A good shave cream really can turn the never-ending task into a more enjoyable experience – fewer nicks, less irritation, better skin care to boot. You forget how nice you have it until you forget – say, on a trip to Denver – and have to make do with a cheap, last-minute drugstore brand. It was awful!

A few years ago I asked barbers at V’s Barbershops to rate a half-dozen shaving gels, creams and foams on their own faces. Their universal favorite was one by Lab Series – and I carry a travel-size version of their Maximum Comfort shave cream ($12.50) in my dopp kit when I go on vacation. Lab Series is sold at Ulta, Macy’s and Dillards stores.

I happen to prefer mentholated creams and gels – the subsequent topical numbness helps prevent shaving irritation and redness. Kiehl’s Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream ($15.50-$18.50), below left, was the first such one I ever tried. It’s spiked with camphor, too, so it really knocks your skin out during the shave. (It’s relatively hard to rinse out of the razor, though. You do a lot of fast swishing in the sink.) It’s sold at Nordstrom at Chandler Fashion Center, Neiman Marcus at Scottsdale Fashion Square, and Scottsdale Jean Co.

The good thing about hoarding: If they decide to discontinue, say, your favorite shave gel – as Sharps Barber Brigade ($5.99), below right, did when they pulled their line from Target last year – I was lucky enough to already have five tubes stashed away in a bureau drawer to tide me over. (As it turns out, they recently began selling the products online, so I just ordered four more tubes today.)

I’m also a fan (although not quite as obsessive) of ZIRH Shave Cream ($14-$20), below left – the big tub o’ shaving cream does last a really long time. When my friend Jess’s house burned down in 2004, I greeted him the next morning with a whole emergency kit of grooming supplies, including this shave cream. He still uses the same brand today, although he likes to switch it up with ZIRH’s aloe vera-based shave gel sometimes. It’s available at Dillard’s and Sephora.

By the way, the barbers at V’s use products by The Art of Shaving, below right. (And a straight razor.) TAoS shaving creams ($14-$22) come in four formulations: hypoallergenic unscented; lavender for sensitive skin; sandalwood for dry skin; lemon for oily skin. The line is sold at V’s shops, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus at Chandler Fashion Center and Scottsdale Fashion Square, and specialty stores like Cos Bar at Kierland Commons and Romeo at The Shops at DC Ranch.

There are several other great brands of shaving cream out there — and Men’s Ultimate Grooming, a shop at Superstition Springs Center in Mesa, stocks most of them, from êShave to Woody’s, aMENity to Baxter of California and Jack Black.

ammit

WHAT SAM WORE: 6/12/08
The shirt: V-neck T-shirt (Old Navy)
The pants: Jeans by Seven for All Mankind (Last Chance)
The shoes: Flip-flops by Sanuk
The scent: Mat; by Masaki Matsushima

sammit

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