OK, so I tried Burt's Bees Shave Cream, purported to be next to useless. I found out that: It is far from useless. On the contrary, it works quite well Lather is not everything, but getting a good shave is The review methodology needs to be updated and evolved Overall: (6.5/10) This is the average of the scores in the categories below. Ease of lathering: (0/10) A shave cream has to lather very poorly to get a 0/10, and Burt's Bees fits the bill. This shaving cream does not lather at all. An almond size dollop was applied to my Dovo badger brush, after which an attempt was made to face lather. The cream simply vanished into the brush, and nothing was applied to my face. What the hey? Repeated attempts were made to get Burt's Bees to lather, all of which produced the same result. Varying amounts of water were used, but to no avail. Applying the cream by hand worked well, and Burt's Bees is much like gel in a can in this regard. The results using a small Omega boar brush were quite different. The cream spread very nicely on my face using the little Omega, even better than applying it by hand. The cream still did not lather at all. This is very definitely intended to be a brushless cream. As such, it might be unfair to dock it points in the lather categories. The directions on the tube simply state: "Wet skin; apply cream to area to be shaved. Rinse. Follow with Burt's Bees aftershave." It fails to state whether or not it is a brushless cream, so the lathering scores will be allowed to stand. Life span of lather: (0/10) There is no lather, therefore it cannot have a lifespan. When the cream is applied to the face, it lasts a long time even though it does not lather. General skincare: (10/10) This cream has stellar skincare. It left my face feeling so incredibly good after the shave. Maybe that is due to the beeswax in the formula? Only one other soap or cream I have tried, Prairie Creations Tallow and Lanolin shave soap, has skincare as good as Burt's Bees Shave Cream. Lubrication: (9/10) Although it does not lather, the layer of cream on the face is exceedingly slick. The razor glides effortlessly over the stubble, and the cream's excellent lubrication does much to ensure a high quality shave. How protective: (8/10) Burt's Bees is about average as far as protection goes, perhaps a little better. I got a few weepers on one shave, but all the rest were free from irritation and nicks. Scent: (9/10) The cream smells just like Earl Grey tea, which is scented with Bergamot. I am very fond of this scent, and it contributes much to the enjoyable experience of the shave. Scent is subjective, but if you like the aroma of Earl Grey, then you will probably find this aspect of Burt's Bees Shave Cream pleasing. Price: (8/10) A 6 oz. / 170 g tube was $8 at Whole Foods store. That is a little pricey, especially when a bottle of Kiss My Face cream costs $2 less and contains more cream. Event so, Burt's Bees is worth the price. Would you buy again: (8/10) Yes, as it is a good cream that performs well indeed. It does not lather at all, but is easily applied and makes the shave a very good one. Brushes used: Dovo pure badger Omega boar My water hardness: 57 ppm as CaCO3 (soft) Shaving cream ingredients: Water, sunflower oil, stearic acid, vegetable glycerin, coconut oil, silica, sodium borate, glucose, cetyl alcohol, bergamot oil, lemon oil, orange oil, patchouli oil, petitgrain oil, fir oil, rosemary oil, linden extract, calendula extract, cornflower extract, chamomile extract, st. john's wort extract, cocoa butter, xanthan gum, sucrose stearate, glucose oxidase & lactoperoxidase Manufacturer's website: www.burtsbees.com Miscellaneous: Burt's Bees shaving cream does not lather worth a darn, yet it can be a key contributor to an excellent shave. There seems to be a very mistaken notion that "if it doesn't lather, it can't be any good" on the forums. Burt's Bees shoots that one down in flames. Using a shaving brush is enjoyable, and most of the best soaps and creams require a brush. But is the goal to use a brush and have a foamy face, or is it to get an great shave? The two are not always the same thing. My aim is to get a great shave, foaming lather or not, so Burt's Bees gets my two thumbs up. On another review, I wondered if lather lubrication and how protective categories should be combined. Burt's Bees Shave Cream only got 6.5/10, primarily due to 0/10 scores for the lather. I feel it is a far better product than the overall score indicates, however. The shave soap/cream review methodology and categories could stand some updating and evolution. The Burt's Bees cream clogged the razor when I was shaving, but that seemed to have no negative effect. The razor still did its job just fine. Safety razors are apparently different from cartridge razors in this regard. The ingredients list was taken from the tube of shaving cream. The water hardness was taken from my utility's latest water quality annual report. The scale below was used to correlate water ppm to the soft/hard rating, and is from the US Geological Survey website. Water hardness scale (as CaCO3): 0-60 mg/l: Soft 61-120 mg/l: Moderately hard 121-180 mg/l: Hard Over 180 mg/l: Very hard mg/l is milligrams per liter Some utilities give water hardness in parts per million (ppm) 1 mg/l = 1 ppm (not exactly, but very, very close)
This review was my exact reaction to Burt's Bees shave "cream". I like the warmth and comfort of a lather, so for lather seekers, a 6.5 seems about right!
Might be handy to have around if I need to get out the door quickly. I try to wake up early enough to take my time shaving but sometimes I have to get up awfully early. I picked up a Neutrogena brushless cream to try for that possibility and it was very disappointing. No cushion and not very slick either. I may try this out.
I might have to pick this up as well. Recently I had to get out the door early and shave. I didn't have any latherless SC and as a result I was a few minutes late. This might very well have made the difference between being on time or being late.
Now that you mention it, I think you're right about the warmth and comfort of the lather. The Ease of lathering and Lifespan of lather categories should stay,
Okay.....I may have to give my Burt bees another try without the brush.this time..I may have misjudged this cream
Great review, but I'll stick with the brush to whip up my lather. The day I give it up will be the day I go back to canned goo - not hap'nin' as long as I have anything to say about it.
