Shaving Products to Avoid

Ah, another crappy item I hate. Lokar shaving sticks. Good scent, good lather, but bad skincare. Actually, the worst skincare.

 

Jim, frankly, I'm not going to use it as I've a plethora of products I enjoy using.

Secondarily, "Kiss My Face" isn't traditional, doesn't have anything classy about it.

 

Derby makes great blades but avoid their creams, especially the lemon scent. :sick007

 

This is one of the worst blogs.

Cmon, I have read this page of what products not to try? Ok, universally some things are known no matter what, that is why we went old school with shaving:

1. Anything that comes in a can, gel. This doesn't moisturize the skin. Everyone should of least watched the mantic59 videos on youtube. I am not saying Mark is ultimate word on shaving, but he has been one of most informative people on shaving on the net. He covers a lot of material, not so dry, and great videos to watch as introduction to shaving, shave tips, and new ideas to try. Also he goes into material about method shaving. Then again if you prefer a gel that works for you, that works too.

2.Everybody's skin is different, so is their taste(you can't dispute taste), preference. Products like Musgo Real, Proraso, Feather(I wish this would of worked for me), work well with most people, not everyone. Also the Dorco issue, lately I'm finding out(I have tried the 300 and are average) you need to try the 301(yet to try to see the difference) model on reviews in badger and blade site. I heard they are better than the 300 model. Caswell and Massey products, ok I hear from most people that it isn't good. In fact only one girl on amazon said they were a great product. Trumper skin food is great product and they do sell a fragrance free skin food. Skin food is great because it combines many ingredients in a non greasy product, not splash or balm, and little bit goes a long way. Ok, to contradict my statement, someone later in this discussion says its greasy to them. Personally I love using Corn huskers with thayer's witch hazel as my version of skin food.

I would think this would be a better blog if people were to tell about products that are bad, and I mean evil that people need to know. Like for me, the Herban Cowboy soap sold at vitamin stores, they really suck. The reason is because I bought a puck and tried to lather up, but the lather kept disappearing. Everytime I would lather up and get ready to shave, then the layer of lather would go away and it was time vs. shave vs lather scenario. But, its very ecofriendly 100%vegan. Sorry that was the last product I bought and tried, that's my gripe about it. But products are definitely are bad for you or maybe helpful I will tell.

Here is one thing I am finding out, vitamens C and E hasn't been showing results in helping skin as antioxidants. In fact, there as tests showing that increase the risk of skin cancer. Also they are not being penetrated by the skin well because our skin has protective layer which also keeps is water proof that prevents that absorption of these nutrients. But if a product combines vitamins C and E and I believe ferulic(from ferns) acid, it does help the skin. I have lately been reading the Dermatology blog.
Here is an article talking about it.

http://thedermblog.com/2008/11/12/new-powerful-skin-antioxidant-from-ferns/

Final note, I love Musgo Real and 1903. Finally try as many products as you can or samplers like here on the shave den store. That way you know what you really like or what your missing out on.

Edit: I needed to edit this, the point I wanted to make was this statement above was for newbies(or anyone) reading this discussion about trying as many products as you can . I just didn't want a couple of snarky and obnoxious posts(like when I mentioned this a blog, I'm sorry I might not be that tech savy I thought it was) to deter(like their label isn't stylish) people away from products worth trying out. In all, you will have to take a risk and find out. Like when I bought 1903 shave cream. Expensive, but now I know it was worth it. But if they're are scientific facts about products to avoid or others shaving/skin products, I will post them for you shavers to know.

 

Say WHAT? Care to clarify that statement a little?

Gillette DE Blades of varying vintage are at once some of the very best *and* some of the very worst out there. Hands off my stash of Platinum-Plus and "Spoiler" Super Stainless. Mine! MineMineMine! MINE!

 

I can easily concur that the Caswell Massey shaving soaps are not good. However I think their bath soaps, especially Sandalwood, Lime and Verbena, are excellent. And, their Lime cologne is outstanding. Oh… and the Lime talc and Sandalwood talc is heavenly. OK, that’s it, I’m done.

 

Nothing classy about Noxzema cream either but it sure dose work in a pinch.

KMF may surprise you with scent and performance and frankly telling folks to avoid it because you don't like the name and never even tried it is just silly.

 

+1 Doc, Jim.

Nothing wrong with KMF, I just dont like it because it didnt work well for me. I LOVE the body shops old cream and will buy all I can at the summer sale. I dont think the body shops classy, but I use it because its a great product.

Kaveh's got a point though, lets all throw out any product we have that doesnt have a cool label.

 

snufflesdarkness,

1. Just because Mark said it dose not make it gospel. Aveeno gel and Noxzema in a can work well and moisturize fine. Not as good as all products but not too bad for 2 dollars a can.

2. So you are saying you never tried the 301 but we all have too? Trumper skin food is great, ok then why dose it feel greasy to me. Oh yea everyone's skin is different.

3. So we can add Herban Cowboy to you opinion of "shaving products to avoid"

4. If you don't like our "blog" and say it is one of the worst then don't read it. This is a Thread in a Shaving Forum that list products that people do not think work for them. Nothing is set in stone, all of this is opinionated. If you look hard people may like Herban Cowboy, in fact a good friend of mine likes the Aftershave Balm they offer.

"Final note, I love Musgo Real and 1903. Finally try as many products as you can or samplers like here on the shave den store. That way you know what you really like or what your missing out on."


Sage advice and thank you for the link on derm blog too.

 

Noxzema is classy on account of its having been around for ages.

KMF is just a little thing that people found in organic food chains and started lathering with a brush finding the results to be pleasing.

