a note addressing this (they have yet to reply...). It seriously does not lather well at all, and that's my main beef with this shave cream. Currently its switched out of my shelf in favor of Tabac, so maybe I'll have a change of heart in a few weeks, but its doubtful.

The packing is a clean white stury plastic tub, and the price is really not bad at $17 or so, but there are better creams available in that range.

There is better out there.

I picked some of this up the other day, and had my first shave with it last night. I like every other Kiehl's product I've tried (mostly lotions and body washes, but I LOVE the blue astringent), but this fell flat for me. I got great gobs of lather from it, but it was little more than soapy bubbles. Very little in the way of thickness or protection, and yes, the lather did break down quickly in the bowl. I tired of constantly churning it to bring it back to life. Once on the face, it was very thin as well. The scent leaves a lot to be desired...reminicent of Elmer's white glue with a hint of Noxema. It took a lot more than my usual three pass plus cleanup, and I didn't really feel like I was able to get all the hair...I will say that I was expecting the worst for razor burn, but it felt smooth and my skin felt good. I don't know what their return policy is, but I'm going to try and take it back. For this price, I can get two tubes of Proraso, which this cream was clearly modeled after, and which easily outperforms it in every category.

This is the first cream I bought when I switched to using DE razor and a brush. At first, I wasn't too impressed and ordered some TOBS creams for variety. Over time, I learnt to love this cream. The lather is different, almost slimey, is a word I have seen that describes it really well though should be interpreted in a positive way. It lubricates the face just wonderfully, and the scent is a nice change.
I just looked up the camphor and this is the stuff that brings the "awful" smell and provides the cooling effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camphor
It has this old-fashion, paint-like smell that I just don't mind at all. It goes away when you lather it up.

Smell is much to be desired. To me it smells like drywall compound, but...

After 2-4 shaves with it I noticed that my skin is better then ever, no irritation at all and it feels better then before shaving no matter how many passes or how much you 'scrape' your skin with a blade and that's probably the highest praise!
It does not require a preshave or aftershave, I just use Alum block and that's it. It is definitely my favorite when it comes how my skin feels after shaving.

Just finished a tub of Kiehl's Lite that I used off and on over the last year. (I purchased it on my last trip to Florida, I believe it might have been at Bloomingdale's.) I found the stuff kind of grow's on you over time. It made an excellent lather and gave a great shave with a straight razor, my Merkur Slant or GEM. These can be tough razors if the right cream or soap is not used. I did not mind the smell and found it had a sort of medicinal quality about it. This stuff passes the muster, and gets the job done.
Cheers.

I have been using the Keihl's Lite Flite Shave Cream for the Brush for a couple of weeks now, and I have been pleasantly surprised. Like the post above, the scent was a decent change of pace from the florals or musky scents in other creams, mainly the 3 T's and C&E that I have in my supply...

I have had great luck with the lathering of this product, much different results from other users it seems, and I'm not sure why... I'm using a Rooney 3 Medium SilverTip I got from classicshaving and an oversized coffee mug. Basic procedure, let the mug / brush soak in hot water while I shower, etc... then I dip the tips into the Keihl's bowl and start whipping up in my mug. I get a great, thick later in about 30 seconds. (I live in Denver, CO, and have basic hard water in my neighborhood - maybe the altitude affects the lather?) In interest of full disclosure, I'm a huge fan of Keihl's other products, specifically their lotions that help with dry skin, especially in areas like Denver.

The lather, IMO, is closer to sour cream than whip cream in consistency, so maybe my food references help describe better And, there's plenty of lather to go 4 passes and beyond. I also like to use a 5th pass of lather with no razor to utilize the ingredients of the cream to help sooth / clean my face after my shave, immediately before cold water rinse, then toner and/or AS. I'm now using the RMWS Peppermint AS, so all combined it is VERY cold sensation that I enjoy during the warmer days in the summer.

Back to the scent... Previous posts have described it fairly well already, but I'd also compare it to Noxema's Cold Cream face wash. You'll definitely notice the camphor and menthol right away, but virtually zero lavendar scent (maybe it's conditioning the skin rather than adding fragrance?) - so certainly 'mediciny' and not your typical pleasant scents from other products.

The shave: I'm using a Merkur Long Classic closed comb with Derby blades... Keihl's is definitely slick, almost slimy to me (in a good way), and this is the only cream I can use Feather blades with and still pull off 4 passes without blood shed. With other creams, such as T&H 1805 and C&E Nomad, my Feather blade can only be used for 3 passes tops, and I'll usually stop at 2 - quit while I'm ahead I guess. In fact, I can only use Keihl's with my Merkur HD open comb + feathers for my most aggressive DE setup and get a BBS, but I prefer a closed comb for most shaves.

