I’ve never been a fan of non-lathering shave creams. I like the old-fashioned lathering experience with my shave. As a fan (and member) of Dollar Shave Club, I was excited when they introduced Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter, but ultimately disappointed when I discovered that it was the non-lathering type. There’s nothing wrong with non-lathering shave creams, but they’re just not my personal preference.
Naturally, when a tube of Pillowy Shave Lather arrived from Dollar Shave Club, I was eager to try it.
After shaving with it for the past couple of weeks, I can tell you that it’s pretty good. On the tube itself, it says “for a rich and dreamy shave.” Rich it is, indeed. The cream is very concentrated and lathers up well, lubricating the skin with a blend of four oils that enable the blade to glide smoothly along the skin for a close and comfortable shave.
But about that concentrated richness… The consistency of the cream is super thick, almost like Marshmallow Fluff. While the finished shave is nice, the drawback is that the cream doesn’t rinse cleanly from the razor. I really had to rinse my razor hard to get all the cream off the blades. The Shave Lather works better if you dilute it with a palm of water.
My other note is on the fragrance. The way I see it, the scent of a shaving product (or any grooming product) shouldn’t compete with one’s preferred cologne or scent. While this shave lather’s scent is perfectly pleasant, it’s a little tough to shake. If its fragrance intensity level is a 7, I’d dial it down to about a 3.
Dollar Shave Club has been transparent about its long-game mission to take over the bathroom. After the wonderfully affordable and game-changing subscription model with the razor blades, DSC has expanded its line of offerings with butt wipes, non-lathering shave butter, moisturizer, hair products and now lathering shave cream. (The overly-scented hair products were a misfire, in my opinion.) Some things they do very well (razors), some things not as well (hair products), and some things okay (this shave lather).
No single brand does everything perfectly with a line of products that all hit it out of the park. That’s why the products in my grooming regimen come from different sources. With respect to shave cream, the comparably priced cream from Harry’s and the more expensive cream from Kiehl’s do the same job but with much gentler fragrance and cleaner rinse off the blade.
I love Dollar Shave Club. I’ve been using the 4x razors since the company started and couldn’t be more pleased. The Pillowy Shave Lather is a logical addition to a growing line of smart products from the grooming industry’s original disruptor, but it could use slight adjustments in the formula.
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