WhiskerFilter

August 4, 2006 1:26 PM

Help me find a good shaving gel!

For several years I've been a happy user of Trader Joe's Aloe Vera Shaving Gel. Now it appears that they've discontinued it, and I'm running low on my last bottle. I'm looking for recommendations, especially from anybody that's used and liked the TJ gel.

I don't have really thick facial hair, so I usually only shave every few days. Perhaps as a consequence, shaving can be kind of rough on my face. The aloe seemed to work really well at keeping my face from getting irritated and dry, without being too perfumed or greasy. It was also cheap and easy to find, and the plastic bottle wouldn't leave rust spots on everything like some metal shaving cans I've used.

posted by bjrubble to health & fitness (36 comments total)

I really like the unscented shaving cream with aloe from Kiehls. It's expensive, but lasts a long time.
posted by nixxon at 1:32 PM on August 4, 2006

IMO there is no such thing as a good shaving gel. For a truly good shave, you need to get some good shaving soap and a nice badger hair brush. When I travel and have to use stuff from a can, it drives my face crazy. Try here, the prices are reasonable and you really can't go wrong with any of their shaving soaps or brushes. While you are there, think about picking up a Merkur old school safety razor--much better shave than a Mach3 and the replacement blades are only a dime apiece.
posted by jtfowl0 at 1:47 PM on August 4, 2006

Lance Arthur wrote some stuff about face care a while back and he talked about shaving:

http://www.lancearthur.com/archives/000214.html#shave
posted by eckeric at 1:51 PM on August 4, 2006

Yeah, I hate to be this guy about shaving, but it's really true - you'll get better results with a brush and a good soap or cream. Spend $35 at Crabtree and Evelyn on their "Best" Badger Brush, and then get a soap or cream from the link jtfowl provided.

The double-edge safety razor isn't neccesary to enjoy the old-school shaving experience, but you just might find yourself being drawn to them once you start shaving with the soap/cream.

Actually, email me (in profile), and I'll send you some cream to use with your new brush, if you'd like. I've got too much of it sitting around anyway.
posted by rossination at 1:57 PM on August 4, 2006

If you like an aloe gel, I am a huge, HUGE fan of Anthony Logistics Shave Gel. It's a bit spendy ($14/8 oz.), but I need only a dime or quarter-sized dollop, so a bottle lasts a long time. (Also plastic, so no unsightly rings.)
posted by bradlands at 2:09 PM on August 4, 2006

Neutrogena Men Razor Defense is head and shoulders above all other shaving products. Apply with a badger-hair shaving brush.
posted by caddis at 2:10 PM on August 4, 2006

If you're at the mall getting your badger brush at Crabtree and Evelyn, you might as well duck into Body Shop and get a tube or a tub of Shave Cream for Men to try.
posted by cairnish at 2:13 PM on August 4, 2006

If you can't be bothered with a badger brush etc, I've had really good results with Nivea's sensitive shaving gel. The foam version is absolutely appalling though...
posted by ganseki at 2:17 PM on August 4, 2006

While I join the brush and shaving cream crowd, I'll also answer your question. Sharps Kid Glove Shave Gel is the best I've ever used. I keep a tube around for those times when I'm taking a quick trip out of town and carrying all my gear seems like too much rigmarole. (I like their after shave gel a lot too.)
posted by j-dawg at 2:17 PM on August 4, 2006

What kind of last name is Logistics? I bet that guy really got picked on in junior high.

You can always go cold turkey on your gel habit once that last can peters out. No AskMeFi shaving thread would be complete without Shaving Cream Is a Racket. (applies to gel too).
posted by kookoobirdz at 2:21 PM on August 4, 2006

Second the Neutrogena.
posted by grateful at 2:23 PM on August 4, 2006

Throw off your chains of shaving oppression. The shaving conspiracy.
posted by wsg at 2:24 PM on August 4, 2006

Aveno makes a good one that smells like oatmeal.
posted by wsg at 2:24 PM on August 4, 2006

I found I couldn't justify spending $35 or whatever on a shaving brush so I bought one for £9 instead. Guess what, it's still miles better. Now all I have to do is use up this excess shaving gel somehow...
posted by grouse at 2:28 PM on August 4, 2006

I tried Billy Jealousy Hydroplane recently and loved it
posted by blister at 2:50 PM on August 4, 2006

Kiehl's is great. Does not require a brush necessarily. Have you tried King of Shaves? It was the only gel I've ever really liked.
posted by lackutrol at 3:08 PM on August 4, 2006

Aveda Lavender-Mint shave cream has changed the way I shave.

