Showing posts with label shaving cream. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shaving cream. Show all posts

Sunday, June 5, 2022

Le Grand Bain Shaving Cream ... from Sheraton?

June 05, 2022 0

I remember when the complementary hotel shampoo would dry out your hair (not that I have that concern any more) or the body lotion was so perfumy and would actually dry out your hands.  Body wash wasn’t even part of the mix.   Many hotels over the years have gotten much better over the years and I’ve come to expect better smelling and performing products.  For the most part they are.  I’ve only seen complementary shaving cream a few times and I wasn’t sure what to expect.  But, I hate to say it, my expectations were low.  

Shave of the day with the Sheraton Le Grand Bain Shave Cream

One instance was when we at a Sheraton.  I was surprised to see they had a tube of shaving cream on the counter.  The 20 ml tube read: le grand bain Citron + Vetiver.  Hmm … sounds intriguing.
I dispensed small amount of cream onto my brush. First impression was that I liked the scent.  The citron and vetiver combination made for a fresh, masculine, citrus combination.  It was rather tame.  The scent wasn’t so overpowering where it just lingered in the air.  I needed to force a little air out of the tube to smell it.  Next, I noticed the cream had a glossy white appearance; it reminded me of the Derby shave creams in a tube.  

Dispensing some Le Grand Bain cream onto my brush.

I started to lather.  To my surprise it started to develop that familiar, smooth, lather that other well performing shave creams yield.  After applying I waited a few moments just to see if it would thin.  I was pleased that it did not.  

I used my fairly aggressive Muhle R102 razor with a Dorco ST300 blade.  I found that the lather of the le grand bain shave cream had a nice slickness and did a good job protecting my skin.  It effortlessly washed away; didn’t leave me feeling like my face was dried out; or that I was in a cologne showroom.  All in all, a pleasant experience.  

Happy that I got a nice lather with this shave cream

Surprisingly, this delightful shaving cream isn’t available on the Sheraton Store site.  Though numerous listings on Walmart.com and eBay for it.  Personally, I wouldn’t pay the prices that some sellers are asking.  I could only hope that the Sheraton Store will start listing it (at a reasonable price of course) for wet shavers to try.  I suppose, until then, I guess I have an excuse to lean towards staying at a Sheraton.


Tags # reviews # shaving cream # Sheraton Continue Reading
By on No comments:
Labels: , ,

Friday, June 25, 2021

Simpson’s Sandalwood Shaving Cream

June 25, 2021 0

 

SOTD with the Simpsons Sandalwood Luxury Shave Cream

The Simpson’s name in wet shaving is probably more associated with brushes than with shaving cream.    In 2012 the company released the Simpsons Luxury Shaving Cream to very positive reviews.   I have a number of tins in my shaving cream supply and have used them on a number of occasions.
The Sandalwood scented variety of the Simpsons Luxury Shaving Cream was packaged in 4.2 oz tin that measures about 3.25 inches in diameter and about 1.5 inches high.   So it’s not as bulky as a Taylor of Old Bond Street or Proraso shave cream bowl (not that those containers are super bulky).  
 

The tin size in relation to a couple of other containers

This is a very soft shaving cream and it reminded me a bit of the Every Man Jack Cedarwood Shave Cream.  Unlike the EMJ cream, I found that I didn’t need a lot of cream to build a decent lather.  Applying a small amount to the brush that was about the size of a lima bean was sufficient and I got a rich and protective lather.  
   

I did like the lather I got from this shaving cream

Scent-wise, the Simpsons Sandawood smells what I can only describe as a lightly herbal sandalwood.  My wife said it smelled like an herbal scented baby powder.   It wasn’t as “sweet” smelling as the Game Day Men’s  or “spicy” as Taylor Of Old Bond St. Sandalwood or even “sweet-spicy” as the Proraso sandalwood.  The scent of the Simpsons Sandalwood is very appealing and, overall, very pleasant without being overpowering.  I felt it washed away cleanly without leaving a lingering scent.
 

The shaving cream in the tin

It guess it’s been a while since I’ve broken this out as Simpsons appears to be moving from the shaving cream tins to a plastic tub.  I have yet to try it, but I would imagine the scent and formulation is likely the same. As of this writing, it looks as if the tin is still available from some retailers (like Smallflower) 
So I could supplies the tins drying up eventually.


Tags # reviews # shaving cream Continue Reading
By on No comments:
Labels: ,

Monday, July 27, 2020

Derby Lemon Shaving Cream

July 27, 2020 0
I’ve scoured the internet and have seen numerous reviews for the Derby Shaving creams.  As one could imagine they range anywhere from one to five star, horrible to great, hate to love … what have you.   My take: I fall somewhere in the middle.  The Derby Lemon shaving cream isn’t the best lathering, the slickest, or the greatest smelling lemon scent that I’ve shaved with.   But it’s far from the worst cream or soap that I’ve used.    
Derby Lemon Shaving Cream

The shaving cream tube measures about 8 inches in length and the cap is about 1 inch in diameter.  So, the Derby Shave Cream tube doesn’t take up a lot of space in the dopp bag.  This shave cream has been to Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, Hawaii, and California with me.  While haven’t used it with every possible water hardness type, the Derby Lemon Shaving Cream has performed as expected with the ones is has been used with.

A dollop about the size of an almond usually would suffice.

A dollop about the size of an almond was good for my face shave and usually enough for the head.  Though, every now and then I need to add a little more cream to the brush to shave my head.    I felt that I got a sufficient and protective lather that didn’t require a lot of water.

