Why did you do this to me, Tom?

April 8, 2010 4:22 PM

Where can I get Tom's of Maine calendula shaving cream? It seems they don't make it anymore!!! If I can't get it, do you know of a product that is very similar? This was the best shaving cream I've ever used and have never found anything that can compare.
posted by sickinthehead to shopping (17 answers total)

Here's a case of it. Google: tom's of maine calendula

http://www.organicbythecase.com/calendula_shaving_cream.html
posted by elsietheeel at 4:53 PM on April 8, 2010

on above link: click add to cart, and get the following:

"Sorry, this product is no longer available in our store."

I couldn't find it anywhere either, including the fact that it's not mentioned on their website, and I don't know what it's like so I can offer nothing similar, sorry, you might be out of luck :(
posted by brainmouse at 4:56 PM on April 8, 2010

Yeah, every store that I look in online that has once carried now says that it is out of stock. :c(
posted by sickinthehead at 5:07 PM on April 8, 2010

Damn. I suck for not checking availability before posting. Sorry.

A search for "calendula shaving" got me this thread on a shaving forum (?). Perhaps you could start an account and ask this question there?

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?s=2d3f13612699602de2f361199e077e9e&t=9708
posted by elsietheeel at 5:07 PM on April 8, 2010

Searching for "calendula shaving cream," I came across Goddess Within, who appear to still have the product in stock. As for other products, Burt's Bees Natural Skin Care for Men Shave Cream, which includes calendula and linden extract to calm skin irritation, and The Art of Shaving have a product with caledula, though the one review is not positive ("face moisturizer failed to moisturize my skin; instead, it made it really dry and itchy.")
posted by filthy light thief at 5:08 PM on April 8, 2010

I've tried Burt's Bees but it's just not the same. Tom's of Maine goes on thick and really sticks to the skin until you remove it with the razor blade. And then it leaves nothing but wonderful softness - no remaining residue. Burt's Bees is kind of watery by comparison.

Goddess Within doesn't have the product - once you click on the link it pulls up a window that it is out of stock.

I am getting worried that AskMe didn't immediately come up with a bunch of places to get it. Maybe I will never shave with it again! SAD!!!
posted by sickinthehead at 5:17 PM on April 8, 2010

Product availability on the internet for products like these can almost be worse than traditional brick-and-mortar. As a person who has engaged in near-religious product hunts in the past, I can tell you that if Tom's of Maine is as desirable a product as you make it sound, your chances of finding it after production has ended are extremely low. Sure, the internet has made many kinds of shopping easier. Things exist internationally (on eBay) or or as one-offs (a la Etsy) that you'd never find anywhere else. But once word gets out on a truly superior product, the hardcore shoppers--the ones who have a vested interest in the best possible xxxxx--will see to it that supplies are depleted. The internet is a huge enabler in this respect. Visibility for rare products goes through the roof here.

I would say your best chance for finding the stuff would be calling around to previous brick and mortar sellers of it and asking if they have any remaining stock. (This may not be feasible depending on how long ago it was discontinued.) The work involved in that means fewer people will have done it, especially in any given geographical area.
posted by Phyltre at 6:25 PM on April 8, 2010

If you can't find it, why don't you trying using olive oil or coconut oil? I've been using them to shave my legs for over a year now, and no other shaving cream ever made them this smooth. I rarely ever nick myself anymore too. The oil also extends the life of your razor because it lubricates it. Try it!
posted by cm young at 6:53 PM on April 8, 2010 [1 favorite]

Tom's of Maine goes on thick and really sticks to the skin until you remove it with the razor blade. And then it leaves nothing but wonderful softness - no remaining residue.

Not sure how helpful this is, but I like Alba shaving cream for these same reasons. I just checked my tube of it, and it contains calendula as an ingredient.
posted by kickingtheground at 7:52 PM on April 8, 2010

I work at a grocery store that carries stuff like that. I'm almost positive that I recall asking a manager about Tom's shaving cream and being told that it was discontinued by Tom's.
posted by Slinga at 8:34 PM on April 8, 2010

All Tom's of Maine shaving creams have been discontinued permanently (calendula, mint, and I understand there used to be a honeysuckle as well).

