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4 awesome new shave creams to help you save face

By Katie Dickens Aug 6, 2021 7:44 AM

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As the weather warms, you may start to consider relieving your face of the hair you’ve amassed over the colder months. But rather than resorting to using some crappy foamy shaving cream that removes the moisture along with your stubble, leaving your face dry, tight and itchy as hell, it might be time to consider an upgrade. We rounded up five oils, lotions and creams that will prep and prime for subsequent shearing without any uncomfortable and unsightly after-effects of that cheap frothy stuff.

The Art of Shaving Eucalyptus Shaving Cream

Art — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Okay, so you’ll get the lather you love (not Ibiza foam party level but still frothy) with this formula but it’s also packed full of glycerin and essential oils so hydration happens at the same time. Also, the invigorating scent of Eucalyptus offers an eye-opening start to your morning.

$27, theartofshaving.com

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Kiehl’s Close Shavers Squadron Smooth Glider Precision Shave Lotion

Kiehls — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you experience razor burn on the regular, than you probably would love to find that special something to prevent the mean reds from popping up. Kiehl’s is with you on this point and so they created this unique oil-infused shave lotion. Vitamin E and Kukui Nut Oil offer the TLC your face deserves and the cool see-through texture gives you a better vantage point.

$16 for 5 oz., kiehls.com

Tom Ford Shave Oil

Tom-ford — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Oh you fancy, huh? If only the swankiest of skincare is allowed to touch your face, then there’s really only one option for you—Tom Ford’s shave oil. Sure, the man with the perma stubble might not have firsthand experience with shaving, but this bottle with his name will certainly up your shaving game a thousand percent.

$60, tomford.com

Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb Shaving Cream

Spice — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Recognizing modern man’s adoration for the charms of the barbershop, the popular, grenade-shaped fragrance Spicebomb is lending its scent to a trio of barbershop-inspired groomers. The second step in the routine is a non-foaming shaving cream spiked with just enough of the masculine spice and tobacco scent to be pleasant, not nausea-inducing, like your dad’s old shave cream.

$28, nordstrom.com

Katie Dickens is a Manhattan-based beauty and grooming writer. She has held staff positions at Glamour, In Style, People… Read Full Bio

Topics

Dean Bell hits the road and talks men’s grooming

Adult, Male, Man

Dean Bell is a guy many people know from The Bachelor and The Bachelor in Paradise. He has since updated his image as an influencer searching for adventure. That search has led him to partner with Chevron this summer in celebration of the country’s 250th birthday. In addition to helping many drivers keep their engines in top shape this summer with his support of the gas, he is teaching us something he is adopting this season: Men’s grooming and skincare. As he gets a little older, he is figuring out, with the help of his wife (like most of us), the importance of taking care of his skin. But how is he doing that on the road this year? And how can we learn from his experience?

That’s what grooming is at the end of the day when it comes to skincare. You are basically keeping to your skin as youthful as you possibly can. – Dean Bell

Grooming is on its biggest stage with World Cup 2026

Ball, Football, Soccer

We don’t talk enough about men’s grooming. Skincare, haircare, nails, and teeth are all important for your personal appearance and overall health. Typically, we tend to put it on the back burner while we focus our time on things with a more measurable return on time investment. Sure, we used to get away with this because guys like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and Paul Newman were regarded as examples of the rugged male aesthetic that didn’t need the attention to moisturizing and conditioning. Nowadays, though, men like George Clooney and Brad Pitt are seen as sex symbols deep into their sixties, and it is largely thanks to skincare. Recently, if you have been watching the World Cup, you may have noticed a focus on the grooming marketing. That is because Unilever has launched its largest activation ever with a sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The FIFA World Cup 2026™ will be the most socially connected and inclusive tournament in our history. Football today lives in real time, in culture and on social platforms – and this tournament is designed to be experienced, shaped and shared by fans wherever they are. – Romy Gai, Chief Business Officer, FIFA

Your dad’s favorite gift may be smelling good

Bottle, Cosmetics, Perfume

As Father’s Day sneaks up on you (hopefully it isn’t sneaking up on you since we have been putting Father’s Day gift guides and articles with ideas for a few weeks here), there is a tendency to go for the old faithfuls dads seem to have always gotten. Ties. Mugs. Tools. And, of course, the always classic Old Spice cologne. The same cologne his dad got. The same cologne his grandfather got when your dad couldn’t figure out what to get him. It is time to do something different. Sure, a man wants to smell good, and buying him a cologne is a great gift. But you can do it the regular way, or you can go above and beyond by letting him make his own choices (I’m not talking about a gift card). Olfactory NYC is the kind of gift your dad is looking for this year.

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