My shave combinations & experiments are all over the place with use of products, much like this post I guess ;-) However, Keihl's is a product I will always have available for my shaves, lackluster scent be darned! Don't let the scent turn you off, especially if you're looking for extra skin moisturizers and protection.

I'll ding Keihl's on my ratings of scent, but don't want to imply that it stinks - it just is not as preferable as other products.

I picked up a tub at a reasonable price ($13). I do not care about the packaging unless it strays too far from the norm in either direction. The tub is functional and the packing nondescript.

Upon opening I was pleasantly surprised. Most give this a thumbs down in the scent category because of its medicinal odor. It was not all that offensive to me, actually found it a nice change of pace to all of the florals I have been using. The lavender which is stated on the tub is not present at all but the camphor is a nice touch. Perhaps it is the camphor which presents the greatest scent obstacle? So the scent was not a deal breaker for me.

The latherability was a bit of a dissappointmernt. My disclaimer is that I did not follow the directions on the tub but just whipped up a batch in my mug. The lather was very dry. Some earlier mentioned how the lather in the mug vanishes between passes...I got that as well. The lather was not very slick but it did provide decent protection against my Slant with a fresh Feather. The SC did leave a bit of a film on my face- it may have been the camphor. A few rinses and the film was gone. No big deal.

Overall, it is a decent cream with different fragrance. If you can get by the scent or if you like medicinal stuff have at it. Otherwise, you may want to steer clear.

The cream is Ok, but the scent is absolutely disgusting. How can anyone create such a foul scent? Horrible.

Kiehl's is an excellent shaving cream. it differs completely from other brands as it recembles more a thick facial cream than a shaving cream.
It has no scent, except a faint odor of menthol and lavendula.
It makes an excellent leather, comparable to the other 3T's, and the efficacy is quite remarkable.
The cream protects from nicks and allows a very close shave, leaving a BBS with a straight razor.
The packaging is on par with D.R. Harris.

Smelled like a old old toilet !!! Brrrrr
Before I can test Efficacy or Moisturizing Properties !!!
€ 21,50 / $ 14,63 in The Netherlands

Scent = - 10

This cream works just fine for me. I got great shave with it this morning. I'm not the biggest fan of menthol, but this one isn't overpowering and its quite nice. This cream's performance is on par with all my other creams, including 3 T's, although the lather isn't as pleasant to get. The fragrance, well, this is where the praise ends. . .

It smells pretty horrible in the pot. Once you whip it up the smell gets better, but its still not great. The only downside to this cream, IMO - unless its really expensive, which I'm not sure of since it was a gift.

I really didn't like anything about this cream.

I thought it smelled like old socks dipped in moisturizer and the shave was less than ideal.

I tossed it after a dozen shaves with it.

I tried but just didn't like it at all.

I'm not too impressed with this shave cream. First of all, the scent direct from the tub is awful--not appealing to me at all. It makes a good lather and produced a good shave. On the face, the off odor is not obvious and it produces a pleasant cooling sensation from the menthol and camphor.

But it really needs a lot of help in the fragrance department.

I remember using an older Kiehls shave cream (15 years ago) that actually had lidocaine in it. That was a cool cream!

Roger

Let me start off by saying that this cream was a birthday present from mom. She knew that I had gotten in to this whole wet shaving thing, so she thought of me when she saw the Kiehl's shaving cream and saw it was designed for use with a brush. So, thanks mom!

Before I even tried the cream I searched around B&B to see if anyone had tried it and was disappointed to find that the Lite Flite isn't the most popular cream, and the few people that had talked about it weren't too happy. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I first tried the cream and actually liked it.

It does have menthol in it, and you can feel the chill, but it's no where near as cooling as, say, Proraso. The top of the tub also mentions lavender though I cannot pick out the lavender smell. There's also mention of camphor, but I don't know what camphor is supposed to smell like, so I can't comment on that part. The overall smell of the cream isn't the greatest, rather medicinal really. But I wasn't as turned off as I was when I first smelled Palmolive.

The lather that I get isn't near as pretty as with other fine creams. The nice peaks just aren't there. But it does produce more than enough for my needs. It is kind of strange in that the lather seems to disappear between passes as my bowl sits in the sink filled with warm water. However, a few swirls of the brush brings it right back. None of the other creams I've tried behave in this manner, so its rather strange to me.

The shave is more than acceptable. I feel like it protects my skin and leaves it moisturized after the shave. It may feel as nice on my face as, say, C&E SAO, but it certainly does the job.

Ingredients? It has a lot, I think. I won't pretend to know what any of them are (except for water!), so I just took pictures of the list to show off.

I don't necessarily think that the Lite Flite cream is a best-in-class product, but I don't think it's the worst either. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my birthday present

The top of the tub:


Left side of the ingredients list:


Right side of the ingredients list:


The directions: