Ted's Grooming Room - Step 02 Shave Gel

What’s that you say - slapping lots of white stuff over your face is ever so slightly homoerotic? Erm, well unless you fancy looking like a hillbilly or are really into aforementioned look then us blokes have to shave or we really do start to look like cavemen.

Unlike some of the ‘just of out university’ boys in the office I can actually grow a pretty healthy beard and that presents problems as I hate shaving. As I pointed out in an earlier blog post about Gillette Fusion Proglide Shaving Gel, shaving has in the past left me with red blotchy skin and that’s not a look I want to rock to be honest.

Personally, with this hatred of shaving I like to keep a bit of stubble and tend to use a beard trimmer most of the time. On occasion however as part of my job I do actually have to look respectable (before you say it, yes I know, a shock that someone who employ little old me!)

After testing out and writing about Ted Baker’s Grooming Room before, imaginatively starting with Step 01 - Face Scrub I was very keen to try Step 02 - Shave Gel.

Now follows a marketing blurb intermission…..and basically some background on why such a fantastic designer/label/brand such have Ted Baker have expanded into grooming products.

Ted Baker have the offshoot called Ted’s Grooming Room. No it’s not the inappropriate type of grooming, it’s the type of grooming that was very welcome before the advent of the Internet but I digress, probably to the intense displeasure of their PR people who are slapping their foreheads and pulling out their hair. He’s managed to link shaving gel to online grooming!!! 

Since the successful launch of Ted’s Grooming Room in three central London locations, the next step for Ted was to develop his own range of Ted’s Grooming Rooms products, catering to all the stylish gentlemen who like things trim and proper. It’s provides a modern take on the traditional Turkish ‘efe’ barbers.

Step 02 - Shave Gel claims to triumph over skin irritation with menthol infused gel with claming Aloe Vera powder to leave skin feeling clear, refreshed and ready for action.

Anything that claims to soothe any skin irritation is a bonus in my book. I’ve used the King of Shaves menthol shaving gel in the past with good results so I expected good things. Was I disappointed?

In a nutshell, no, I was blown away and that wasn’t just from the lovely Aloe Vera fragrance or the fact that the gel wasn’t white at all. As the pictures show it is green in colour - well it looks green to me when on my face.

Two quick pumps of the dispenser and an amount the size of a 50 pence piece is released. Seriously, this is all you need. While it takes a lot of massaging into the face to produce a small amount of white lather the gel before this spreads so easily - it’s like a hot knife through butter.

As the gel is massaged into the face the menthol is released. You know this as it really hits your nose and you can feel it in your eyes. Put too much on and I can guarantee you’ll be in tears, however if you’ve got blocked sinuses, this is the trick.  No word of a lie - I had a blocked nose and breathing this in was like inhaling those menthol rubs you get. Awesome!

As the lather isn’t that thick or rich shaving is a breeze - the razor almost glides across the face and the blades don’t get as clogged as they normally do when using foam or other gels.

After using Step 01 that softened my beard I can hand on heart say I’ve never had an easier shave. In fact, the only way I’m likely to have an easier shave is if someone shaves my face as I lay back and relax.

Sorry competition but this blows the socks off everything I’ve ever tried before and I’m massively impressed.

A 150ml tube and considering how little is needed will last me for months.

Yes, an initial outlay of £8 is expensive in comparison to the competition and in the past I’ve said that I think £8 is too much, but in this case, with the lovely shaving experience, lack of irritation and the length of time there will be before I have to buy another one means that it does actually represent good value for money.

It’s a luxury product that delivers luxury results.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED*

*I know I’ve been gushing about the product but I can assure you Ted Baker are not paying me to say any of this.

In the words of Alan Partridge, “kiss my face”.

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings here. 

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Gillette Fusion Proglide Shaving Gel

Every time I pick up Gillette Fusion Proglide I have to say I chuckle to myself in a kind of schoolboy way. Probably a reference to first ever seeing a tube of lube called ultra-glide as a kid.

Anyhow I digress; I’m here to give my thoughts on a shaving gel not my adolescence!

Every since entering the world of shaving (and mainly bleeding as a result) I’ve never been a fan. Maybe I’m a sensitive soul (thousands who know me are now laughing themselves to an early hernia), but no matter what I used in my formative years I always ended up with dry skin after shaving, red blotchy marks and usually a face looking more akin to Freddy Krueger than the soft smooth finish I was looking for.

Gillette back in the day offered a few products that really helped - my skin would always feel dry but the red blotchy marks were less noticeable.

Ever since I’ve been hooked. The products and range on offer has expanded and apart from King of Shaves I’ve rarely ventured further, I’ve never needed to.

My current favourite is the Proglide. The marketing blurb says that it “makes it easy to get the look you want”.

The shaving gel comes in a squeezable tube and is ice blue in colour. While a ‘clear’ shaving gel there is clearly a colour. To cover my beard in the gel a squeeze to release a blob about the same size as a 50 pence piece is needed.

As soon as you start to rub the gel in what strikes you immediately is the lack of lather - it’s actually like rubbing hair gel on your face. A bit weird at first, but it is easier to apply and doesn’t seem to disintegrate on contact with water.

A little goes a long way with this, so no need to be over the top. It might not seem like a lot of gel but really, you don’t need it. As the gel is spread a lovely fresh Aloe Vera fragrance fills the room. It adds a kind of clean and sanitised feel to the shaving experience in my opinion.

Personally I let the gel soak in for a few minutes and start to shave. The hairs on my face seem softer and easier to remove and after rinsing off my face my face is beautifully smooth. The acid test for me is the look and feel after about 30 minutes after drying. With Proglide I’ve never been let down.

My face is always smooth and even the morning after shaving there is an absence of dry skin. For the first time in my shaving life (22 years) I don’t get red blotchy skin after shaving. Rejoice people - rejoice.

£4.49 for a 175 ml tube is in my humble opinion well worth it. It will last for weeks if used daily and months if you like to grow a bit of five o’clock shadow now and again.

It stores well if you are a more infrequent shaver and if you fancy chancing your hand at a new brand or a different line of the Gillette range then you should look no further.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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