Best <5 Shaving Creams

[Eeyore]

When I see deals like that from unknown sites, I wonder if they are legit. But if this is legit, WOW, indeed. I may have to order a Palmolive stick to see what all the fuss is about.

The product prices are not spectacular (compared to the local shops), but the free shipping is! Especially since shipping to the Netherlands would be 3 pounds!

Edit: indeed, the site states free shipping to the USA! I wonder if there is a catch?

 

[ksblazer]

From the list the only 3 I've used so far are the CO Bigelow, Herbs of Bulgaria Lavender & Palmolive classic.

Out of the 3, I can only shave with the CO Bigelow as the other 2 broke my face out with some itchy bumps. Which is too bad as I got a great lather, shave and liked the scent of them.

 

[OldSaw]

When I see deals like that from unknown sites, I wonder if they are legit. But if this is legit, WOW, indeed. I may have to order a Palmolive stick to see what all the fuss is about.

A $1.10 for Palmolive shave stick, I think that is a great price.

 

[Eeyore]

A $1.10 for Palmolive shave stick, I think that is a great price.

90 cents is what you pay at Carrefour as well ... for a UK shop, 75p is an average price ... the free shipping to the US is great though!

 

[The Dean]

A $1.10 for Palmolive shave stick, I think that is a great price.

I think the catch is, they are out of stock.

 

[BarbaGnosa]

When I see deals like that from unknown sites, I wonder if they are legit. But if this is legit, WOW...
With that said, have you considered breaking up creams the way you might do with a quality soap? You can get very inexpensive smaller containers apportion a higher end cream to each container. Then you could choose from almost any cream out there. While the sample you'd give may not last 4 months. Combined with the soap it surely would, I think. And you could include just a bit of sheer luxury in your sensible kit.

Just what I was thinking. Got any links to good, cheap cream containers? I'm thinking 1-2 ounces per kit.

The product prices are not spectacular (compared to the local shops), but the free shipping is! ... indeed, the site states free shipping to the USA! I wonder if there is a catch?

Also, just what I was thinking. I made an order. I'll report back here whether they deliver as promised.

 

[The Dean]

Just what I was thinking. Got any links to good, cheap cream containers? I'm thinking 1-2 ounces per kit.

Target has 3-packs of 1.25 oz cosmetic travel jars for $1.79. I bought a couple packs and use them for samples and travel myself:

http://www.target.com/p/apothecary-cosmetic-jars-3-pk/-/A-13748257

If you are looking for something a tad bigger, the Container Store has 2oz jars for a buck a piece:

http://www.containerstore.com/shop/travel/travelSale/bottlesMedication?productId=10024895&N=80175

 

[BarbaGnosa]

It's twue! It's twue!

I shaved with The Real Shaving Company Inc. Traditional Shaving cream today: Excellent performance but an off-putting scent. The cream lathers in a flash, and in about 10-15 seconds I whipped up a flurry of luxurious, thick, slick, hydrating (opalescent?) lather. It went on thick and slick and stayed that way throughout the shave, which was very close yet comfortable, with neither nicks nor any irritation whatsoever, and left my face feeling silky smooth and moisturized.

But, it stinks!

Unfortunately, I was distracted by the cream's off-putting odor. I'm not sure quite how to describe it, but it smells like some kind of mild, neutral scent gone wrong. Feh! After my first pass, I rinsed asap, and then doctored the remaining lather in my mug with a splash of Clubman AS, which fixed the problem just fine.

This experience makes great sense vis a vis what we've learned earlier in this thread: that Creightons, who owns The Real Shaving Company brand, sells this cream to a number of the upmarket English shaving brands, who then proceed to add their own scents, plus perhaps an extra ingredient or two. This cream seems to perform on a par with Proraso (the best cream I've tried thus far -- I'll do a direct comparison soon), although, as mentioned, the scent to my nose is worse than nondescript -- it's really a bit unpleasant. I wonder if Creightons contractually agreed to THIS particular scent, to mollify their corporate customers so that they don't feel threatened by shaving cream with the same ingredients and performance as their own being available for a fraction of the price -- without a hitch. So, with The Real Shaving Company Traditional shaving cream you can get the same performance for a fraction of the price of the more illustrious brands, but you may want to doctor the aroma.

