Hi Guys....
Has anyone tried Al's shaving creams? If yes, can someone please comment about its performance and scents?
Has anyone tried Al's shaving creams? If yes, can someone please comment about its performance and scents?
Al's shaving creams
- Thread starter TauntingBull
- Start date
Al's creams are excellent in terms of performance and scent. Al takes some guff over his fragrance descriptions but to be fair, such descriptions can be tricky and it is not like his descriptions are off the mark. In general, pick a type of scent you favor and give it a go. He has samples so if you decide to go that route he makes it easy to try a few. No matter the scent the cream is really wonderful. It doesn't take much to create mounds of slick, dense lather. I get excellent shaves using Al's. Highly recommended.
Good stuff, with great scents and excellent performance in my experience.
Which is only three jars.
It is not exactly cheap to my standards, though.
Which is only three jars.
It is not exactly cheap to my standards, though.
- Thread starter
- #4
Thanks guys.... just how long does one of his 4 OZ tub lasts? If you use it daily....
Depends on many factors: how often do you shave, how many passes, how much you use, whether your water is hard or soft, etc. . . It should last a good long time if used wisely.
Hello tauntingbull, I've used 3 or 4 of his regular and his more expensive 'custom made to order' scented creams. All are very,very good. Not cheap but worth the $ IMO. Craig
Yes, Al's isn't the cheapest cream but those little jars last quite a long time. I use only a pea-sized amount of cream to create enough lather for my passes.
Al's are great creams, but you can't really go by his descriptions. Just order his sampler and have a go at those for scent preferences. His creams are a bit firmer than something like TOBS so it requires less product than you might expect. I have two of his tubs that I rotate in which are about 80% after 4 months or so of two or three shaves per week, and rotate in firmer soaps on the other days. He just came out with a firmer Sapone de Barba which I am trying out currently. I'm not sold on the scent (very floral to my nose, which is a terrible nose, so YMMV), but the performance is superb on it, and it leaves my skin feeling super soft afterwards.
Ones that people tend to order a lot (according to Al) are his Calypso (Bay Rum) and Goodfellas (some sort of Barbershop scent which I don't care for), but be sure to lather them up because the scents change a bit during that process and some of those which smell off in the tub smell great on the brush.
Ones that people tend to order a lot (according to Al) are his Calypso (Bay Rum) and Goodfellas (some sort of Barbershop scent which I don't care for), but be sure to lather them up because the scents change a bit during that process and some of those which smell off in the tub smell great on the brush.
get the sampler. i liked the calypso the best. anytime creams come into question i always mention al's. maybe the best cream i have ever tried. if you normally use an "almond" size amount of other creams, you only need half that with al's.
also,, keep the containers that come with the sampler. they are great for travel.
also,, keep the containers that come with the sampler. they are great for travel.
- Thread starter
- #10
Thanks for all the help guys.... BTW... which is the most citricy of Al's shaving creams?
I bought the sampler package a few months ago. Nice, slick shaving cream but, I couldn't say that any of the ones I received had a citrus scent.
Saigon and Calypso were my favorites. I got about 5 shaves out of each sample.
Saigon and Calypso were my favorites. I got about 5 shaves out of each sample.
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I think it's misleading to try and go there, just because Al's creams are a lot more complex than most other brands in terms of scent. Try the sampler for sure, they almost all have a very sophisticated scent that combines citrus, musk, floral and woods, but there are nuances between them.
I've only tried Calypso but the performance is stellar.
I've tried 4 of his scents (goodfellas, saigon, palermo, and rosebud). At first palermo was my favorite, but I like Saigon better now. I had expected a more orange/lime citrus scent from the description of saigon on the website, but it was completely different. I didn't like it at first, but I've grown to love it. Goodfellas is a nice scent with citrus in it, but I felt that it was too weak in strength. If you want something citrus~y, I'd suggest that you do a custom order from him. He's always been very responsive and helpful when I've emailed him.
Regardless of scent, all of the creams performed the same for me. I only needed a little bit of cream to build a good lather. I get great shaves with them all. Definitely worth the price.
Regardless of scent, all of the creams performed the same for me. I only needed a little bit of cream to build a good lather. I get great shaves with them all. Definitely worth the price.
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Al's shaving creams are as good as anything out there in terms of performance, and the scents are complex and seem to change throughout the shave. When I'm in a Bay Rum mood, I'll use Calypso, followed by the aftershave splash and balm of the same fragrance. Saigon is more subtle and grassy and reminds me of an early Spring morning. I'm also enjoying Sapone Da Barba, a soft soap with floral and sandalwood notes, when I'm in the mood for something luxurious. A very small amount of his creams will provide an abundance of a thick, slick lather, making them a bargain for such a quality product.
Love Al's creams! It's been the only cream I've tried so far (mostly just use soap..) but honestly, I don't have a ton of motivation to try much else. I've been working through the sampler sporadically for the last 3-4 months, but they're always a treat when I use them. I've gone through the Calypso, Goodfellas, Saigon, and Bodega packs so far and am working on the Boheme....Calypso and Boheme I think are my favorites. I'm at a total loss trying to describe how they smell though...even after reading through his website, I still have no idea how to describe them ("Ozone"..? 
). I'd really like to try some of his new stuff, but I have too many other products to work through right now....maybe I'll buy a tub of the Calypso when I've finished the sampler just to have an amazing "bay rum" cream.
). I'd really like to try some of his new stuff, but I have too many other products to work through right now....maybe I'll buy a tub of the Calypso when I've finished the sampler just to have an amazing "bay rum" cream.
Great cream. I have the Calypso, and although I really like the scent, it wasn't what I was expecting.
I generally use soaps, and have about seven in my rotation, including some very nice artisan soaps, but I keep two creams around: Proraso Sandalwood and Al's Bomb. I, too, got the sampler (which I highly recommend) and have a tub of Al's Palermo in rotation. The scent reminds me of hunting insects in the weeds and greenery outside my ear's barn on one of those endless summer days. Green, earthy and not at all cloyingly sweet. One of these days I'd love to put Al's expertise toward a custom scent.
Casablanca is a citrus and cedarwood. Boheme is a floral scent. Both are amazing.Saigon is a lemongrass scent. All his creams the lather is outstanding.
