Thread: unit's shaving cream reviews

Ok, look. I don't claim to be an expert on wet shaving in this arena (outside of SRP...yeah, I'm a pro), but I have been wet shaving for a while now and think I have something to share.

I am not the sort of guy that can describe high, mid, and bade notes of a scent. Basically, I like what I like...and it is entirely subjective. So I'm going to share my experiences and hopefully give some others an idea of what to expect from some of these products.

I'll try and do a little write up here each day or two to describe what jumps out at me as I try a cream or soap. Don't take me too seriously, but perhaps we can all learn something...or have a good laugh or two.

Why am I doing this? Well, I have collected about 6 or 7 soaps and creams in search of a cream with mystical qualities, and more recently a friend sent me a box containing about 15 or 20 creams/soaps to try. This is just too good of an opportunity not to share.

Again, don't look for sales pitches, propaganda, or even info shared from someone with a great broad depth of shave cream knowledge. I'm going to do this as and average wet shaver talking about what he likes or not about various creams.

A little background on me and my experiences thus far. I have used (in the past year) a few products exclusively: AOS cream, C.O. Bigelow, Tabac, and Proraso Red (cream). I like these and they serve as my basis for comparison....though I'll probably go back to them and review them also during this thread.

Stay tuned....

Dreadnaught.

Tonight, this was the cream I selected.

As with all my creams, I start with a silver tip badger brush that has soaked in warm water for several minutes. I gently shake it out (leaving some moisture in the brush) then either squirt an almond-sized bit of cream into my coffee mug (that my son made for me) or I put the brush into the tin of cream and scrape out about the same amount (almond) with the bristles. Then I spin up a lather in the smooth round moist coffee mug.

No fancy scuttle or ribbed shaving bowl...just a big-ole coffee mug.

Onto the review...

Dreadnaught.

Open the container, smell it. It smells like un-scented hand lotion to me. Once in the mug it spins up a quick lather and opens up with a bouquet of aroma that I cannot describe (but it's noteworthy to me that I smelled none of this before swirling up the lather...so if you go to a store and nose the cream, you will not get a good idea of what to expect with this one). On the other hand, most reading this probably would have to mail order this stuff, so you won't even have that luxury. Suffice to say, you have to lather it to know much about the scent.

So, for making a lather, I would say its about as easy as I have found, and the lather is nice, dense, and has good body. If you have spun up any of my typical creams, you will find this on par with the easiest of that group to lather up.

I applied it to my moist face and it went in nicely but seemed to thin down slightly. It still seemed to look like it had plenty of cushion and an almost greasy glide (very slick). This I would say is a good thing, but I did find it difficult to stretch my skin with fingers placed on areas that previously had lather (even when both face and fingers were dry).

Here is what I did NOT like. (And you should know I am a fast shaver...typically 10-15 minutes from entering the bathroom until exiting with aftershave on...so a single pass might last 45 seconds?). I found the cream drying out during a pass.

I applied the cream, stropped my razor (15 laps on linen then 60 on leather) and immediately started my first pass. Left cheek first: wow! The glide is great, and the cushion is spot on. I'm thinking this could be a new favorite. Do the neck and chin and notice the cream is drying at the edges of my face. Then I moved to my right cheek and each stroke seemed to liberate snowflakes of dried cream!?! WTH?

Perhaps idiotically, I kept shaving off the dry cream. I did not care for this new experience as I prefer the traditional wet cream on my blade. To my surprise, the shave was still good on dry cream.

Another observation was my razor. It's big and I generally rinse the blade only twice during a pass. Doing this with dreadnaught stacked up lather on the blade, then it dried in place and I had to finger-massage it off the blade face. Not something I enjoyed.

I applied lather for a second and third time for my remaining 2 passes. Performance was similar, but results were still very good.

I'm not ready to cast this one aside. I need to mix it with more water next time (in spite of the fact that all my visual cues indicated that I had this lathered perfectly prior to the shave). I will try again in a few shaves and report back.

My suspicion is that adding more water will result in reduction in the "body" of this lather...hopefully I'll be proven wrong.

At this point, I prefer my typical creams over this one. Time will tell...

In a nutshell, it's good stuff, very slick and almost oily, but mine dried out so I need to give it another shot.

