Nivea cream without brush?

[dgilman]

This is a question whose answer I couldn't divine by reading the older Nivea thread. I've seen this Nivea shaving cream (in a tube, as well as the kind in the can) around town in the pharmacies. It appears that many B&B members rate it highly, and I already like Nivea's aftershave balm. I'm considering trying it out when my current cream runs out. But, for practical reasons, I'm not sure it makes sense for me now.

First, the tap water where I live is heavily chlorinated and hard. Would this be a problem when trying to work up a good lather?

Second, and more centrally to me, is this stuff meant to work without a brush? I specifically asked the drugstore clerk to show me any old-fashioned shave soaps, rather than creams, and he could only point me to this stuff and what looks like an Egyptian knock-off of the same. Tub soaps here are non-existent, since there really isn't a local market for them anymore. Likewise, I've only seen junk-quality Chinese synthetic brushes here, even in the fancier stores. By the look of them, I wouldn't want them to touch my face in general, much less try to lather shaving soap or cream.

If those are my only options for the moment in the local stores, I'd much rather go without. I have never used a brush in my life, having grown up using canned creams and gels until recently taking to the non-aerosol cream that Trader Joe's sells. In my very limited understanding of such matters, only hard soaps sold in tubs actually require a brush to get them lathered up, and anything called 'cream' should be soft enough for me to lather it up in my hands or on my face. Will the Nivea simply not work well without a brush, or can I just use my hands like the shaving gods intended?

 

[Greybeard]

The Nivea in a can is just a slightly better version of other common canned cream. No brush required.
The Nivea in a tube is meant to be used with a brush. It provides better cushion this way and doesn't dry out as fast. If you're a slow shaver you might find your lather drying before you finish if applied by hand.
I've found, through experimenting, that you can use most soft creams without a brush.
I've only used Nivea a couple of times with hard water at my daughter's house. It didn't cause a problem with my lather.
Using a brush is half the fun of wet shaving and works much better for me. There are lots of options to buy a decent one online and you should think about trying one.
The shaving gods were bought off by Proctor & Gamble as part of their marketing plan many years ago.

 

[dgilman]

The funniest thing happened to me this afternoon. I was coming home from a kitchenware shopping trip, and I found myself walking into a pharmacy and asking for a shaving brush. Without quite knowing how it had happened to me, I ended up back on the street having purchased my first shaving brush for the exorbitant price of $0.98. (I paid the premium in order to get a brush that hadn't been sitting on the street collecting dust and soot while waiting to be purchased.)

Is this one of the early signs of AD, I wonder...?

Anyway, now I have a brush, so I can purchase the Nivea cream with a clear (mostly) conscience when my current cream runs out. I can't imagine this will be anything life-changing, since the only brushes found here in Cairo are dirt-cheap synthetic models – did I mention that my overpriced brush cost a dollar? – and I'm not so insistent on instant gratification that I'm going to have a boar or badger brush shipped to me here. I'm pretty curious about that cream, though, and since that costs little more than the brush by the tube, I figure that it's a small investment to make. (My catch-all excuse for buying things that I don't, strictly speaking, need is that I've blown more cash than that on happy hours without a second thought.)

 

[Go West Young Man]

Any cream can be used brushless. Only some creams can be lathered with a brush.

 

[Sabre]

I would order an Omega boar brush, it maybe expensive by Egyptian standards but they will last for a long time and improve your shaves dramatically, the Nivea cream is a good one but doesn't Egypt produce a few of it's own - Ted Lapidus etc. Good luck on your shaving journey of discovery.

 

[dgilman]

I would order an Omega boar brush, it maybe expensive by Egyptian standards but they will last for a long time and improve your shaves dramatically, the Nivea cream is a good one but doesn't Egypt produce a few of it's own - Ted Lapidus etc. Good luck on your shaving journey of discovery.

Ah, interesting: I know Ted Lapidus as a haberdasher, but I've never seen any grooming products of theirs. I'll look into that. Most of the Egyptian products I've seen are knockoffs of Gillette's gels.

As for the boar brush, I may wait on that. I don't think it's worth it to me to have one shipped here, since it would probably cost twice the value of the brush to send it all the way to Egypt, unless you know of a retailer closer than the US. I'm not aware of anyone in Egypt who makes or sells quality brushes. Besides, I'm still fighting with myself over the relative merits of investing money in durable equipment ("you get what you pay for") versus buying cheap stuff and using it ("DE shaving is supposed to be cheap and simple!"). Unless I get mauled as a result of this brush, it makes more sense to wait until I move back Stateside and can pay a minimal shipping charge.

 

[dgilman]

Ah, interesting: I know Ted Lapidus as a haberdasher, but I've never seen any grooming products of theirs. I'll look into that. Most of the Egyptian products I've seen are knockoffs of Gillette's gels.

Hang on, strike that. I'm thinking of Tid Lamond. Who on earth is Ted Lapidus, and what connection does he have to Egypt?

 

[Sabre]

Ted Lapidus is a French designer, that licenses his name to perfumes like every other designer, and was as far as I know the only Egyptian brand of shaving cream ever reviewed positively:


Here is the review:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=26403&highlight=lapidus

 

[Jethro1984]

Any cream can be used brushless. Only some creams can be lathered with a brush.

Allow me to add to this....As long as you don't expect the same results. You probably won't get the same quality of lather using a brush cream as a brushless and you'll use more product for sure.

 

[dgilman]

Ted Lapidus is a French designer, that licenses his name to perfumes like every other designer, and was as far as I know the only Egyptian brand of shaving cream ever reviewed positively:

Here is the review:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=26403&highlight=lapidus

Sabre, are you sure this stuff is still available? Googling brings up only a few references to aftershave and cologne. That review is over three years old, and I've never heard of, much less seen that stuff for sale. I fear that it's been discontinued.

At any rate, I went to the pharmacy today and bought myself a tube each of Nivea and the local stuff, known somewhat jarringly as Man Look. I also confirmed to my satisfaction that asking for a high-quality shaving brush around here will only get you the same schlocky synthetic bristles, but in a wooden or shiny plastic handle. (My handle is dull plastic.) Still, high-end pharmacies stock the shaving creams designed for use with brushes, which gives me hope that there's a way to make this all work for the time being. My TJ shaving cream should exhaust itself within a few days, so I'll get the chance to try them out soon.

 

[Sabre]

Being sad and having SAD, I would love to go around Egypt, Jordan etc discovering unknown shaving creams. Fortunately you are in that position, have fun and explore .

 

[dgilman]

Seriously, this is getting out of hand. In my travels today, I acquired not one but two new brushes, and I haven't even used one yet. Since the first one I bought last week was so junky-looking and seems unlikely to stand up to any sustained use, I bought myself a $4 Italian-made Omega synthetic brush. You can actually see a difference in how the bristles stand up when you line the brushes up. It seems a little more seaworthy, if you will.

And yet. My curiosity and some strange impulse to acquire shaving paraphernalia for comparative purposes led me to go to a fancy-pants salon and purchase one of the type of shaving brushes that they not only stock but use on their clients: a barber-specific model that has a much thicker and longer handle, as well as a longer set of bristles. It's also an Italian Omega, and it looks to me like the strongest and most reliable brush that Egypt can offer. And it cost me a whopping $10.

I want you all to know that I blame the entire B&B community for contributing to what I've diagnosed as early-stage AD. You are all a bad influence! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to review some threads about the best soaps to buy...