I recently participated in a campaign on behalf of Dad Central Consulting for AVEENO. I received product samples and a promotional item as a thank you for participating. I really enjoy working with the Dad Central team and for this AVEENO campaign I got to try some of their new Men’s Collection items. The product included a Face Wash, Shave Gel and After Shave Lotion. Now normally I don’t go very above and beyond on my everyday hygiene routine. This stems from a combination of me wanting to spend my money on other items besides high-end hair products, deodorant and soaps and stuff. It’s similar to how I usually don’t like paying for “maintenance” medications like aspirin or cold medicines either. I buy the cheap stuff, when it’s on sale and don’t worry about. So, every now and then when I get to participate in campaigns like this and others I’ve done, it’s nice to try something new that I normally wouldn’t have ventured out into purchasing for myself.
With regards to my normal shaving routine, I probably go even cheaper than average. I end up using the same replacement razor blade in by Gillette Fusion for as absolutely long as possible. I honestly can’t remember the last time I bought blade replacements. I also hardly ever use any kind of specific shaving cream or gel, I either just shave in the shower or once I’m out I’ll just smooth some hand soap over my face and scrape the stubble off my face. Luckily for me, I can’t really grow a beard so I don’t have to do much effort in this arena on a regular basis anyway.
My wife has been using Aveeno products so I’m already familiar with the brand, and they’ve recently introduced their new AVEENO Men’s Collection that features their tried and true ingredient of ACTIVE NATURALS® Oat ingredient which works to cleanse, moisturize and soothe men’s sensitive skin. After taking a nice, hot shower one night after a softball game, after having not shaved for quite awhile my wife encouraged me it was time to do some manscaping so I started the routine with the face wash. There’s was a noticeable difference for me between my normal routine of body wash in a wash cloth and scrubbing my face. I could definitely feel a difference in my pores feeling more open and cool after the wash.
I followed that with applying Shave Gel. This wasn’t the normal “gel” I had used in the past, it felt more like a smooth, slippery lotion. Similar to the gel I have used though, as I worked it in my hands and on my face it seemed to expand slightly in volume and get a little more airy. It went on smoothly and absolutely made my normal shave experience using a dull razor less of an irritation. I intentionally used my old razor because I wanted to see the difference, and of course I didn’t want to go out and buy new blades. As you can see from the photo below, there was quite a bit of stubble to cut through and I ended up with no cuts or major irritation.
Wrapping up the triple play was finishing with the After-Shave Lotion. Any slight irritation I had after my shave was immediately removed and cooled down after applying this product. I could absolutely tell a difference from my normal shaving routine and my wife and kids noticed as well.
Luckily, I get to keep using all of these products, but my favorite is probably the shave gel. From my normal routine, just using this is quite the upgrade and is probably something I’ll start considering as a regular addition to my toiletry purchase when I’m running low. For less then $5 for a 7 oz. can, I’m sure it will last me quite awhile and will help ease the irritation caused by my resistance to replacing disposable razor blades more frequently.