With warmer temperatures approaching in the Northern Hemisphere it’s time once again to look at “cooling” shave products. Scott from Captain’s Choice sent me some of his new “Nor’easter” line to try.
Captain’s Choice Nor’easter
From the Captain’s Choice website:
“Originating in the North Atlantic, Nor’easters thrive and pick up strength from the cold air in the atmosphere. