A Refined, Natural, Cleansing, Shave.

Wash my face, then shave.

What if I could cut this down to one step?!

It's not simply a matter of time, for men it's about our bloodline...If we cut ourselves shaving, any products on our face, such as a shaving foam, could potentially go deeper into the skin and irritate or perhaps cause something more sinister. 

The simple solution then would be to use natural shaving products and skincare. Perhaps, if the natural based shaving foams and gels could hold it together long enough for me to shave, without dissipating to a liquid in a short time whilst my razor blade hacks away at my face and leaves a bloody trail of despair. 

Experimenting with natural based shaving products led to more misses than hits. More expensive, More painful, More waste..I didn't want to try this anyMORE. I gave up on this experiment years ago. I hoped that one day maybe the natural skincare world could make my day. I stuck with traditional shaving products and their cocktail of chemicals that worked best, my way. 

I eat meat, I do what I can to recycle what I can, although rinsing plastic bottles and cans before I recycle them needs more work on my part. I review skincare for this blog objectively, I am #ForPeopleNotForProfit which means that I write what moves me, impartially. Clear to me was that my natural alternative experiments within the wet shave world had come to an end, the chemical based solutions were here to stay, as where their thick and protective shaving foams. Some add "skin friendly" plant extracts to their '0% Alcohol Free' formula so as not to irritate a freshly shaved profile which is good. Perhaps you may not know this, but most men's shaving products (including deodorants) are alcohol free anyway. Skincare grade alcohol doesn't bother me as it can act as a slight astringent to the skin and it may help with cuts to slow the blood flow if it lasts at all as alcohol tends to evaporate once it is on the skin and in the open air. With or without alcohol, a shaving cream we wash off in the end and a bleeding shaving cut won't stop for no one. Applying pressure with a tissue, hoping that it wont stick to your face, is your only friend. 

Shaving Foam & Gels Suited Me Best. Maybe A Cream Dream?

I felt like trying the sensitive shaving cream as it was half the price of those in the tall pressurised cans. But wait a minute, I would need to buy a shaving bowl and the shaving brush to lather up the shaving cream...$$. I had my old Jean Paul Gaultier men's kabuki makeup brush and my hand cups nicely to replicate a bowl. Sure the brush was not nearly as firm as the shaving bristle brush, it still lathered up the cream nicely, lets do this! It kind of worked well. The cream held up a nice barrier between my skin and the shaving blade. Weeks went by and things were all ok. That is until I noticed that my kabuki brush was losing it's colour, from black to blonde. Sure it is a natural animal hair brush, I would prefer not to use animal hair when I can as the synthetic brushes truly work just as well, most importantly the synthetic brushes don't shed hair each time that you use it. Seriously, what was I supposed to do? Throw this perfectly good brush away, add to the ever increasing landfill and buy a faux after I throw? I do what I can when things have had their day, I will even Upcycle when I can. Some (like this brush) where built to last, despite shedding hair here and there. 

Is It Just Me, Or Did My Brush 'Come Up Trumps'? It Looks Like A Certain President!

Sure, I'm not leaving the shaving foam on my skin all day so it won't harm me or bleach my face I guess. Shave, rinse, then off to start my day. But that kabuki turning from a deep brown to what now looks like a circus clown, this despite the fact that I rinse the brush after each use as a shaving brush. Is there some chemical in the shaving cream that is bleaching my brush? Surely not? Surely what? It is visual food for thought which caused me to stop using it then and there. 

Unexpectedly now I was caught without a shaving product alternative and I didn't have time to go to the shops as I was getting ready for work. This led me to test and see if Jurlique's Nutri-Define Refining Foaming Cleanser could hold it's form long enough for me to shave my beard line. 

This foaming cleanser was in fine form. I splashed a little bit of water onto the cleanser which covered my face and neck and then I lathered it up. What if I try shaving with this? With my close shaves of the past, fortune did not favour the bold. It surely did from this day forward. No nicks or cuts as this lather held up well, not that I am that concerned as I would rather have the natural ingredients get under my skin accidentally if I did cut myself shaving rather than a chemical cocktail leaching into open cuts. This I say despite the assurances that their ingredients have 'such a small amount as not to cause any problems'. 

I waited quite some time for this day. I wasn't actively hunting for a solution, I gave that up, I didn't give up on hope. Maybe holding onto something tightly may distract you from something good when it comes your way? Food for thought. For me, happy days!

King M. Rakic 

-A Close Shave, A Post Shave Essence-tial

-Feeling Fine With NUTRI-DEFINE

-Facial Problematic Skin, To Shave Or Not? My Blog- ECZEMA DILEMMA - Part 2