Have you ever thought about what is in your shaving cream sitting in the shower at the moment? Shaving cream is a personal care item that many people overlook, but it should actually be on your radar.
As with any other product you use on your body, conventional shaving cream can be loaded with toxic and harmful chemicals that are bad for your skin and your body. You likely use the shaving cream every day, or at least a handful of times a week, and that can lead to a lot of skin irritation and potentially other health issues. Combined with the fact that shaving with a sharp razor blade can also Nick and cut your skin, it’s easier for those chemicals and other toxic ingredients to enter your body.
If you would like to start transitioning into using natural and organic shaving cream, this is going to be a great place to start!
We are going to discuss the 10 best natural and organic shaving creams, the chemical ingredients found commonly in shaving creams, and how to pick the best natural shaving cream.
The 10 Natural and Organic Shaving Creams:
1. Taylor of Old Bond Street Organic Shaving Cream
This is a certified organic shave cream that is made with 95% natural and raw ingredients. When applied to the skin you get a rich and luxe lather that makes shaving super easy and simple from start to finish. There is no fragrance, no parabens, and no preservatives in their cream as well. It is ideal for those who have sensitive skin and want a shaving product with minimal ingredients.
2. Olieve & Olie Organic Shaving Gel
With Australian olive oil, geranium, clary sage, and bergamot this special shaving gel definitely needs to be on your radar. It is specifically formulated to soothe your skin as you are shaving so you are left with no irritation or redness. The only fragrance in the gel comes from natural and pure essential oils that are also super healthy and beneficial for your skin as well. Great for sensitive skin and for all areas of the body.
3. Dr. Bronner’s – Organic Shaving Soap
Dr. Bronner’s is known for all of their organic and pure products, but did you know they made a shaving soap as well? Their shaving soap is USDA certified organic and made with fair trade ingredients. The cream is meant to cleanse the skin, shave, and hydrate all at the same time. Shikakai powder comes from tree pods and has been used in products in India for centuries. It helps hydrate and soothe dry skin and softens the hair so you get closer and easier shaving experience.
4. Glimmer Goddess Organic Shave Cream
Glimmer Goddess shave cream includes wholesome skin-loving ingredients like Aloe Vera, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Glycerin, Macadamia Nut Oil, and Soybean Oil. These rich oils create a barrier between your skin and the sharp razor blade to prevent irritations, razor burn, nicks, cuts, ingrown hairs, and more. The cream is also super hydrating for your skin as well.
5. Fieldworks Organic Natural Shave Gel
One of the main ingredients in this shaving gel is bentonite clay, which removes toxins and impurities from the skin. With this gel, a little bit of product goes a really long way, so you don’t need to use much to get one of the best shaves possible. This also makes the product budget-friendly since it will last you such a long time. It is easy to go through shaving cream quickly, but with this natural gel, you will not have that issue!
6. Alba Botanica Very Emollient Cream Shave, Unscented
As usual, we always like to include an easy to find and very budget-friendly product on our lists and this Alba Botanica shaving cream certainly does the trick. We like this option because it is unscented so you are avoiding any possible synthetic fragrances. They use a blend of aloe vera, chamomile, jojoba, and vitamin E to help soften and smooth the hair and skin so shaving is effortless and precise. The cream does not contain any parabens, phthalates, or harsh sulfates. It is also not tested on animals.
7. Beauty by Earth Shave Bar Soap
This shaving cream is different than the other because it is a shaving soap bar and does not come in a bottle or a jar. Then you add some water to the bar in the shower it creates a silky and rich lather that is ideal for shaving. It also cleanses and moisturizes the skin at the same time. They use a variety of amazing essential oils, shea butter, and the product is handcrafted and made in the USA.
8. NOW Solutions Nutri-Shave Shave Cream
Coconut oil, panthenol, aloe vera, and olive oil are combined in this shaving cream to create a super smooth and invigorating shaving experience. It is perfect for both men and women to use and will get you a nice and close shave without any of the irritation that everyone dreads. It also helps to remove pore-clogging residue from the skin so you are less likely to get razor burn, ingrown hairs, and other types of irritation that often come with shaving.
