Hey lads,
we've got a special occasion today: this post is my
100th! Hey!
And I thought, let's make it a useful one. So today I'm going to review three shaving creams/foams/gels.
Our three candidates are:
[li]Nivea for Men shaving cream[/li][li]L'Oreal Men Expert shaving gel[/li][li]Noxzema shaving foam with cocoa butter & vitamin E[/li][/b]
[/list]
Nivea for Men Shaving Cream: This shaving cream comes in a tube, similar to a toothpaste tube. The colour of the cream is
a creamy beige tone. Street price is around 1.50 Euro ($2) for a 100ml tube, and it usually lasts
for around 15 shaves.
I usually don't like shaving creams as you need a brush to apply it, and I
always like to keep the number of shaving utensils to a minimum. But for this one I make
an exception.
Anyway, it's applied with a shaving brush. It helps to soak the brush in warm water, squeeze half of the
water off so the brush is still sufficiently moist. That way the thick cream can be applied easier, plus it doesn't
gunk up the razor that much this way (the cream being less gooey). The cream produces a nice solid and slightly
foamy coat on your skin. Ah, me like that...
The Nivea cream provides a comfortable shave. The razor glides smoothly with it, and you get a pretty safe shave.
Another advantage of this cream is the fact that you can wash it off very easily - it's not going to give you any
trouble there.
Plus, it's quite cheap, and the shape and size of the tube makes it an ideal cream for travelling.
Conclusion: nice and cheap shaving cream that provides a comfortable and safe shave and will
satisfy your shaving needs.
L'Oreal Men Expert Shaving Gel:This is a shaving gel in a tall can. And it's a
fast shaving gel: if you push the button the gel will shoot out of
the can with lightning speed. So watch out. I can imagine a good part of the gel ending up on the floor with most
users. The guys at L'Oreal probably get a kick out of this.
It's best to place your hand right in front of the nozzle (calculating the right angle first) before pushing that button.
The can holds 200ml of gel and costs around 4-5 Euro ($4.80 - $6)
All right, the gel is a light blue colour. It's applied by hand. I haven't tried applying this with a brush, and I don't
think the gel was meant to be applied that way, anyway. It works well if you've got some stubble (i.e. the gel needs
rough surfaces to work well), then the gel easily produces a light foam and you're all set.
But if you want to shave every day, or even twice a day, and your head is still relatively smooth, then it's a little tricky
to apply it and to get the much desired foam.
As far as shaving is concerned, the gel works really well. It's probably even a little better than the Nivea cream in that
respect. Plus, the bottle last a
really long time. I've been using the same can for the last two months, and it's still
not empty. So for a little extra money (compared to the Nivea cream) you get a long lasting can.
However, it's a little bulky and not so good for travel.
And did I mention that it's scent-free? Aye, it is. And I think that's a good thing.
Conclusion: a good medium priced shaving gel that lasts very long and will give you good shaves. Good value for your money.
Noxzema shaving foam with cocoa butter & vitamin E:The Noxzema Shaving foam, that comes in a yellow can, is a big boy. It's huge and bulky and...
yellow. I bought it because it had cocoa butter and vitamin E in it and because...ah, who am I kidding, I bought
it because it was yellow.
Ah...yellow. I love spongebob squarepants...Anyway, street price is 5,50 Euro ($6.60) for the 300ml can. I bought it three months ago and it's still half full.
Well, that's probably because I haven't been using it that much. Don't get me wrong, this is a great
shaving foam, and it provides a great shave, but...applying it on your skull requires a) a brush, and b) it's really
tricky to apply it correctly. It's a mean and evasive foam. You put it on your head, and it falls off easily. It's quite
tricky to make it really stick to your head using a brush - and no, you can't apply it by hand, a brush is needed
here.
But once you've gotten past this task of applying it, things get better, for it's a great shaving foam. You get a very
smooth shave with minimal irritation. In that respect it's the best of all three products discussed here.
Plus, and according to the instructions on the back, it can also be used as an after-shave product. You take a small
amount of foam and you rub it in and that's it. It contains cocoa butter and vitamin E - vitamin E helps the skin regenerate.
Cocoa butter is a great moisturiser - it's broadly used in the cosmetics industry (soaps and creams).
I guess that's why they don't use it in chocolate (it's a byproduct of cocoa beans during the chocolate making process)...
it's just too valuable.
So you basically get 2-1: a shaving cream and an after-shave balm. However, I think there are other balms out there
that do a better job, so it's not entirely a substitute for those.
Conclusion: If you're willing to overlook the tricky application of the foam, you'll be rewarded with a great and smooth
shaving experience. The best shaving product of the three in terms of shaving results.
Harry