I want to note that I'm by no means a label-oriented - that I pride myself on my frugality.

And what's more I enjoy a glut of things which the Average Joe would deem to be the opposite of classy.

Buy when it comes to shaving, I like to keep matters as traditional and as classy as can be.

And for me that rules out products like Tom's of Maine, Kiss My Face and so on.

 

Basing what one considers classy on the length of time a company has been around, well, isnt.

McDonalds has been around for a long time, and its just so American, so it must be classy, right?

 

I think your approach does improve the odds of getting good products. Those that have stood the test of time are rarely a very bad product or overpriced. However, some products that are not as traditional can perform very well. I tried KMF for three reasons: 1) it has terrific reviews from the vast majority of users 2) it is available locally 3) it is very well priced. I haven't tried TOMS, Burt's Bee's, Alba, and the like primarily because the reviews aren't nearly as good. The tradition/product class issue to me is a factor, but not a deal breaker. In that vein, I view KMF as an exception not the rule for what a good shaving product looks like.

 

That is all well and good but I do not believe you should tell people to avoid a product just because it dose not meet your definition of classy.

"Williams Soap is a big tease. It costs nothing, works well and is available everywhere - but its fragrance is putrid."

Williams meets your definition of classy but you find it to be a unusable product. That is a review but saying KMF is lousy because of the name is not a review.

 

McDonald's epitomizes class

Anyway, don't take everything I say so literally. Ultimately, Truefitt & Hill is infinitely more elegant than Kiss My Face; it's inherently classier, and everyone knows it.

...

Zirh, Anthony Logisitics and Lab Series shaving creams.

Nivea Sensitive Aftershave Balm - alcohol free, it's just a simple moisturizer packaged as an aftershave balm.

 

If you substituted Trumper's for T&H, your statement would still be true. Yet, IMHO KMF is much better than Trumper's. FWIW, T&H is the best cream I've tried and if it wasn't so expensive I'd own several pots. Trumper's OTOH is way overrated except by those on forums with a bunch of shave nerds.

 

+1 on Noxzema in a can.

Haven't tried Aveeno, but I know the gentlemen at the Andover Shop (Andover location) use it in the place of brush-mixed lather on the weekdays. IMO, it's too expensive for what it is. Maybe I'll go to Whole Foods and get pump of Smooch My Lips in its place.

I was trying to like Gillette Foamy because the Mentholated variety is so strongly mentholated, but at the end of the day, Foamy doesn't make for a smooth shave.

...which is why Clubman Rob uses soap under it!

 

Mantic has never shaved my face, nor does he know what works well for me. No disrespect for Mark, he's done a lot of good for a lot of guys, but an expert on all things shave related, he ain't.

Canned foam (and gel) is basically shave soap in an aerosol propellant. If you think that they're inherently more drying than a typical puck of shave soap, you're tricking yourself into believing a falsehood. There's good and bad shave creams, just as there's good and bad shave soaps. Don't paint them all with such a broad brush.

If you're looking for a blog, then you've come to the wrong place.

If you're looking for a blogging, self-professed shave expert to tell you exactly what to think and do when it comes to shaving and shaving products, look no further than Corey Greenburg's shaveblog.com. If you're independent minded, objective, and know your face better than some faceless drone behind a computer screen, then by all means go out of your way to seek out all the products that get a bad rap from other forum members and make up your own mind. You're apparently convinced that Herban Cowboy stuff is bad, and I hope that it's because you've actually used it and not because some guy (that's probably looking at internet midget porn while he's typing out his post) says it sucks.

I'm talking about current, US made red-pack Gillette blades that you can pick up pretty much anywhere here in the states. These things are horrible, and horribly overpriced to boot.

KMF is some pretty lousy stuff, which is why I included it in my list as well. The name is pretty corny, too, which is why I originally never bothered purchasing it (it was a free gift). I think it gives a horrible shave, and I don't understand what all the fuss is about.

Tom's of Maine, Burt's Bee's, and any number of "organic" and "all natural" supposed-to-be-better-than-the-old-standbys are for the most part pretty sorry when it comes to delivering what we need it to deliver- a good shave. I've been burned countless times by crap like this, so I should have, for the sake of complete truthfulness, also listed these brands as being ones to avoid, but I realize that some guys prefer "brushless self-tanning exfoliating astringent witch hazel alcohol free shave oil/cream/liquigel/aftershave toner". In my opinion, get a soap or a cream, mix them together if you want, but stay away from something that is supposed to accomplish 99 other things at the same time it's supposed to give you a great shave- cause chances are it's going to be too busy doing 98 other things to accomplish the one thing you actually need.

So I can see where Kaveh's coming from- I'm not putting words into his mouth, but in my experience, a simple soap or cream is a million times more likely to give you better results than some sort of lady's leg lotion-cum-man's shave cream type thing. Call that traditional or classy, I call it "guaranteed to work".

 

Gents, this is a funny thread.

 

Driving a classy car doesnt make one classy.

I think TOBS is way over rated. Trumpers is pretty sweet. Its on par with T&H. D.R. Harris is a slight bit above IMHO and I dont want to spend the money on a tub.

I think this thread is going in the wrong direction. How about we all start listing crap products based on merit and actual experience rather than class or brand.

Heres one, Tabac smells like old cigars and cat urine.

 

+1

Let's get back on track, ppl...

--although it's pretty obvious from this thread that there are few objectively bad products, and they've probably been noted.

...

Anyone tried HeadSlick with a brush? I remember someone saying if it were priced higher and produced in England, people would be singing its praises...