From now on, whenever I use this cream, which I look forward to, it will be perfumed from the start. Or, possibly better yet, as someone pointed out, this cream is an IDEAL candidate for inclusion with a full-fragrance soap to make a super lather. Unfortunately, even at $3.74/5oz, or if I include small tester-size bottles of cream in my DE start-up gift kits, I would not use this cream. While some people seem to find the scent unoffensive, I get the impression just as many have issues with it. For my kits, I want to include products which delight and perform. This cream has the performance, but I had to doctor it before it delights.

This cream is, in my opinion, perfect for those who are already knowledgeable about traditional wet-shaving and seek a great performing shaving cream at the best price. They would know enough to recognize that this cream performs like those two to three times the price, and even if the product's fragrance isn't for them (which it often isn't), it's still worth it, because the fragrance can can easily, inexpensively be remedied with aftershave lotion, essential oil, or by super-lathering with a scented soap. Generally only experienced shavers with a good knowledge of shaving products would have a sense of this value-performance-fragrance trade-off.

Has anyone compared the Traditional fragrance with that of the Sensitive and the Mentholated Traditional Shave Creams? Any fragrance & performance reports on that?

 

[mblakele]

I shaved with The Real Shaving Company Inc. Traditional Shaving cream today: Excellent performance but a somewhat off-putting scent. The cream lathers in a flash, and quickly generated gobs of luxurious, thick, slick, pearlescent lather. It went on thick and slick and stayed that way throughout the shave, which was very comfortable, with no irritation whatsoever, no nicks, and quite close.

But, it stinks!

Unfortunately, I was distracted by the cream's off-putting odor. I'm not sure quite how to describe it, but it smells like some kind of mild, neutral scent gone wrong. Feh! After my first pass, I rinsed asap, and then doctored the remaining lather in my mug with a splash of Clubman AS, which fixed the problem just fine.

This experience makes great sense vis a vis what we've learned earlier in this thread: that Creightons, who owns The Real Shaving Company brand, sells this cream to a number of the upmarket English shaving brands, who then proceed to add their own scents, plus perhaps an extra ingredient or two. This cream seems to perform on a par with Proraso (the best cream I've tried thus far -- I'll do a direct comparison soon), although, as mentioned, the scent to my nose is worse than nondescript -- it's really a bit unpleasant. I wonder if Creightons contractually agreed to THIS particular scent, to mollify their corporate customers so that they don't feel threatened by shaving cream with the same ingredients and performance as their own being available for a fraction of the price

I guess you dislike the tea tree oil? It has a distinctive aroma, agreed. It might work better with something like rosemary and mint than it does with limonene and linalool. But I think it is added for its antibacterial properties, not specifically to annoy consumers. Folks use tea tree oil to treat acne and that sort of thing.

Real_Shaving_Company_Moisturising_Shaving_Cream

Aqua (Water), Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Coconut Acid, Glycerin, Triethanolamine, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Parfum (Fragrance), Sodium Hydroxide, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Limonene, Linalool.

 

[BarbaGnosa]

I guess you dislike the tea tree oil? It has a distinctive aroma, agreed. It might work better with something like rosemary and mint than it does with limonene and linalool. But I think it is added for its antibacterial properties, not specifically to annoy consumers. Folks use tea tree oil to treat acne and that sort of thing.

