6 Best Shaving Cream Scents for Fall

Scent is indelibly tied to memory. Perhaps, come autumn, a whiff of tobacco smoke reminds you of your granddad smoking his cigar pipe in his library, or the scent of sandalwood takes you back to crisp autumn hikes with friends during your youth. As the weather cools down and we try our best to get warm, we gravitate towards these familiar smells, and many of us switch our cologne from the light, zesty scents of spring and summer to something headier. It’s also possible to capture scent memories – while making your wet shaving ritual feel ever so seasonal – with a fall shaving cream.

The following six shaving creams feature fragrance accords of the darker, richer variety. Think smoky vetiver, earthy patchouli, and hints of leather and aromatic spices. Give them a try along with warm lather from a shaving scuttle for a comforting fall shave.

Simpsons Shaving Cream – Lavender and Vetivert

If fall conjures up scents of smoky firewood, look for vetiver or vertivert (the essential oil of the vetiver plant) in your shaving cream. Simpsons Shaving Cream in Lavender and Vetivert has an earthy base punctuated with woody, smoky top notes and floral, minty undertones.

The glycerin-based formula contains aloe for an irritation-free shave.

SHOP: Simpsons Shaving Cream – Lavender and Vetivert

Kent Luxury Shaving Soap

Kent Luxury Shave Soap features a beautiful fougère fragrance with a base of heady, rich patchouli lifted by extracts of pine, clove, and lavender. The soap’s fragrance finishes with lasting base notes of nutmeg, cedarwood, vanilla, musk, and sandalwood.

Made from natural lanolin sourced from English sheep wool, this shaving soap is decadently creamy, providing your skin with the extra cushion and moisture it needs as the temperatures and humidity dip.

SHOP: Kent Luxury Shaving Soap

Taylor of Old Bond Street Luxury Shaving Cream Bowl – Sandalwood

Reviewers have called Taylor of Old Bond Street Luxury Shaving Cream Bowl in Sandalwood a “hyper-masculine scent that’s highly addictive.” A year-round bestseller, this shaving cream is particularly beguiling in the fall, boasting a deep fougère fragrance with top notes of lavender, rosemary, liquid amber, and geranium, opening to a heart of fern and orange blossom.

SHOP: Taylor of Old Bond Street Luxury Shaving Cream Bowl – Sandalwood

Castle Forbes Essential Oil Shaving Cream – Cedarwood and Sandalwood

A sophisticated woody fragrance grounded in cedarwood and sandalwood essential oils, Castle Forbes Essential Oil Shaving Cream is distinctly masculine. Thankfully, the scent is quite light so it won’t conflict with any aftershave cologne you apply afterwards.

An ultra-moisturizing formulation of coconut oil and glycerin provides thick, creamy lather for maximum lubrication, and it’s gentle on all skin types.

SHOP: Castle Forbes Essential Oil Shaving Cream

Truefitt and Hill Shaving Cream – Grafton

The gold standard autumnal fragrance, Truefitt & Hill Grafton was formulated in 1983 at the suggestion of one of HMS Grafton’s officers, who while being attended to by a Truefitt’s barber took a liking to the aroma and suggested it be named after the gracious line of HMS battleships.

A classic masculine fougère with a green herbaceous opening, Grafton has a heart of dry, spicy floral resting on a base of rich, woody amber and leather.

Grafton Shaving Cream captures this warm, aromatic scent while soothing your skin with glycerin and coconut oil.

SHOP: Truefitt & Hill Grafton Shaving Cream

RazoRock Zi’ Peppino Shaving Soap

RazoRock Zi’ Peppino Shaving Soap is rife with the scent woody, fresh tobacco flower, topped with a hint of spice. A lightweight fall fragrance, this shaving soap is perfect for gentlemen who don’t like fall fragrances that are too heady. The soap’s consistency lies somewhere in between a shaving cream and shaving soap, so you’ll easy produce mountains of lather. A bonus? The formula is vegan friendly.

SHOP: RazoRock Zi’ Peppino Shaving Soap

Shaving Soaps, Creams, and Gels: Which Should You Use?

 

Proper razor technique and blade sharpness are only part of the wet shaving puzzle. To shave well, you must ultimately be equipped with a spread of tools tailored to your skin type and lifestyle.

