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Alba Botanica mango vanilla. best ever product?

I have been using this stuff exclusively for about 3 years. It gives me great shaves and has replaced all my other products, I love it. No one seems to be talking about it though and I thought I'd write a post and maybe bring the love to some more shavers out there. Some things to note. This stuff does not lather. just rub it on your face and you are ready to go. It should save time, no need to create a lather or re-lather between passes. this stuff just stays slick through two or three passes until you are done.

For people just considering getting into wet shaving save some time and money. You don't have to buy a brush, a bowl or a soap. Also no learning curve for how to lather correctly just rub it on and go. Now all you need is a 10-15 dollar vintage tech an 8 dollar tube of this stuff and an 8 dollar box of DE blades and for 30ish bucks all in you have a year of shaving to look forward to.

Does anyone else out there use this stuff? What do you guys think of it?
 

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musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
Three things:
1. Never heard of it before today.
2. There is no "best ever" product in any category, and never will be for everyone.
3. Trying to sell a product by telling people on this forum they "don't have to buy a brush" might be the closest to madness anyone has come in a long time.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
I do like using a brush, but did have a brushless gel a while ago that I really liked. I forget the brand, but it came in a similar squeezy tube, and had excellent slickness. I might be tempted to give this stuff a go, if I didn't already have a huge stockpile of soap to work though.
 
Three things:
1. Never heard of it before today.
2. There is no "best ever" product in any category, and never will be for everyone.
3. Trying to sell a product by telling people on this forum they "don't have to buy a brush" might be the closest to madness anyone has come in a long time.
lol you may be right about the brush. I just remember before I fell down the rabbit hole and away from carts all the dang stuff I needed to buy first really seemed like a lot of upfront cash at a time when I didn't have much to spare.

Its just a product I've used for years really like and have given to several friends who have all ended up loving it.

and finally I've been lurking around here for a couple years and just realized today that I've never heard anyone mention the product I use the most. So I wanted to share it with all of you
 

Messygoon

Abandoned By Gypsies.
Does anyone else out there use this stuff? What do you guys think of it?
Trying to sell a product by telling people on this forum they "don't have to buy a brush" might be the closest to madness anyone has come in a long time.
@Chance0277, kudos to you for finding a product that checks off so many of your needs. I firmly believe shaving nirvana is in the eyes of the beholder.

Now, I will attempt to gently catch this Molotov cocktail and lob it over a different fence.

I have not used Alba Botanica, but have previously posted of a similar (perhaps the same/repackaged) product: Trader Joe's Mango Honey Shave Cream. It sells for $4/tube. I use it along with a Dorco cartridge razor for shower shaving spots like the back of my dirty and gritty neck. I shall elaborate no further, except to say TJs cream it is exceptional for that purpose.

I'm with @musicman1951:
  • There is no such thing as a best product ever (although an argument may be made for the 2013 Jeep Wrangler Sport, manual transmission, the 2006 Honda Accord V6 manual transmission... but I digress...)
  • Combining a handmade brush + an opulent artisnal soap + technique to create a luxurious lather is a joyful experience
  • If I had to limit my morning shave to Trader Joe's cream, it would again become just be a task, and not the 15 minutes of daily bliss to which I look forward
There... the firebomb has been caught and re-lobbed. Interested to see if it lands in an empty lot, or on top of a bunch of gasoline-soaked wooden pallets.

Trader Joe's Shave Cream.jpg
 
@Chance0277, kudos to you for finding a product that checks off so many of your needs. I firmly believe shaving nirvana is in the eyes of the beholder.

Now, I will attempt to gently catch this Molotov cocktail and lob it over a different fence.

I have not used Alba Botanica, but have previously posted of a similar (perhaps the same/repackaged) product: Trader Joe's Mango Honey Shave Cream. It sells for $4/tube. I use it along with a Dorco cartridge razor for shower shaving spots like the back of my dirty and gritty neck. I shall elaborate no further, except to say TJs cream it is exceptional for that purpose.

