The combatants
Round 1, match 2 pits our two smallest competitors against one another, as well as the only scented participant. In battle number two, we’ve got Dermalogica’s Soothing Shave Cream going head-to-head with êShave’s White Tea shaving cream. Let’s see how this one plays out.
In the red corner…
Dermalogica Soothing Shave Cream (photo from website)
What they say:
An ultra-lubricating cream that delivers a super-close shave that won’t leave skin feeling sore. It helps skin recover from damage while preventing aggravation brought on by shaving. Contains no artificial fragrance or color.
What it cost: $18 for 6 ounces
What I paid: Zero…point…zero. Stopped in a “products” store in LA a while back to see if they had a good clay mask. I had wicked razor burn (forgot my dopp kit at home and had to use unfamiliar products) and the insanely polite hippie behind the counter suggested I try this. I ended up throwing it in my bag and forgetting about it, until I needed another brand to round out the field.
Past experience: None…I had heard of it, but always thought it was called Dermatalogica. Oops. I also never knew they had men’s products. C’est la vie…
Smell: Nice for the first 1.5 seconds, but all down hill from there. Once the packet was fully open and the cream was in my hand, I was hit by an overwhelming medicinal smell. I looked at the ingredient list while the oil was absorbing and it says it’s all natural. Of the things I recognized, there was nothing that should smell like this. Alas, I suffer for my art (and this crap), so I soldiered on.
Lather: Very thin; Neither creamy nor soapy; extremely slick, like a greasy moisturizer, but not oily.Despite the weird texture and the fact that it looked like it would drip off, it stuck to the beard well, but why does it burn?
Shave: Almost too good. The blade practically flew over my face and everything was gone in a single pass. It was good that this was going quickly, because the burning was very uncomfortable.
Aftermath: It burned both during and after. The shave was incredibly clean, with no bleeding, bumps or redness. It still burned like hell though, all the way through the post-shave treatment and subsequent shower. Once that went away, it looked good.
Fiancee: She said, right away, that the Dermalogica side was much smoother, but that my skin looked “a little weird.” There was no visible irritation or anything, but it almost seemed too smooth. Interestingly enough, she liked the smell.
Overall: Given the ingredients listed, I’m really surprised I reacted the way I did, especially since they say it’s good for sensitive skin. This was probably the smoothest, quickest shave I’ve had since puberty, but between the smell and the burn, I was not a fan. As I said at the beginning, this is completely subjective, and other people I know swear by Dermalogica. It’s very possible I’m a freak of nature, and I suspect this “reaction” is by no means universal. I’d encourage others to at least try Dermalogica, but it wasn’t for me.
Link
And its opponent…
Fighting out of the blue corner…
eShave White Tea Shave Cream (thanks to their social media team for the photo)
What they say:
êShave Shaving Cream is your main ingredient to your perfect shave every day. Our shave cream will:
– Open your pores, soften your hair and protect your skin
– Generate a rich, creamy and warm lather
– Eliminate shaving irritation
Available in eight original scents:
– Orange Sandalwood: For all skin types
– Verbena Lime: For all skin types
– Lavender: For sensitive to normal skin
– White Tea: For all skin types
– Cucumber: For all skin types
– Almond: For dry to normal skin
– Fragrance Free: For all skin types
– Floral: For sensitive to normal skin
êShave Shaving Cream is water activated and should be applied with our badger shaving brush (highly recommended) or with your finger tips.
Shaving Cream Benefits: Hydrate and protect your skin so it’s ready for a close shave, without any unwanted discomfort.
What it cost: $8.50 for 1 ounce; $22 for 4 ounces
What I paid: $22 for 0.25 ounces as part of the Mini Kit Assorted, which included quarter-ounce mini creams and after shaves in White Tea, Lavender, Verbena Lime and Almond. Purchased from Nickel Spa NYC – this same kit is $17 on their website.
Past experience: Used the Almond once after buying and had a bad experience thanks to “user error.” Lesson learned…shaving when hung over is a horrible idea.
Other notes: As mentioned above, this was the only scented one I tried. They make an unscented version, but it wasn’t included in the kit and I’ve been told I’m not allowed to buy any more shaving products until the ones I have are used up. I did the sniff test on all four versions in the set and White Tea was the most subtle, so I went with that.
Also, eShave has won a number of awards from FHM, Men’s Health and others. They’re very proud of these awards (rightly so), but I didn’t want to take others’ ratings into consideration so aside from knowing what they’ve won, I haven’t read any other reviews.
Smell: It was subtle, but it was there, and it was good. I’m not really sure what white tea is supposed to smell like, but this reminded me of green tea (maybe they’re similar). It was awesome. It had a slightly sweet, but very mellow, almost calming scent, like when you’re sick and inhale the steam from a cup of tea. I was actually tempted to taste it, but was afraid it would influence the verdict if I determined eShave could pull double duty as a shave cream and a tasty snack.
Lather: Most of the other contenders say that their creams can be used with or without a brush, but eShave “highly recommends” using their badger brush. In the interest of fairness, I stuck with my Taylor of Old Bond Street brush, and while I can appreciate their effort to create brand loyalty, I don’t know that it really makes a difference. My old reliable turned this from a little dot in my hand into a rich froth almost immediately. Unlike some of the others that have already competed, the lathering process didn’t water it down at all, and it went on in a nice, even way. It wasn’t overly thick or too watery. Like baby bear’s porridge, it was just right.
Shave: Not as smooth as the Dermalogica, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I may be in the minority, but I prefer a little bit of resistance. I don’t like full-blown drag or anything like that, just enough that I realize there’s actually a blade against my skin and I’m not simply wiping the cream off my face. eShave had the resistance, without the serious drag that causes razor burn. Heavier growth than this might be a little tougher, but this was nice.
Aftermath: It felt good. The Erase and subsequent wash had no irritation. I didn’t notice a big difference looks-wise without getting closer to the mirror than I should have.
Fiancee: She said right away that the Dermalogica side looked cleaner, but didn’t think the eShave side looked bad. She said that both looked okay, but that she preferred the cleaner of the two.
Overall: I’m glad I gave them a second chance after my initial bad experience (again, fully my fault), as a proper, sober shave was infinitely more enjoyable. Whether eShave wins or not, I look forward to trying the other three flavors in the kit.
Link
And the winner is…
eShave
I did what I could to make this an even playing field as far as scent and other variables, and found good things with both creams. While I could see people preferring Dermalogica, eShave simply blew them out of the water in my totally unqualified opinion as it was good at everything and outstanding at some things. We’re half-way through the first round, and while the match-ups were completely random, the round two battle between eShave and Jack Black should be good.
Happy Shaving…
Healthy for the Wedding 