Today I received three Gentlemens Refinery products from David Wessell and was asked to use and review these products. But first let me tell you a little about the company. It was developed by Perry Gastis who is a forth generation barber with the title of “Executive Master Barber”. He was the former Master Barber for The Art of Shaving and most recently Executive Barber for Truefitt and Hill (North America). Perry Gastis has performed his special talent on an elite clientele that ranges from celebrities to Fortune 500 executives. The official date of opening The Gentlemens Refinery was November 15, 2006.
Dissatisfied with the synthetic additives present in most men’s grooming products, Perry partnered with an organic chemist, and after years of research and development formulated The Gentlemens Refinery. The Gentlemens Refinery products are made with no artificial colors or fragrances and use only the mildest, food grade preservatives when necessary. All ingredients are from renewable plant and mineral sources, and the environment is protected in their production. Their web site is located at:
The Gentlemens Refinery - Quintessential Men's Grooming
We received these from our buddy Jim over at Vintage Blades. You can pick them from from him at:
I tried the Gentlemen’s Standard Shave Cream first which can be seen at this link:
The Standard Shave Cream
The first thing I noticed was the masculine box this cream came in. It is black with silver lettering. For a nice contrast the inside of the box is red. Another cool thing is that there is a barber’s tip on the inside of the top of the box. The jar of cream is also black and silver which is actually attractive.
This cream has a very mild fragrance something on the order of a mild coconut oil smell. After showering I put a blob of the cream on the brush and then wet it with hot water and began brushing up a nice thick and creamy lather on my face. One thing I did notice was how lubricating this cream is. It has a very soft feeling lather kind of like a very thick cream. Shaving with this cream is very pleasing as the blade just flows across your skin cutting the whiskers. After the first pass with the grain of the whiskers I applied a second coat and the shave was as pleasing as the first. During the third pass, which is basically a touch up pass, is when you really notice the lubricating qualities of this shaving cream. When you smear the little bit of cream that is left on your face you can really feel the slickness of this cream and how well it lubricates. After the shave you can tell that this cream has a moistening effect above all others.
The next item that I tested is the Gentlemen’s Standard Moisturizer. This product can be seen at this link:
The Standard Moisturizer
The container is a TSA (Transportation Security Administration) approved container. It is a 0.50 fluid ounce container with a pump top that delivers a small portion of the cream. The container is also basic black and silver and rather handsome.
This moistening cream has a neutral fragrance and is very thick and creamy. It took only three squirts of this cream to cover my face. You can tell immediately that this product is of a very high quality and is going to moisten your face. After a few hours you can feel your face and feel that it is soft and pliable. Perry did a very nice job in formulating this product.
The next product I tested is the Gentlemen’s Standard Pre Shave Oil. This product can be seen at this link:
The Standard Pre Shave Oil
This container is exactly like the Moisturizing cream listed above.
After trying this product I will have to say that it was the most interesting of the three products that were sent to me to review. The reason I say this is that I have never tried shaving oil before and had serious doubts about its working. This shave oil has a very appealing fragrance which I cannot exactly define as I am not familiar with the smell of its ingredients but it is nice. After showering I squirted some of this oil into my hands and rubbed it into my face which was very pleasing and I could tell by the consistency of the oil that it was going to soften my whiskers and moisturize the skin. I then proceeded to shave. Well, to my amazement, the razor was slicing thru the whiskers as it did with the shave cream. I thought “COOL” this stuff really works. I continued with the first pass and was pleasantly pleased. I thought, should I put on a second coat of this oil and decided not to I am going to really test it. So I proceeded to shave against the grain and again was surprised. The razor was shaving as if there was shaving soap on my skin. This shave oil was a real eye opener Perry really did a bang up job in formulating this product. Oh! this shave oil is not water soluble as some are.
Since the shave oil and the shave cream worked so well I thought that I would try them together as I have read that some have done. After showering I applied the shave oil to my face and rubbed it in then applied the shave cream. I thought, now this is a combination that can’t be beat and I was right. The razor sliced thru the whiskers as if they were not there. This was a very nice shave. For those of you that have dry skin this combination can’t be beat. A few hours later I felt my face and it was nice and soft.
Summary: These three products are of a very high quality. You can tell by using them that there is no alcohol or harsh additives. They are very pleasing to the skin and enhance straight razor shaving beyond anything else. It would be difficult to compare my usual shaving soaps with this shave cream as it outdoes anything that I have tried.
The shave oil was something else to try I actually enjoyed using it. You can see what you are shaving and the way it leaves you skin feeling afterwards is amazing.
The moisturizing cream is really nice as it leaves your skin feeling nice a smooth.
I recommend these products to anyone who wants to try them. They are a bit pricey but you get what you pay for…..”Quality Products”.
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