Shaving creams, shaving soaps, and shaving gels are all designed for the same purpose: to enhance glide and protect your face during shaving. But each type has benefits and drawbacks.

We hope the following breakdown will help you decide which one to go with!

Shaving Soap

There’s a small learning curve associated with lathering a shaving soap. Condensed into a puck or a disc, shaving soaps only lather with water and a shaving brush. Producing lather takes a few minutes, and the process can be even harder if you’re using triple-milled soap.

Triple-milled soap is soap that has been passed through a milling machine three times to thoroughly mix the ingredients and fragrances, as well as squeeze out extra moisture. This makes triple-milled soap harder than regular soap – and thus more difficult to lather. However, once you do learn how to lather it, triple-milled soap produces the richest lather you will experience. Plus, triple-milled soap is more economical. You can easily get 3 – 4 months of shaving out of one puck.

This is why soaps like Mitchell’s Wool Fat Shaving Soap and Geo F. Trumper Hard Shaving Soap (both triple-milled soaps) have just as many die-hard fans as men who complain about how hard they are to lather. A trick to try: place a few drops of Geo F. Trumper Skin Food or glycerin on the puck or brush prior to lathering. Most importantly, always use distilled water.

If you want more advice on the subject, we actually wrote a blog post on how to get lather from Geo F. Trumper Hard Shaving Soap here.For a slightly easier lathering experience, try Edwin Jagger Shaving Soap.

Tip: If you have sensitive skin, note that shaving soaps are more likely to dry out your skin than creams or gels. But don’t let that stop you from trying one – just pick a soap formulated for sensitive skin, like Acca Kappa Muschio Bianco Shaving Soap Bowl.

Shaving Cream

Shaving creams contain more water than shaving soaps. This makes them far easier to lather (in fact, you can lather immediately and without water, versus having to build lather slowly with shaving soaps). So if you typically find yourself short on time, a shaving cream may be the smart choice for you. We also recommend shaving soaps for those new to wet shaving, as developing lather with soap is a learning process in and of itself.

And shaving creams are often a better choice for men with sensitive skin. Because shaving creams tend to come in many more varieties than shaving soaps, you’ll find plenty of unscented versions with minimal ingredients that can irritate skin. Truefitt & Hill has a lovely unscented line called Ultimate Comfort, formulated for sensitive skin.

You can’t go wrong with a shaving cream from one of the three T’s: Geo F. Trumper, Taylor of Old Bond Street, and Truefitt & Hill. For an indulgent shave experience, try Castle Forbes Essential Oil Shaving Cream, an ultra rich cream with aloe vera to prevent irritation. If you’re looking for something more affordable, Proraso has long been a standby.

Shave Gel

Like shaving creams, shaving gels don’t require water to build lather. Just squeeze some out from the tube and apply with your fingers. Shaving gels are thinner in consistency than shaving creams and allow you to see what you’re doing, since they don’t produce lather. This feature makes shaving gels a good choice for beginners who can use the visual feedback.

Zirh Aloe Vera Shaving Gel is a lightweight-yet-hydrating shaving gel that cushions with glycerin and has a smooth consistency.

The Conclusion

So which type of shaving product should you use? Let’s sum it up:

For massive lather: Shaving Soap

For men with limited time: Shaving cream or gel

For beginners: Shaving cream or gel

For men with dry or sensitive skin: Shaving cream

Enter the RoyalShave + Taylor of Old Bond Street USA Giveaway!

Founded in 1854 by Jeremiah Taylor, Taylor of Old Bond Street was one of the first beacons of traditional wet shaving. With a legacy for crafting hair, skin, and beard products that epitomize classic British style, Taylor of Old Bond Street continues to be held in high regard amongst wet shavers. That’s why we are excited to announce an exclusive giveaway, brought to you by the folks at Taylor of Old Bond Street USA!

We’re celebrating the art of wet shaving with a Taylor of Old Bond Street giveaway!

To qualify, please submit your entry by 11:59 PM PT on Wednesday, July 5th, 2017.

DETAILS:

We will be selecting 1 winner. You can enter on Facebook and/or Instagram as many times as you’d like.

PRIZES:

A fabulous collection of Taylor of Old Bond Street’s bestsellers, worth over $200!

