Recently, Buzzed discovered the harsh truth that women pay more than their male counterparts for similar drugstore grooming products. It’s sad that retailers can charge more for a razor just because it’s pink. So let’s rebel, here are the five men’s grooming products that you should take for a spin.
Dove Men+Care Shower Tool ($5.49)
A lathering pouf on one side and a loofah on the other, this product is superior to those silly, candy-colored poufs they sell to women. This “shower tool” will keep your skin in tip-top shape for summer.
Gillette Fusion Pro-Glide ($11.50)
The Fusion Pro-Glide has five blades and pivots on a flexible ball. It’s a miracle product for shaving knees, ankles, etc. As an added bonus, it’s usually a dollar or two cheaper than its female counterpart.
Tend Skin After Shave Solution ($12)
Suffer from ingrown hairs? Tend Skin can help. I’ve never found a cure-all for bikini bumps, but this product is as close as I’ve come. It also comes in a roller-applicator for easy use.
Dove Men+Care Deodorant Spray ($6)
During the summer, you need to deodorize more than just your underarms. The trouble is most spray antiperspirants smell terrible, like a tropical jungle or a vat of vanilla. This unscented spray is the perfect product for keeping dry all summer long.
If you’re looking for a face scrub (or shoulder, décolletage scrub), this Zia product is worth a try. It exfoliates without drying.
Another great way to save money on razors is to switch to a double-edge safety razor, once you have a razor the blades are only 30 cents a piece for a high quality Japanese blade like Feather. I also like that there is so much less waste than cartridge razors, and because you aren’t cutting hairs off beneath the surface of your skin like multi-blade razors do, I seem to get fewer ingrowns! Win-win-win!
Ugh, men’s product packaging is so ugly! And they probably spent more money on research and advertising to make it more “manly”. When I think of a shower “tool”, I’m thinking of something to fix the drain, not a loofah.
Cute packaging is fun, when the products are ultimately utilitarian in nature and will only really be seen by you (and your spouse, perhaps)…well, I’d personally rather save the money.
Belle, you introduced me to Kiehl’s Eye Alert, a men’s product I have become extremely loyal to! I’ve recently started using it in conjunction with the Facial Fuel Eye De-Puffer in the morning, and I swear by it. No woman’s product(s) come close.
Proraso shave cream!
What I have found that is cheap and effective for ingrown hairs? Stridex pads (though the tonic on a cotton ball would do the same trick).
Preach – my husband uses the Dove shower tool and they are nice. Also, Axe (I know, shudder) makes something just like it with different colors – both Dove and Axe are owned by the same parent company, Unilever. Unilever releases coupons for both, and store sales sometimes make one cheaper than the other. If the branding doesn’t bother you, keep an eye out for those, too and save even more!
I’ve been using men’s Gillette razors for years just because of that. Sure, Venus is more aesthetically pleasing, but I’m concerned about the comfort and aesthetics of my legs more than I am a pretty razor.
I tried using the Gillette Fusion, hoping I’d save a few dollars off of my Venus razor, but it just can’t compare to the Venus Embrace (I used to buy the Embrace blades and use them on the cheaper Venus handle). Granted I haven’t bought the rolly one. I was also really annoyed that the male and female handles aren’t interchangeable anymore. Back in the day, I used to be able to use my dad’s Mach 3 blades on my Venus handle whenever I ran out. This time I had to go out and buy a whole new handle, cuz I mistakenly thought the blades I bought would fit my old Venus.
I use Mens Deoderant simply because it has staying power, doesnt stain my clothes, and stays generally fresh smelling. I find many womens deoderant starts to smell sour if I do happen to sweat (plus nobody notices that you smell like pine trees rather than “cool cucumber”)
I’ve had similar experience with women’s deodorants. It’s frustrating! On top of the cloying, loud fragrances that are entirely too obvious either freshly-applied or as they, “sour,” I tend to have issues with antiperspirants (fortunately, I don’t sweat much so I don’t really need one) – and there are damn few women’s deodorants that lack them!
So currently, I have three – Old Spice Fiji (smells the most neutral to me), a bottom-shelf Arm and Hammer, and a tube of Lavanila (marketed to women, stupid expensive, works alright)
I just got Dove unscented and I swear it makes me smell worse than when I wear nothing. If I sweat, I sweat whether I’m wearing antiperspirant or not, so might as well just use a deodorant.
Same here. I use Old Spice when I am not using my crunchy vegan baking soda deodorant. I also use the men’s Wegmans five blade razor, although they changed the blades to have a beard trimmer on the top, and I don’t like the new handles as much. I also am loyal to Barbasol shaving cream. So creamy!
Slightly off topic, but does anyone use a subscription razor service? They are targeted at men, but it seems like they could save ladies money too.
I do! My husband uses Dollar Shave Club, and he had so many blades – we just ordered another handle, and now we just share what he receives each month. I think it’s great!
I bought my husband the starter package from Harry’s (an online razor subscription) which cost $15 and came with the handle, 3 cartridges, a travel case and either a shave creme or shave gel. He seemed to like it so I bought myself one (since it was cheap for what you were getting), and it works just as well as my Venus razor. Now I just buy the blade refills for the both of us and it has saved us some decent cash since I only have to buy one set of blade refills for the both of us. The cost per blade varies based on how many you buy at a time, but it works well for us and it’s free shipping. I also used the shave cream and was pleasantly surprised with it and will order some for myself next time.
I use dollar shave 4x razor and it’s wonderful! And SO cost effective!
I did a tried to research reviews on Dollar Shave Club and found that their razors are supposedly made by a company called Dorco. The razors are so cheap when you buy in bulk online. I got the trial pack which included 18 razors/cartridges and with a coupon code it was about $20.
I was super pumped about my new discovery and really liked all the razors I tried. However I’m starting to get quite annoyed. Every time I have dropped the razor in the shower the plastic piece holding the cartridge to the handle breaks off. I’ve lost 3 or 4 razors prematurely now. I’m hopeful the disposable razors which don’t have a cartridge will work well.