Your shaving routine is about to get greener and more hydrating.
Shaving cream irritated me for a long time. As a teenager, I would buy the male version to shave my legs in because it was cheaper than the female version, which meant there would always be a hint of a male scent under my Ralph Lauren Ralph (IYKYK) perfume. When I switched to women, I found the gel’s electric pink hue and artificial scent (“Raspberry Rain”, anyone?) to be unnecessarily off-putting. And when the box of shaving cream was quietly running out of product and I had to shave my leg with just lather from a bar soap, I still got razor burn. Needless to say, I was too happy to see a new shaving product on the scene: the shave bar.
By now you are probably familiar with the beauty bar trend (see: shampoo bars), helping to reduce the amount of single-use plastics that end up in landfills. A shaving bar is no different. Instead of a gel or mousse packaged in a metal spray can with a plastic cap (both can be recycledbut are often not), it’s just a bar in a paper wrapper that can replace up to five bottles of shaving cream.
One of the leading shaving bars is from Canadian company Good Juju. That of the brand Moisturizing Shave Bar is formulated with good-for-your-skin ingredients, including natural oils (like coconut and jojoba seeds) and butters (like cocoa and shea), all of which help boost skin’s moisture, to reduce irritation and make it silky.
I’ve been using Good Juju’s shave bar for a few months, and unlike shaving cream, it doesn’t make my skin feel tight and dry, but hydrated and glowing. And unlike regular body soap, it didn’t lead to razor burn. Plus, Good Juju’s bar is made with rosemary and cedarwood essential oils, so it smells less like berry gum (or fruity rain) and more like a high-end spa.
“Once you try our shaving bar, you’ll never go back,” says the Good Juju website. And I am happy to confirm the trademark right.
Good Juju Moisturizing Shave Bar, $15, thedetoxmarket.ca
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