Ratings:

Price: 8

Cushion:

Slickness: 8

Scent: 5

Moisturising: 8

My most recent acquisition of shave creams and soaps to review unintentionally included products from five different countries. Spain, Portugal, Germany, England and the USA. I decided to start with the product that I was least excited about – the Cremo Shave Cream – which is produced in the USA. When I place an order for new soaps and creams I – out of necessity I guess – need to pick up products that I haven’s used in the past. So, often, as is the case with the Cremo Shave Cream I don’t really pay too much attention to what I am buying exactly other than it will help me shave my face. Unfortunately what that meant for me was having to use a brushless shave cream – the second time this has happened to me.

In the grand scheme of things I guess it isn’t really that big of a deal whether or not I have to use a shave brush to apply the product as long as it provides me with a close, irritation free shave. But the reality is that I enjoy using my brush; I enjoy the lathering process, the application process, and the way the brush feels on my face. What a brushless shave cream does for me is essentially take an enjoyable experience and brings it back to simply shaving.

But personal preference aside the final result of the Cremo Shave Cream was actually quite good. Using only a small amount of cream (white in colour – not too dissimilar from hand cream I guess) as per the directions I applied it directly to my wet beard with the result being a lather that resembled standard hand soap rather than shaving soap. The razor was able to do its job quite well, no pulling, no irritation, and my face was not left feeling dry. One thing I did not enjoy was applying additional cream for my second pass – using a brush with lather that has already been built up from your first pass is much more convenient.

A quick note on the scent. Although it doesn’t smell bad, it has more of a citrus hand cream feel to it than that of say something like Taylor of Old Bond Street Lemon and Lime. My wife really enjoyed the scent, which is a good thing because this tube of Cremo is now officially in the tub for her lady bits.

I will have to say that I am not surprised that of the five products I picked up the one that is brush free is the American one. That is not meant as some sort of America bashing at all (I’m in Canada), but rather a comment on perhaps the way we for the most part look at shaving in this part of the world. Something that is more of a bother and needs to be completed as quickly as possible as opposed to a refined skill that requires some pride. Which is why the current shaving products that dominate the market do as well as they do. I guess in some ways the way we look at shaving in North America (and increasingly in Europe and other parts of the world) also reflects in other areas of our life – instant gratification in nearly everything we do – no desire to work for anything.

In the end I can’t say that the Cremo Shave Cream is a bad product. It works, you get a decent shave, and the product will last you some time. It might actually make for a good option if you are travelling and don’t want to pack you brush and bowl. What is missing is the experience. I love my shave brushes – all of them – and for me that is part of the routine I rather not live without.