Other notes: none (some creams I have tried have warming, or cooling sensations like you might expect from menthol or peppery spices, this cream had none of that as far as I could discern)

I Coloniali Rhubarb Shaving Cream

In truth, today was my second test drive for this cream. I like it, I really do.

First off, WTH is Rhubarb? I have no experience with it, so if I say something stupid...who am I kidding, I'll say something stupid regardless of my inexperience with rhubarb.

My sample is quite firm/dense. It's not a soap, but it is a lot firmer than any cream I have tried to date. This perhaps explains a later observation regarding the amount used.

The smell. This one will give you a hint if you nose an open container, but as you might expect, the aroma intensifies considerably as you whip it into a lather. I don't want to overstep the limitations of my nose/pallet, but I'd describe this lather as slightly floral with a mysterious spicy-ness hiding beneath the initial whiff (that really sounds ridiculous as I re-read it...I typically use one of about half a dozen adjectives to describe any scent and half of them are synonymous with "feces").

For the second shave, I decide to use less product (perhaps half the typical almond-sized bit). I did this because last time I used the regular amount and had a lot left over after I was done. I'd have to assign a high value to this product similar to AOS cream in that I find that VERY little goes a long way. The cream may cost a bit, but you may get more shaves per gram/ounce/whatever than you get with other products (in my opinion at least).

Lathering is again on par with the easiest creams. This stuff nearly explodes into frothy peaks of lather. I should have taken a photo earlier...here is a shot of the consistency immediately prior to my third pass application (the brush is already loaded and I tossed what you see remaining in the mug...pity). You will note that the lather is still moist, but also retains the sharp peaks of a good-bodied lather.


As some may infer, this lather has good cushion, however, I might deduct points in the glide department. I had no issue with the glide, but after each stroke of the razor, I could grip my skin like I had gecko fingers (ever see a gecko walk straight up a pane of glass?...I digress). Anyway, my skin had no greasy feel after the razor passed. I'd not call this good or bad...just a stark contrast to Dreadnaught.

I mixed this stuff fairly dry (relative to last night) and still it never dried out...I think it may be almost as idiot-proof as Tabac Cream (which I find very easy to lather even with a wide range of moisture contents).

Other notes: I detect a slight warming effect with this cream. It's almost as if there is some pepper extract in it. It's subtle, but I'm trying to share all my experiences here. May be it's the rhubarb and all the rhubarb experts are face palming at my ignorance? I'm not bothered.

Afterward, it rinses off cleanly from the blade, the brush, mug, and my mug (face). I detect no lingering scent...and if there is any, it's quickly buried under whatever post shave I decide to use (today I just used a moisturizer sample I had laying around...not that I needed it, I just felt like trying something else new). In fact, the shave was pleasing enough that a simple cold water splash or six could have been the entire extent of my post shave and I'd probably have been just as happy.

This cream did its job, I'd have no reservations about buying it. I sort of dig this warming sensation...but novelties like this have a tendency to loose their luster with me (but it's subtle, so I doubt it would ever become a detriment to my shave experience).

The fact that I used this cream for the second time already (when I could have used any of the many other samples I just received and am eager to try) probably indicates something about how much I enjoyed the first go with it.

Stay tuned, tomorrow I might try a cream that I have zero chance of pronouncing correctly

As an added bonus to this thread (it's a "value added" sort of thing) I am including this post. That is right, you are getting more than you paid for (not saying much)!

This post is going to serve as a review of a few waxes I have tried.

"Never waxed my mustache", you say? Well, then this will be perfect for you because neither had I until recently...and I still don't know much about it! So who better to share this sort of info than a guy who knows very little? Probably someone that knows a lot, actually. However, I'm not that guy, so perhaps someone who knows more will chime in.

When I first started growing my pathetic facial hair I quickly realized that not only was it patchy at best, but it's also light colored so it looks extra pathetic and non-manly.

Because of these facts, I resolved to grow it longer and not trim the bits that made a bee-line for my mouth when it was open (that is to say, "always"). But how could I tame this stuff and make it grow together and give the illusion of thick lush manliness?

The answer seemed to be wax or some other hold product.