I've never used it and can't recommend a similar product. The only way to get more that I can think of would be to post a "Want to buy" add in the Buy / Sell / Trade section of the aforelinked badgerandblade.com; profess your love for the product and profound sorrow and someone may part with one of their hoarded tubes, they're a nice bunch of folks. (Search for "calendula" on the forums and you'll see a few sales in the past couple of months.)

However, this is at best a short-term solution. Eventually you'll need to find something else. Most shaving creams these days come in pressurized cans and they are all utter garbage; Tom's of Maine towers above the canned goop, but there are a lot of brands that do. You may even find something you like more than Tom's. Most of them (including Tom's) work best with a brush, but that's beyond the scope of this comment. There is a world of amazing shaving creams (and soaps) out there.

Kiss My Face makes a good shaving cream that works brushless and is probably available in the same kind of brick-and-mortar stores where you found ToM. It may be the most direct replacement.

But I'd encourage you to branch out to what else is available through the magic of the internet. One of my favorites is Speick, a German cream with a sharp lavender scent (with a bit of calendula in there) that's wonderful for the skin. Speick is a softer cream and would work ok brushless.

Some British companies (Geo F Trumper's, Taylor of Old Bond Street, Truffit & Hill, DR Harris) make some excellent creams that are a step up from Tom's of Maine and Kiss My Face. Maybe TOBS Rose would fit the bill? Most of my favorite producers are European, but there are some excellent American artisan producers as well.

I'll stop there, but there are dozens more. I linked to westcoastshaving.com because it was the first place I looked and I was lazy, but here's a list of more vendors. I'm not affiliated with any of them.
posted by kprincehouse at 8:39 PM on April 8, 2010

Some British companies (Geo F Trumper's, Taylor of Old Bond Street, Truffit & Hill, DR Harris) make some excellent creams that are a step up from Tom's of Maine and Kiss My Face.

I'll second this. I mainly use Proraso, but I've also used a couple of Geo F Trumper shaving soaps (from tubes, but they also come in tubs, I believe), and they're excellent. Your description "goes on thick and really sticks to the skin until you remove it with the razor blade" describes them perfectly.

The Trumper shaving soaps aren't cheap, but personally I find a tub lasts me a year or more (shaving daily), which makes it easier to absorb the costs.
posted by damonism at 9:15 PM on April 8, 2010

I mainly use Proraso
Great stuff! Proraso is an Italian cream that's also sold under the CO Bigelow name in Bath and Body Works in the US. It's a harder cream and I would think it would work best with a brush. It has quite a menthol / eucalyptus kick to it; I find it too intense most days but great in the summer. Its lather is top rate.
posted by kprincehouse at 9:35 PM on April 8, 2010

Hi, I used to work at Tom's of Maine. I hope one of the suggestions for an alternative works out for you.

I can suggest emailing or calling the Tom's of Maine folks and asking if they have any suggestions about finding any remaining shaving cream that might still be out there. They might also recommend a good alternative. Their customer service people are top notch.

Why did you do this to me, Tom?

Most likely low sales volume exasperated by large retailers reluctant to carry a shaving cream that doesn't come out of a can. I agree thought that this stuff was great.
posted by mikepop at 6:27 AM on April 9, 2010

Forgot the link to Tom's contact page.
posted by mikepop at 6:36 AM on April 9, 2010

You could also try contacting the folks at Vermont Country Store. They seem to very good at tracking down discontinued items.
posted by jaimystery at 12:44 PM on April 9, 2010

I have not worked for Tom's of Maine, but I was going to suggest the same thing as mikepop. They might even have some left in their warehouse. I was able to do this once with a flavor of Bonne Bell lip gloss that had been discontinued.
posted by radioamy at 12:47 PM on April 10, 2010