Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsI love it but it's getting expensive!
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2016
Taylor of Old Bond Street does have an excellent product line. If you are new to wet shaving, using a cream is a nice way to start. It lathers easily and is typically more slick and forgiving than hard soaps or softer soaps called 'croaps'. Which is best for you in the long run? That's up to you to decide once you have the experience, skill and knowledge behind you.
The Cost -
I'll start off by saying that as much as I love TOBS, they are getting unreasonably expensive in my opinion. I've been buying from them for years. About a year ago, I could buy 5.3 ounces of the Jermyn shaving cream for $12. Now, it seems to be averaging about $20. That's almost $4 per ounce! Holy cow that's a lot! It seems 'TOBS' is enjoying their success and brand name recognition as all the prices on all their products seems to have climbed steadily this past 6 months or so.
The Scent -
This is subjective and very personal. I love this scent. It's very unique and original. MY girlfriend likes it and many of the women at client locations have smelled it and commented positively. Will you like it? I have no idea. But it's not fair to add/remove stars for scent. No manufacturer in the world will be able to please every nose.
The Lather-
I find this cream to produce a full lather quickly and to be very slick throughout the shave.
The Performance -
During the shave I find it provides all the slickness and buffer you could want. I have coarse facial hair and semi-sensitive skin. For me this performs very well. Again, like scent, this is subjective. Your experience will depend upon your skin type and skill level because they will be different than mine.
The Post Shave -
This is where I feel the product fails somewhat. My skin feels good but not great. It feels a bit dry after. I wish TOBS Jermyn Street would provide a better moisturizing experience post shave. That said, this is not a big deal. In the spring and summer seasons I don't need to moisturize much where I live. The fall and winter require it, so I'm going to moisturize regardless. Basically, this problem is easily solved by using your favorite aftershave balm which most of us do every time any way. I suppose if you have oily skin, you would embrace this cream's drying effect.
How to best use this product?
This is where I think a lot of negative reviewers have gone wrong. They just don't know how to use creams properly. Most likely they load too much onto the brush or into the bowl and in the end, they have a thick, heavy Greek yogurt-like glue that they attempt to shave with. Then there's the opposite. They see how it looks like glue in the tub and add way too much water until it gets thinned out into something resembling milk.
Here's how you do it right.
#1 - Use an extremely small amount. I dip my damp synthetic brush directly into the tub until there is about two shelled sunflower seeds worth on the very tip. I then proceed to face lather. If you use a bowl/scuttle, that will work too.
#2 - Creams lather easily. Don't over-work it.
#3 - If it's a bit dry or too thick, just add 1-2 drops of water. Yes, I said drops.
#4 - For your second or third pass shaves you don't need to 'work' the soap up again. Just paint stroke it across your face to cover the skin, then shave.
In the end, I have to take off 2 stars. 1 for the price and 1 for post shave drying. If the price was more reasonable, this would be a 4 star shave cream.