9. Andalou Naturals Lavender Thyme Botanical Shave Cream
This shaving cream is made with vegan probiotics, aloe vera, emollient-rich rosehips, and argan oil to make a cream that smooths and glides over your skin. As with all Andalou Naturals products they use their unique “fruit Stem Science…A blend of nature’s most potent bioactive stem cells from the Heirloom Apple, Grape, Swiss Alpine Rose, Argan Tree, and Hemp Plant support skin protection, restoration, and radiance.”
10. THRIVE Natural Shave Soap
Another shave soap that comes in bar form, and can also be used as a body wash in the shower, this option is made with antimicrobial, antioxidant-rich super plants, Juanilama and Fierrillo. It creates a rich lather that lubricates the skin making the razor glide over your skin completely effortlessly.
Ingredients to avoid in conventional shaving creams
There are a lot of ingredients in shaving cream you want to avoid and that you probably didn’t even realize were there.
It is important to try and eliminate as many harmful and toxic chemicals in your everyday life as possible and an easy way to do this is to find other products that do that same stuff but are made with healthy and wholesome ingredients.
A common ingredient found in shaping cream is mineral oils. Mineral oil is used to help me the skin smooth and slick so the razor blade can slide over your skin. However, mineral oils often clog the pores and close your pores, and don’t allow toxins in your body to be released. This can lead to infections, razor bumps, and breakouts.
Surprisingly, many shaving creams and gels can also contain numbing agents. These ingredients are included so if you nick or cut yourself while shaving you don’t feel it as much. However, this can cause bad razor burn and the numbing agents can also absorb through the skin easily.
You are also going to find fragrances in most conventional products as well. Fragrances are an ingredient that should be avoided at all costs because they are essentially chemicals that don’t have to be disclosed by the brand and the manufacturer that makes them. It can cause a wide variety of skin reactions and irritations.
Palmitic acid it’s also likely to show up in your shaving cream. This is a solvent that is used to help some of the ingredients in the cream to stay mixed evenly. Studies have shown that this type of acid can cause different dermatitis of the skin.
How to buy the best natural and organic shaving creams
The best way to find organic and natural product such as shaving cream are to find brands that use minimal and simple ingredients that you know, understand and recognize. One of the first steps to achieving that is to ensure you are avoiding all of the ingredients we discussed above. This is one of the best places you can start without getting overwhelmed in your search.
It is important to remember that while avoiding those above ingredients are important, there are still hundreds of other potential chemicals you still need to avoid as well. While it is impossible to list out all of their ingredients in one blog post, a great rule of thumb to go by is reading the ingredient list on the shaving cream. If you don’t know what most of the ingredients are, they sound like complex chemicals, and you can’t even pronounce them, it is best to look for another product.
You can also look for cue words and labels like non-GMO Project Verified, USDA certified organic, paraben-free, sulfate-free, etc. These are easy ways for your eye to lock onto a product that is likely to be better than ones that don’t have these labels.
However, it is extremely important to remember that is simply a starting place when searching for shaving cream. You still need to look at that ingredient list to make sure what they are using is actually clean and healthy. Buzz words are helpful indicators but should never be wholeheartedly relied on.
FAQs
Is shaving cream bad for the environment?
In short, yes. Shaving cream is bad for the environment just like it is bad for your health when you are using the ones filled with chemicals. You use a lot of water when shaving and all the chemicals in those shaving creams will eventually make their way into water ecosystems.
Is shaving cream necessary?
Shaving cream can help with shaving and smooth, even skin, but it is not totally necessary and is up to each individual person. Shaving cream does help to act as a buffer between the sharp razor and the skin, making you less likely to slice yourself. Shaving cream is also generally packed with a lot of hydrating ingredients which helps to soften the hair and the skin on your body. You will be less likely to cut yourself, get razor burn, and get ingrown hairs.
Shaving cream can make a great addition to your shaving routine, but only if you are using options that are natural, organic, and made with safe and healthy ingredients.
But the great news is, there are so many wonderful organic and natural options on the market, everybody will find a shaving cream that suits their needs. Trying out any of the 10 best natural and organic shaving creams above is the perfect place to start on your journey to finding something you are going to love.
If you try any of the shaving creams above let us know which one you tried and if you loved it!
This article was last updated on May 8, 2023 .