I liked the lather it produced

As the name suggests, this cream smelled strongly of lemon but there was a hint of, what I would describe as a “clean” scent.   I would imagine that just has to do with the ingredients that are in the core shave cream.     To my nose, the scent didn’t linger around after washing my face.   While I could probably use just about any aftershave I still tend to use one in the same citrus family, such as Captain’s Choice Lime or Fine Accoutrement’s Orange Noir.

One of my Shaves of the Day (SOTD) with Derby Lemon

Overall, I am personally pleased with this cream.   I got a protective lather from the Derby Lemon Shaving cream, I enjoyed the scent, and I didn’t have any adverse reactions to it.   As with most things wet shaving … Your mileage may vary (YMMV).



Tags # Derby # reviews # shaving cream Continue Reading
By on No comments:
Labels: , ,

Sunday, April 7, 2019

Every Man Jack Cedarwood Shave Cream

April 07, 2019 0
When I still had the webstore, one of the first line of products we started carrying was from Every Man Jack (EMJ). We had the shave creams in a tube, the face washes, and the face scrubs.  This was still when their tubes were available in either white or blue and not the wood-grained patterned tubes.  The Every Man Jack Premium Shave line was not yet available would come a few months later.
The old style EMJ Cedarwood shaving cream tin that I had in the den
 At the time, they only had the unscented and Signature Mint varieties.   So, when Every Man Jack came out with a cedarwood scented shaving cream I was intrigued.   For one, their products were only available in tubes and the cylindrical jar this shaving cream was packed in was more in line with the bowls or tins that many of the artisan soaps are available in.

The EMJ Cedarwood Shaving Cream felt denser than some of the other shaving creams I've used
The other reason was the cedarwood scent.   When I first opened it and put my nose to the jar I got a nice whiff of this pleasant, masculine, and woodsy aroma.  After I pulled the jar away to put the cap back on I immediately brought it to my nose again before doing so because I, personally, found it that appealing.

I got a decent lather, but needed more cream to make it work.

The Every Man Jack Cedarwood shaving cream feels a bit denser than, say, Taylor of Old Bond Street or the Derby Shaving Cream.  Performance-wise, I found it to be a bit mixed.  While I got a decent lather; I needed a little more product to make it work.  With TOBS or Derby I would need an almond sized amount with the EMJ I needed twice that.  I did feel that the shaving cream had a decent slickness and it did a good job protecting my skin.  I had no irritation and didn’t experience any nicks and cuts.  

The newer design of the EMJ Cedarwood Shaving Cream

I’ve had this in the den for some time and Every Man Jack has since redesigned the packaging.
Overall, I found it to performed similar to the other Every Man Jack shaving creams.  It does the job.  But with traditional wet shaving, I want to make it less of a job and add a little more enjoyment to the experience even if it’s just a little fluffier of a lather.  Personally, I really like the cedarwood scent. But it, regrettably, didn’t meet the lathering needs.   Fortunately, for me, Every Man Jack has a Cedarwood Bodywash.
Tags # reviews # shaving cream Continue Reading
By on No comments:
Labels: ,

Saturday, December 1, 2018

Initial Pass: Dr. Bronner’s Organic Shaving Gel

December 01, 2018 0

I like the Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Liquid Soap; the peppermint is a particular favorite of mine.  When shopping I’ll regularly see the soap bottles, toothpaste, and soap bars. Though I’ve never seen Dr. Bronner’s Organic Shaving Gel until my wife brought a bottle of the Unscented home.  She had been on an assignment for work and happened to discover it in a client’s company store.  If there’s something she thinks is interesting, she won’t hesitate to pick it up for me to try.  I suppose up until this point, I don’t think I realized how much she understood my enjoyment I got from this wet shaving hobby. 
My wife bought Dr. Bronner's Shave Gel on one of her business trips for me to try.
When I first opened the bottle a very thin, brown, runny liquid immediately leaked out of the dispensing opening.  This definitely didn’t resemble gels that I had previously tried before.   After a few shaving sessions it started to dispense more like a textured gel (as if it contained salt granules).  At this point I realized that even though it didn’t mention it in the directions I probably should have shaken the tube first.  This probably would have prevented that the thin liquid from running out.   With subsequent shaves, I would vigorously shake the tube.

It started out runny. But was able to push out a thicker gel.
Even though this Dr. Bronner’s Organic Shaving Gel is described as Unscented didn’t mean it is without an odor. As with other unscented wet shaving or grooming products I’ve tried, I would imagine that the mixture of the different ingredients produces their own aroma.  Personally, I thought the scent of the Unscented Organic Shaving Gel was just awful.  It wasn’t as noticeable when I use it for just my head shave.  But when applying it to my chin and upper lip, I am very aware that it has been applied.  It almost reminds me of the smell of a brand new badger brush that hasn’t been cleansed of it’s odor.   The upside was that it washes away easily and that aroma doesn’t linger around. 

After about 15 seconds, the lather thinned out.
After applying the gel to my head and face with my hands and a bubbly lather started to build.  After stopping the lather disappeared after a few seconds and trying to lather with a brush was no different. I did find that the Dr. Bronner’s Organic Shaving Gel had a decent slickness to it.  However, I did apply my Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Pure-Castille Soap to my head and face and found the slickness and protection to be similar.   Though I seriously preferred the peppermint aroma to the “unscented.”
Overall, the Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Organic Shaving Gel got the job done.  But, it wasn’t an extremely gratifying experience.  If the shave brush is something of a must in the wet shaving routine then this probably isn’t a must have.

Pairing my Dr. Bronners with my Parker 24C Razor
Have you tried Dr. Bronner’s shave gels?  Please leave a comment below and let us know what you think.


Tags # Dr. Bronner's # shaving cream Continue Reading
By on No comments:
Labels: ,