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Vicco Turmeric Shaving Cream Review

Dear fellow shavers,

I figured I would make a review of Vicco Turmeric shaving cream, since I recently was able to procure some and use it a few times, and also since there aren't a plethora of reviews on it already.

I got the version withOUT sandalwood. Just was easier for me to find/get than the sandalwood version. The tube I got doesn't have the goofy picture of the guy smiling on it (if you don't know what I'm talking about, just google image search "Vicco Turmeric Shaving Cream"), instead it's a nice looking royal blue tube with a matte finish. Really nice looking, but personally I almost wish I had the original tube design with the goofy looking smiling guy on it, just because.

Now to the cream itself, it's literally the color of turmeric, a deep, dark yellow. The scent is also like straight turmeric, earthy and warm. The fact that it looks and smells like turmeric is unsurprising since the cream is 16% turmeric oil by weight. The consistency is VERY thick, you really need to squeeze the cream quite hard to get it to come out. Basically it's as thick as a croap (ok, maybe not QUITE that thick, but it's close), which makes it a bit hard to initially lather. Once the cream starts to get smashed down a bit and water loosens it up, it lathers up really nicely, and unlike the brownish yellow color of the cream, the lather is white.

While lathered up, the scent of turmeric is pretty strong, but I quickly got used to it (possibly because I cook with turmeric all the time). I got a nice, dense, lather. Not the creamiest I've ever had, but certainly good in this respect. The shaves were excellent, and my face felt absolutely excellent post shave. The only quibble I would have is that there was the slightest tendency to want to dry out a bit while on the face, but if you know that, you can compensate for it.

So here's the summary of Vicco Turmeric, though keep in mind that YMMV:

Pros- Really great cushion, good slickness, excellent post shave feel,
Cons- A bit hard to get the really hard blob of cream to start lathering since it's so thick (though once it starts to loosen up, it lathers really well), tendency to dry a bit on the face if you don't take care
Neutral- The scent is really going to be a YMMV thing. Personally I really love the earthy scent of turmeric, but I'm absolutely certain that there's going to be loads of people that don't like it or even hate it.

Overall, I'd have to say that this is a great cream, verging on excellent (for me at least, based off the few times I've used it), with a few cons that can easily be overcome. If, like me, you want to try things from different places in the world, and you're not repelled by the scent of turmeric, this is absolutely a cream you should try to find good deals for. Hopefully I can get a hold of the sandalwood version too one of these days!


Just to wrap up, in case some of you are wondering why they use 16% turmeric oil in a shave cream, it's because turmeric is one of the most widely used spices in Ayurvedic medicine. This is from the California College of Ayurveda: "The most well known medicinal action of turmeric is its use as a powerful anti-inflammatory, the effectiveness of which is comparable to pharmaceutical medicines. However, it also acts as an alterative, analgesic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-allergic, anti-oxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, stimulant, and vulnerary 6,8,10."
 
I have a tube with the creepy indian guy and it is a little dry and lacking in cushion.

Are you sure turmeric has so many uses? Seems like marketing gibberish to me.
 
I have a tube with the creepy indian guy and it is a little dry and lacking in cushion.

Are you sure turmeric has so many uses? Seems like marketing gibberish to me.

Dry I understand, but I got really good cushion out of mine. I guess YMMV.

As for turmeric, it depends on whether you're a proponent of Ayurvedic medicine or not. If you do, it's one of the most commonly and widely used components of Ayurveda. If you're not, then you should know that the primary component of turmeric (curcumin) has been found to be very bioactive, but there's no studies that absolutely link it's usage to medical effects, which is partly due to the fact that isolated curcumin is incredibly unstable, so it's very difficult to do lab work on. Of course, it is stable in turmeric itself, but conducting research on something with a lot of different chemical compounds on it, and finding what the effects of the individual components are in it is really difficult. So to summarize, if you're an Ayurveda fan, it's your thing. If you're not, then who knows.
 
I tried the version with sandalwood and quite honestly I enjoyed the lather and the soothing postshave feeling. The scent was too much for me. I couldn’t handle it.

Rick
 
I tried the version with sandalwood and quite honestly I enjoyed the lather and the soothing postshave feeling. The scent was too much for me. I couldn’t handle it.