I'm with @musicman1951:
  • There is no such thing as a best product ever (although an argument may be made for the 2013 Jeep Wrangler Sport, manual transmission, the 2006 Honda Accord V6 manual transmission... but I digress...)
  • Combining a handmade brush + an opulent artisnal soap + technique to create a luxurious lather is a joyful experience
  • If I had to limit my morning shave to Trader Joe's cream, it would again become just be a task, and not the 15 minutes of daily bliss to which I look forward
There... the firebomb has been caught and re-lobbed. Interested to see if it lands in an empty lot, or on top of a bunch of gasoline-soaked wooden pallets.

View attachment 1408173
damned if that doesn't sound delicious. I may have to hunt up the honey mango stuff and try it. I do get the ritual I went through 2 tubs of prorasso green and several pucks of other soap before landing on this. The second tub of prorasso still comes out of the drawer occasionaly just for a good ol nostalgic sniff and very occsionaly a shave to remind me why it went into the drawer to start with. I just get flat better results with this stuff. YMMV :)
 
Glad you found stuff you like. There are some other nonlathering creams that people like here but I prefer lathering with a brush. Cremo is a popular nonlathering cream. Some folks like Pre De Provence brushless cream. Most creams can be used brushless if you don't want to lather it up.
 
Both of these products (the Alba Botanica and Trader Joe's cream shave) work very well for me. Another one I have found that works pretty well is Hempz Sandalwood & Apple Herbal Shave Gel (although the gel is "stickier"). My experience is that I got razor burn when using these when I started DE shaving (I am a DE newbie), but I think this was due to poor technique. I used the Alba this morning and got a very satisfactory result.
 
I have been using this stuff exclusively for about 3 years. It gives me great shaves and has replaced all my other products, I love it. No one seems to be talking about it though and I thought I'd write a post and maybe bring the love to some more shavers out there. Some things to note. This stuff does not lather. just rub it on your face and you are ready to go. It should save time, no need to create a lather or re-lather between passes. this stuff just stays slick through two or three passes until you are done.

For people just considering getting into wet shaving save some time and money. You don't have to buy a brush, a bowl or a soap. Also no learning curve for how to lather correctly just rub it on and go. Now all you need is a 10-15 dollar vintage tech an 8 dollar tube of this stuff and an 8 dollar box of DE blades and for 30ish bucks all in you have a year of shaving to look forward to.

Does anyone else out there use this stuff? What do you guys think of it?
Thanks for sharing this. Not everyone has the time to have a relaxing 30 minute shave every day, so saving time can be important. It can also help you enjoy the days you do have extra time by making it special. I like using a brush and feeling old-timey, but if I had a bus to catch it would be a drag.
 
I just got a tube of the Coconut Lime to see if I can simplify my travel shave routine. I normally shave with a DE razor and quality shave soap, but for travel I have been using a Gillette Guard with a shave stick, brush and collapsible bowl. It is a nice routine but I am interested to see if I can simplify things for travel.
 
I just got a tube of the Coconut Lime to see if I can simplify my travel shave routine. I normally shave with a DE razor and quality shave soap, but for travel I have been using a Gillette Guard with a shave stick, brush and collapsible bowl. It is a nice routine but I am interested to see if I can simplify things for travel.
I have now tried this cream in the shower and it provides a slick layer for shaving. It won’t replace my favorite lathering soaps and creams at home, but this non-lathering brushless gel/cream should be a quick and easy solution for shaving on the go.
 
I don't mind these brushless creams when I'm cart shaving ( hey it happens ). I even just purchased a tube of the Alba Coconut Lime cream, but if I'm DE shaving I usually layer some lathering product over it.
 
Good advice - the AB cream feels much better with a layer of soap on top - even Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap or PdP bar soap. You still get the slickness, but it eliminates the greasy sticky feeling. Afterwards my face feels smooth and moisturized without the greasy overkill of AB emollient cream. Remember a small dab (pea or almond size) will do ya. Even a Kai blade in a Red Tip Superspeed was super smooth.
 
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