Updated: December 27, 2016

Ratings:

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I didn’t shave for nearly three days anticipating the arrival of my tub of Taylor of Old Bond Street Grapefruit Shaving Cream. I received an email late last week informing me that it had been released and I ordered it moments later, adding to the ever growing pile of shaving cream in my medicine cabinet that I use to, at one time, share with my wife. You can chalk up my impulsiveness to me being a vulnerable consumer, or perhaps label me as being somewhat OCD – I will, however, justify my purchase by simply stating that a shaving blog cannot exist if there is nothing new to write about, regardless of what my wife says.

Scent

If there ever was a seasonal shaving cream this has to be it. The Taylor of Old Bond Street Grapefruit is screaming for winter to push aside and allow Spring to take over. The scent is refreshing, and there is no mistaking it, it smells like grapefruit. Many, many grapefruits. If you are not a fan of citrus you may as well stop reading because this will make you drop the tub and send you running the other way towards your Bay Rum and Sandalwood. However, if you are not adverse to the scent of grapefruit, better yet if you enjoy it, then I wouldn’t hesitate with the grapefruit blend.

With some other creams, including some Taylor of Old Bond Street soaps, there tends to be a hint of other fragrances in the mix, I can’t seem to find any with this. Perhaps the grapefruit is overpowering, not allowing any other scents through, but what you smell is what matters I suppose.

Lather

Lathering of the Taylor of Old Bond Street Grapefruit, as always with Taylor of Old Bond Street creams, was simple, used little water and my brush required a single lathering, holding enough lather for all three passes, with some to spare. The performance, like the lather, was as expected. The lather created a slick surface, the lather was more thick than soapy, and the final results after shaving was excellent. If there was any concern over the citrus causing a burning or irritating feeling, it didn’t.

Writing this a couple of hours after shaving and the cream left my face feeling soft and moisturised. I found that the scent while applying the lather and shaving was less noticeable than smelling it out of the tub. I had the same experience with the Taylor of Old Bond Street Lemon & Lime scent, much less potent than when you first experience it. As with the Lemon & Lime, I will have to attribute it to the water diluting the scent somewhat. So don’t be turned off straight away if the scent seems a bit too strong.

Very little if anything wrong with the Taylor of Old Bond Street Grapefruit Shaving Cream. If you are already a fan of TOBS, then you can purchase with confidence. If you are thinking of making this your first non-canned shaving cream, I would maybe start somewhere else. This is somewhat of a departure from your Barbasol and Gillette Shave Gels, you may want to think about something like the Taylor of Old Bond Street Avocado or even their Sandalwood cream.