Rick

I'll have to try that. I agree with you that the posts have is pretty much up there with the best I've tried, and while I enjoy the turmeric scent, I'd like to at least see what the sandalwood smells like. I've got an incredible tolerance for scents, so it definitely won't go to waste, but I've got a few too many soaps and creams at the moment to spring for the sandalwood one unless I find it for almost nothing. xD
 
I'll have to try that. I agree with you that the posts have is pretty much up there with the best I've tried, and while I enjoy the turmeric scent, I'd like to at least see what the sandalwood smells like. I've got an incredible tolerance for scents, so it definitely won't go to waste, but I've got a few too many soaps and creams at the moment to spring for the sandalwood one unless I find it for almost nothing. xD

I have a feeling they both smell identical but perhaps I’m wrong.

Myself too I have quite a lot of stuff now!

Rick
 
I had tried both versions (with and without sandalwood) a couple years ago. I found both to be very nice. Neither had much scent to me and the sandalwood didn’t smell very woody, maybe a little sour?.... They were both pleasant and very good performers. I did not find either to be very thick. They were the consistency of toothpaste. Maybe they changed the formula along with the packaging? Thanks for the new review.
 
I had tried both versions (with and without sandalwood) a couple years ago. I found both to be very nice. Neither had much scent to me and the sandalwood didn’t smell very woody, maybe a little sour?.... They were both pleasant and very good performers. I did not find either to be very thick. They were the consistency of toothpaste. Maybe they changed the formula along with the packaging? Thanks for the new review.

It could be, because mine was THICK. Like, I'm pretty sure if I squeezed out an inch long piece, I could pick it up and hold it by one end, and the other end would remain perfectly horizontal without drooping at all. Perhaps I'll try that..
 
Yesterday I broke out my vicco and couldn't get a close shave. Some stubborn hair remained and I got a small nick on my moustache area. The glide and cushioning simply couldn't compare to godrej.

Today I used godrej menthol and got a close BBS shave.

Equipment used for both shaves were gillette slim adjustable, gillette platinum blade and omega boar brush.
 
Yesterday I broke out my vicco and couldn't get a close shave. Some stubborn hair remained and I got a small nick on my moustache area. The glide and cushioning simply couldn't compare to godrej.

Today I used godrej menthol and got a close BBS shave.

Equipment used for both shaves were gillette slim adjustable, gillette platinum blade and omega boar brush.

That's why I love this hobby, everything is so subjective. xD
Just a shame it doesn't work out for you!
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
Thanks for the review. It is a cream that I have thought about trying but I have not had the chance yet.
 
Thanks for the review. It is a cream that I have thought about trying but I have not had the chance yet.

I know what you mean, it's not something you just come across. I found a decent deal on eBay though, so I couldn't resist.
 
Great review. A bit too strongly scented for me, but solid performance.

Thanks, I liked your review of the cream in your thread on Indian shave creams. I like strong scents since I typically become anosmic to them pretty quickly during a shave (I guess my nose has gotten used to working around strong smells), and I also love the smell of turmeric. But you're right, it's definitely not for someone that doesn't like strong smells. Performance, in my opinion, is great.
 
I have a lot of love for this cream.

Here in India - Turmeric version is readily available. Sandalwood version is a little hard to find.

Having used both the versions I echo what has been already written about this. Great performance, cushioning and post shave feel. Infact when I use Viccos I don't bother with any post shave products.

What I've noticed is that these creams perform a lot better in hot weather (temp above 32 degrees) than in cold weather.

Great creams if you can stand the scents and both versions have very strong scents.
 
I have a lot of love for this cream.

Here in India - Turmeric version is readily available. Sandalwood version is a little hard to find.

Having used both the versions I echo what has been already written about this. Great performance, cushioning and post shave feel. Infact when I use Viccos I don't bother with any post shave products.

What I've noticed is that these creams perform a lot better in hot weather (temp above 32 degrees) than in cold weather.

Great creams if you can stand the scents and both versions have very strong scents.


I'm still searching for a decent deal on the sandalwood version, coming up short still. However, the turmeric version is excellent, quickly becoming one of my favorites, including the scent! But you're right, the post shave is absolutely fantastic!
 
I've been using this the last couple of days and it's so much better now. I didn't know it's a thirsty cream and after using more water with it, it's a much better performer.

And also, mine is not the sandalwood version.
 
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