No lather, goes on like a layer of hair conditioner.
posted by generichuman at 3:08 PM on August 4, 2006

I shave with a brush and soap now, but when I used gel/foam, I had settled on Aveeno Therapeutic Shave Gel with colloidal oatmeal, which is probably the one wsg mentioned. I don't remember it smelling much like oatmeal, though. And while it came in a metal can, I never noticed any rusting.
posted by hades at 3:10 PM on August 4, 2006

Kiehl's Shaving cream, expensive, but aren't you worth it?
posted by Argyle at 3:17 PM on August 4, 2006

I'm a Williams mug soap and boar bristle guy myself. But what don't you like about the ubiquitous, cheap, and Web 2.0 personalized Edge Advanced with Aloe gel?
posted by paulsc at 4:01 PM on August 4, 2006

If you do go the brush route I've been really happy with Nancy Boy Shave Cream.
posted by aspo at 4:10 PM on August 4, 2006

+1 on Kiehl's. It's a goggle fogger! Lanolin beats Aloe any day of the week.
posted by troyer at 4:10 PM on August 4, 2006

Nothing. Just shave once you get out of the shower, and keep your face wet. If there is too much friction, just use any kind of soap, but only a tiny bit. Works for me.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 4:11 PM on August 4, 2006

Kiehl's. Beware though - one flavor has Menthol in it which can irritate some peoples skin.
posted by JPD at 4:53 PM on August 4, 2006

I use a soap-free Aveno face wash, worked to a lather in my hands. I shave while in a hot shower (plenty of water, plenty of heat). It has worked quite well for me.
posted by ThePants at 5:45 PM on August 4, 2006

I switched over to Shaving Oil recently, and I'm very happy. You use 5-6 drops, rub it vigorously into your face, and it definitely reduces irritation for me. Nice small bottle for travel, too.
posted by chr1sb0y at 5:56 PM on August 4, 2006

I've never understood... why badgers?

Anyway, I use Lush Ambrosia. I've used soap, badger and all, oils, gels and all the rest. The ambrosia is the nicest I've found in terms of the feel of my skin after a shave.

The really key thing, regardless of uguent is hot water, or steam to soften the hairs first...
posted by itsjustanalias at 6:17 PM on August 4, 2006

L'Occitane, primarily a marketer of women's bathroom accoutrements out of France, produces a variety of men's shaving products that I swear by.

I was gifted a set of their shaving cream and the aftershave lotion one year, and have not looked back since. I never thought I would spend 25 bucks on a tube of shaving cream, but there I am... And one tube lasts me for about 6 months, too.

Not only does it leave me baby's-ass soft (it has shea butter!), but it rinses so clean out of my razor, that the blades last twice as long, and it has a subtle and very nice smell that the ladies really, really dig.

They offer cream, oil, and mug soap...all of which are awesome, awesome products.

For your razor itself, I would suggest Art of Shaving. They offer creams, soaps, and oils, too... but L'Occitane's are so good.
posted by kaseijin at 7:24 PM on August 4, 2006

Tom's of Maine Natural Conditioning Shave Cream. I've been using it for years. The mint scented one is really invigorating in the morning....
posted by bluefrog at 8:04 PM on August 4, 2006

I'm another fan of King of Shaves - particularly the non-menthol one. They do both oils and minimal-foaming gels.
posted by greycap at 11:43 PM on August 4, 2006

Aveeno is amazing.
posted by radioamy at 1:12 AM on August 5, 2006

Thirding King Of Shaves. I used it for years, until I "threw off the chains of shaving oppression"
posted by deadmessenger at 7:57 AM on August 5, 2006

Yet another vote for Aveeno. And while I'm sure it's considered gauche, when I was unhappy with my shaving soap I simply started using my shaving brush with the Aveeno shaving gel, and I love it.
posted by solotoro at 8:13 AM on August 5, 2006

+1 (for the fifth or sixth time in the thread) on Kiehl's brushless shave cream. A little goes a looooong way.
posted by enrevanche at 8:39 AM on August 5, 2006

I'll pile on another recommendation for a brush, and for L'Occitane.

Even a cheap, cheap brush (I found a plastic Burma Shave brush for less than $5 at the grocery store when I first decided to try it) and a $1 cake of shaving soap is a wonderful experience compared to the can o' foamin' goo. I've long since went to a badger brush, but the plastic isn't that distant of a second.

The buy-in on all this gear may be a little steeper, but the ongoing costs are trivial. My girlfiend gave me L'Occitane shaving soap (the hard cake kind) in a nifty little metal bowl for Xmas last year, and after using it daily since, I can just now tell a bit of wear on the cake of soap; it'll probably last another couple of years -- not bad return for probably $30 or so (even less without the fancy bowl, I'm sure)
posted by nonliteral at 12:37 PM on August 5, 2006

I agree with the comments to get a good shaving soap (or shaving cream) and a badger brush. It really makes an enormous difference, and can make shaving a pleasant ritual. I've collected in one long post everything I've learned, and I regularly augment and revise it as I learn more. Take a look. The information there may be helpful, and there are many links.
posted by LeisureGuy at 3:21 PM on August 5, 2006