Breaking in the new cream

Today I shaved for the first time using my new shaving cream formula, with two results. One, I'm obviously putting too much water in the mix; it took half of the 4 oz. jelly jar to make all the foam I wanted. But then, one of the reasons I'm making it myself is because it costs about 75 cents a day to shave with all the fluff I want from Vulfix (Truefitt & Hill would cost twice that). Still, water is cheap, and this shave probably only cost me a dime.

Despite the poor commercial value represented by my overly diluted cream, the experience of actually shaving with it was everything I could have wanted. The bentonite clay gave me the slickest, most buttery-smooth shave I've ever had, and my face looked like Will Smith's during the restaurant in Hancock; you know, where the follicles are so empty they make the face glitter. (I must point out that the lather was also wonderfully hot thanks to my Moss Scuttle.)

The combination of essential oils -- peppermint, lavender and rosemary -- is the best-smelling I've come across (Kudos to Nancy Boy for inventing that mixture). The rosemary is an earthy-smelling astringent that helps the skin tighten up without making it hang onto the whiskers. The lavender and peppermint give it perfume and liveliness. I use enough essential oil in the recipe that the smell clears my sinuses and the cream gives my face a warm-cool feeling. No need for aftershave with this one; I smell good, and not in a girlie way. With the soap base made from olive oil and coconut oil and with added glycerin, my skin is softened, but without so much humectant that I feel like I'm in a rain forest afterward, like after a Noxzema treatment (Noxzema's a good cheap alternative to the luxury creams).

The final verdict: Those 40-odd jars of shaving cream in the garage might not all be ready for selling, because the mix is too thin and the cream will run out too fast. No worries. I live for my daily shave.