When it comes to my morning and evening bathroom routines, I鈥檓 a man of habit. It took years of getting pestered by my dental hygienist鈥攁nd a couple of cavities鈥攂efore I ditched my cheap analog toothbrush for an electric one. I鈥檝e been using the same deodorant since I was 14 (!).听And听until a few years ago, I washed my face every night with the bar of hand soap next to my sink.
The latter habit changed a few months into dating my girlfriend, when I started spending听several nights听of the week at her apartment. Before bed听I鈥檇 steal a dollop of her fancy face wash,听and听gradually, I began to notice that my face was getting less dry and more clear. I kept using it when she wasn鈥檛 looking,听and for the first time in my life, I thought there might be something to all those grooming products out there.听It felt good to take care of my skin at the end of a long day.听
Soon after this revelation, I learned about 听($21 for a pack of three). is best听known for its hipster shaving box that sends subscribers听refill听razors every month. I鈥檝e had a beard since college, so I never needed that sort of thing, but the company also sells grooming products听such as听 and face wash. I decided to give the face wash a go鈥攖he branding didn鈥檛 look too听douchey, like a lot of men鈥檚 skin-care and shower products, and I knew 贬补谤谤测鈥檚听had a good reputation for its听quality. It seemed听like the perfect fit for my evening routine. (I鈥檓 generally听too harried in the morning for more than a splash of water on my face.)
That instinct paid off. I鈥檝e always hated the musky scents of most male hygiene products. The labels tout听sandalwood听and tobacco,听but I just smell my high school locker room and the desperate attempt to cover up teenage body odor. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that 贬补谤谤测鈥檚 face wash had no hint of Axe-brand听odors. It was听refreshing but not perfumy, with notes of hay and earth that I鈥檇 never smelled听in a shower product. After rinsing it off, a pleasant tingle remained on my skin, thanks to essential peppermint and eucalyptus oils. After a week of using it each evening, my beard hair began feeling softer, too, perhaps due to the small amount of shea butter in the formula.
The wash听features听little听bits of volcanic rock. That sounded awesome (exfoliating听your face with lava!)听and, it turns out, also felt awesome. While rubbing the foam in, the particles would gently lift the layer of sunscreen, sweat, and dirt on my face after a听day鈥檚 hike or bike ride. The best part? I didn鈥檛 have to worry about听harming any听critters in the sea, because听, volcanic rock isn鈥檛 toxic to听marine life.
After using up my first bottle of 贬补谤谤测鈥檚, I saw it at Target and threw it in the cart. The next time I passed by it in the store, I threw three bottles in my basket so I鈥檇 never run out. The timing was perfect, because my girlfriend was catching on to the fact that her face wash had begun disappearing at an alarming rate.