  • Sandalwood Pre-Shave Oil
  • Pre-Shave Aromatherapy
  • Sandalwood Herbal Shaving Soap in Wooden Bowl
  • Luxury Shaving Stick – St James Collection
  • Luxury Sandalwood Shaving Stick
  • Mr Taylor’s Luxury Talcum Powder
  • Cedarwood Shaving Cream
  • Organic Shaving Cream
  • Sandalwood Shaving Cream
  • Eton College Collection Gentleman’s Cologne

HOW TO ENTER:

Facebook

  1. Like Taylor of Old Bond Street and RoyalShave on Facebook.
  2. Answer this question in on RoyalShave’s Facebook page:

How did you get started with wet shaving?

Enter Now on RoyalShave’s Facebook >

Instagram

  1. Follow Taylor of Old Bond Street and RoyalShave on Instagram.
  2. Post a photo and answer the question below. Tag us @RoyalShave and #RoyalShaveGiveaway.

How did you get started with wet shaving?

Enter Now on RoyalShave’s Instagram >

RULES:

No purchase necessary. You may enter as many times are you’d like on both Facebook and Instagram.

Enter by 11:59 PM PT on Wednesday, July 5th, 2017. The RoyalShave staff will announce winners on July 7th, 2017 via Facebook and Instagram. Limited to residents of the United States of America.

Tips for Wet Shaving While Traveling, Part 2: Brushes, Shave Soaps, and Aftershaves

vintage-luggage

Welcome to Part 2 of Tips for Wet Shaving While Traveling!

Today we’ll be covering the supporting players of your wet shave routine: brushes, soaps/creams, and aftershaves. Whether you plan to bring the current product you use or will be purchasing a special travel-friendly version, we have solutions that’ll see you through your trip seamlessly.

Check back for Part 3 soon, and don’t forget to read up on Part 1: Razors & Blades here.

Travel brushes

You have two options here:

Buy a travel brush/compact brush –

Many wet shaving brands offer travel-sized brushes. These tend to be small brushes, and often come in travel tubes with caps, like the da Vinci UOMO Voyage 295 Silvertip Badger Travel Brush. This design protects your brush while allowing air flow to prevent the growth of mold. You can also try a compact brush, like the well-loved Omega #11047 Mighty Midget Boar/Badger Shave Brush. Standing at just 73 mm tall, this Omega brush features a fan-shaped bristle loft for easy lathering and a sturdy handle.

Pop your current brush into a prescription bottle –

Don’t want to give up your favorite brush while you travel? We don’t blame you. A simple solution is to put your full-size shaving brush in a tall prescription bottle. This will protect your bristles throughout the trip. If you don’t have one on hand, you can purchase them cheaply at a local drugstore or pharmacy. Don’t forget to drill a small hole into the lid to facilitate drying.

Shave soaps and creams

Shaving soap

Unfortunately, you’ll have to ditch your fancy wooden soap bowl, as the lid won’t close securely during flights. Plus, the bulky size of these screw-top bowls makes them hard to fit into a small carry-on. Thankfully, there’s an easy solution. Slip your puck into a Ziploc container. You can also venture into the world of shaving sticks, which create foolproof lather right on your face. No mug is necessary with a shaving stick (saving you a little room in your bag). Since shaving sticks are solid and come in tubes, you don’t have to worry about anything popping open or leaking.

Shaving cream

Plastic hinged-lid containers (like these from The Container Store) transport shaving cream well, and are available in multiple sizes depending on how much shaving cream you’d like to bring. Since the lids don’t fall off, you won’t have to worry about leaks. Some companies also make shaving cream tube versions of their shaving creams. You can find Taylor of Old Bond Street’s popular fragrances, including Eton College and St. James, in a shaving cream tube.

Aftershaves

When you travel, you’re going to be a lot more active than usual, which means you can easily get dehydrated. To keep yourself and your skin in good shape, remember to drink lots of water and to bring a rich aftershave balm. Truefitt & Hill has a luxurious travel-sized version of their Ultimate Comfort Aftershave Balm. If you want to kill two birds with one stone, the company’s Authentic No. 10 Post-Shave Cologne Balm works as both an aftershave balm for sensitive skin and lightweight woodsy cologne.

If you prefer not to buy a separate aftershave for travel, transfer some of your normal aftershave into a flip-top bottle. The Nalgene Flip-Top Leakproof Travel Bottle is compact and worry-free.

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