I live in an area that has your basic stores that sell basic products that appeal to the masses (who apparently lack the pathetic facial growth I have). I tried hair gels and such with FAR less than stellar results (I mean really far).

My son brought home a hair wax product (Crew Fiber) to assist his Halloween costume that promised extreme hold. It only seemed logical that I try it. After all it's the closest thing to proper mustache wax that you will find locally in my area.



It worked ok, but it has an odd scent and lost hold the moment I ate anything hot, and drinking coffee not only resulted in loss of hold, but it also washed out most of the product. The only thing worse than a poorly held mustache, is a PARTIALLY held mustache (if you ask me).

As you can probably see the tin contains a whopping 3 ounces of mainly lanolin wax with a floral scent (in my opinion). This container cost a bit under 20 bucks which seems affordable relative to the other wax products I have tried that come in much smaller quantities, but since it didn't work well, I'd say it's not a "value".

Next up I decided that only a REAL mustache wax would do. I like my Clubman aftershave, so it seemed logical to try their wax. Every vendor I found was out of neutral or natural colored wax but many offered Chestnut and Brown. I thought "Brilliant!" (Think Guinness Beer commercials). This would surely be the cure for two of my problems (blond beard, and descheveled mustache). I asked my wife to order some right up and a few days and about 20 frog skins later this shows up:



Actually I had two combs, but one now stays in my desk drawer at work. I really like these little combs. The tubes are 0.5 ounces each...so the cost per ounce is a bit higher, but I think we are after quality here (not quantity).

Why TWO tubes? That is entirely due to my ignorance regarding what color I should get; Chestnut, which results in the first image below that depicts a blond guy with a darkly colored mustache, or Brown, which results in the darkest color facial growth I have ever seen.

This stuff also has a bit of a scent which is not something I would have in my ideal wax, but it's not offensive. It certainly does darken the beard and 'stache, but now my head looks funny with blond hair and I am not ready to start coloring my hair (somehow that seems even less manly than a pathetic mustache):



However, if I put on a wig and dress up like a pirate, this product is perfect!


(That is me on the right and my mom who at the time was busy kicking breast cancer's ass)

The downside to Clubman is that it lacks the epoxy glue-like hold I need for the hairs under my nose that grow straight down (and into my gob). It also washes out with water, or coffee, or pirate grog...so it was less than ideal for me.

On the recommendation of a few here, I tried yet another product. This time I was going to get something with stellar hold and hopefully no coloration as I am convinced any attempt to darken my facial hair is folly. Enter Firehouse Moustache Wax (light):


I'm limited on photos, so take it from me, this stuff looks white in the tin, invisible on my fingertips, but white on my 'stache if I don't comb it in well. The hold is fantastic, and it is highly water resistant...in fact, it seems to build up after a few days and I then use less for the desired effect.

This little tin cost me 11 clams to my door and contains perhaps an ounce (not stated on the tin).

So far I am digging it.

As with all of these products I apply it to a thoroughly dry mustache after scraping up a pea sized lump onto my fingernail, then massage the lump between my thumb and index finger to soften it. I massage it into the hair by pinching and rolling tufts before combing it through, then shaping it to the desired look.



Perfection? Nope, not yet, but like most things wet shaving, I think the fun is in the pursuit.

Have a great Sunday, Gents!

Penhaligon's Endymion shaving cream

This is my second shave with this cream. As I have said before, please do not look to me to describe scents in a manner similar to a wine or cigar aficionado. I simply like what I like and I must say I LIKE this scent.

I also like Clubman due to the images it conjures in my mind of an old world gentleman. What I don't like about Clubman is how it develops and fades into an almost skunk-like scent.

Endymion, by contrast seems to keep on delivering and gets better smelling as the shave progresses. Sounds sort of pompous, but that is what I get, so there ya go.

Ok, so tonight I mixed it a little stout (on the dry side). This stuff lathers with ease and still did not dry and flake on the first pass like Dreadnaught did. I added a bit of water and fluffed it up again for the second pass and truly got it right!

Cushion seemed better than some, but not necessarily a standout. I'd give it slightly lower marks than AOS in this department. Though I'm not sure how much you need (I did not find it lacking in the cushion department, but some guys might want more than I got).