The tea tree oil or its particular mixture with limonene and linalool may be the problem. There are some tea tree oil products whose aromas just don't work for me. Limonene and linalool on their own aren't the issue; they turn up many creams and soaps whose fragrance I like, as well as a few I don't. As you suggest, tea tree oil is not everyone's cup of tea. There are a number of other essential oils and extracts, such as lavender, rosemary, rose, thyme, grapefruit seed extract, etc. which provide anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and various other health benefits, often with more pleasant fragrances, and without the negative fragrance potential. They would be great substitutions for or additions to the tea tree oil. I currently use Desert Essence mouthwash with tea tree oil and spearmint, which has a delightful flavor and fragrance. Mixed with menthol and eucalyptol, this cream would probably give Proraso Green great competition at about half the price. Or, to take it even further in that direction, I've recently rediscovered the pleasures of Vick's VapoRub, and would love a cream scented like that (camphor, menthol, eucalyptol, cedarleaf oil, nutmeg oil, thymol, turpentine oil).

 

[The Dean]

The tea tree oil or its particular mixture with limonene and linalool may be the problem. There are some tea tree oil products whose aromas just don't work for me. Limonene and linalool on their own aren't the issue; they turn up many creams and soaps whose fragrance I like, as well as a few I don't. As you suggest, tea tree oil is not everyone's cup of tea. There are a number of other essential oils and extracts, such as lavender, rosemary, rose, thyme, grapefruit seed extract, etc. which provide anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and various other health benefits, often with more pleasant fragrances, and without the negative fragrance potential. They would be great substitutions for or additions to the tea tree oil. I currently use Desert Essence mouthwash with tea tree oil and spearmint, which has a delightful flavor and fragrance. Mixed with menthol and eucalyptol, this cream would probably give Proraso Green great competition at about half the price. Or, to take it even further in that direction, I've recently been rediscovering Vick's VapoRub, and would love a cream scented like that (camphor, menthol, eucalyptol, cedarleaf oil, nutmeg oil, thymol, turpentine oil).

Tea tree oil is terrific stuff with great anti-fungal qualities. But you are right, in some mixtures the scent can be pretty offensive, at least to me. Mostly though, like menthol, it is a medicinal scent to me--not something I want to have on my face for a shave.

 

[Vivasanti]

Proraso wins... no surprise there.

 

[ichiban-]

Pacific shaving company for me

 

[BarbaGnosa]

Pacific shaving company for me

Hmmm, doesn't get that frequent mentions on B&B. Considering the rave it gets on B&B, it'd be nice to find it for less than $6/tube, which I've thus far been unable to do.

 

[BarbaGnosa]

UPDATE:

So, if you've been following the thread, you'll see lots of discussion of various creams. You may also have noticed, I've got a similar thread running in soaps. Personally, if I can work the budget out, I'd love to include both a soap and a cream in my DE starter gift kit -- to provide a sense of both, plus some fragrance variety.

If I go this route, of the most popular creams, almost none would fit into my budget on a whole basis. In which case, what I might do is break them down, and include a small jar of shaving cream, perhaps about 1.5-2 ounces per kit.

DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW MANY SHAVES YOU GET PER TUBE OF PRORASO?

I'm therefore researching an attractive, super cost-effective (CHEAP) container for shaving cream. I'm thinking probably the cheapest, easiest is like what I've found, below. Open, dip your brush in, close. We're looking at cost of about $0.40/jar (in a lot of 48 jars... more than the number of kits I was planning on of the bat, but perhaps I'll find a use for these...?)

2 oz http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/...?pricode=WU333

IF ANYONE KNOWS OF BETTER SHAVING CREAM DIY CONTAINERS FOR ~2oz THAN THESE PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

 

[BarbaGnosa]

No shipping charge to North America from LifeAndLooks.com, in Ireland. The entire experience was exactly as promised: easy, cheap, no problems, the delivery came within two weeks. While you're there, pick up a Palmolive Shave Stick for $1.09 and some other discount EU products, like Euthymol toothpaste -- essentially the same flavor as Pepsodent, but more intense. Great stuff. http://www.lifeandlooks.com/SearchResults.aspx?Search=palmolive+shave

 

[Chris H]

I've never seen Proraso for under $5. Of those that truly cost less than $5, I would rate KMF the best. I also recommend the Arko cream, which sells for about $2.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ARKO-Shavin...299?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3381efc053