Glide was mediocre also. After a pass my face was slick but not oily. Honestly, the glide was right in the middle and that is where I like it. It's comfortable, but not so slick that I need special procedures to stretch my skin.

One area where this cream seemed notably different from others I have tried was what it seemed to do to my beard. My face prep ritual was typical, but this cream seems to soften the hairs more than others. My shave was closer than usual (generally I have to spend quite a bit more prep time to get results like this). I'm actually quite impressed with this cream based on both shaves.

I'd like to share an image of my lather, but I'm getting reports that "your forum has disabled image sharing from this app" (Tapatalk). So tough luck! Anyway, it looks a lot like any other white pillowy lather should...in fact, if you scroll up a few posts, you'll likely find an image nearly identical to the one I took tonight.

I just looked up the price on this stuff, and holy hell is that expensive! Now I'm really torn, I like this cream a lot, but that is a lot of cabbage for a product that is slightly better performing than AOS. Then again, my youngest son did come into my shave den while I was shaving and took a dump and I was enjoying this shave so much that I didn't mind.

I guess I'd recommend this stuff to anyone that does not have to pay for it, or anyone with a lot more disposable cash than me, or for special occasions where you really want the best (could there be anything better? I suppose it is possible.)

Honestly speaking, I doubt I would have ever tried a product this expensive if someone had not given it to me. I am a lucky man indeed. I realize there are even more expensive creams out there...perhaps I'll get the opportunity to review some of them as well.

If you can find a way to try this one, I'd recommend it.

Castle Forbes Lime

I sort of rushed through the shave tonight, so the review will be similarly brief.

Unlike the others I have reviewed thus far, this one is a one trick pony when it comes to scent, at least as far as my (several times broken) nose can tell. Also unlike the others, when you open the container, it's not subtle, it instantly wafts up and you KNOW it is lime, and that is it, no complex combination of scents that conjure images, emotions, or thoughts. Nope, it's lime...and while I never would have thought lime was a good idea, this was far more pleasant than I anticipated.

Into the mug and whip it into lather. I suppose the lime scent intensifies slightly, but you might expect that aerating it would offer such a result. As you spread the lather into your face and brush it in, you really get the lime scent...but once I stopped with the brush, the scent seemed to vanish...perhaps my sensors were simply pegged at that point, but subsequent applications gave the same results (wow effect as applied, then...nothing).

As for shaving notes, it had a glide and cushion that was adequate. Actually, the glide and cushion was very similar to Penhaligons, though I mixed this one a bit thinner and it rinsed from the blade a bit cleaner.

I didn't really notice any special qualities to this product. No warming, cooling, or exceptional beard softening.

It allowed for a very good shave, but it was simply on par with AOS which is often my go to cream. Given that Castle Forbes is a slightly pricier (per ounce) than AOS, I will likely not recommend it to many unless they really like intense scents.

It's good stuff, just not a standout to me in any department. As with many things, opinions will likely vary

To me Castle Forbes smells like Skittles, which is a good thing in my book.

Originally Posted by unit

...I had no issue with the glide, but after each stroke of the razor, I could grip my skin like I had gecko fingers (ever see a gecko walk straight up a pane of glass?...I digress). Anyway, my skin had no greasy feel after the razor passed. I'd not call this good or bad...just a stark contrast to Dreadnaught...

I count this as a good thing. I used to use Proraso Pre/Post cream but haven't used it for some time. I find generally my skin is 'grippy' after a stroke of the razor, and i LIKE that as I can use my fingers to pull my skin taught...

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

I count this as a good thing. I used to use Proraso Pre/Post cream but haven't used it for some time. I find generally my skin is 'grippy' after a stroke of the razor, and i LIKE that as I can use my fingers to pull my skin taught...

I would have to agree somewhat. There is a delicate balance between glide and greasy. I'm no pro, but I think this is where we break out the ole' YMMV

And not only that, but my preferences evolve and change. This thread may be useful to me down the road

Originally Posted by unit

I would have to agree somewhat. There is a delicate balance between glide and greasy. I'm no pro, but I think this is where we break out the ole' YMMV

And not only that, but my preferences evolve and change. This thread may be useful to me down the road

Yeah, you're 100% right, in fact, I was considering going back to Proraso pre and post cream!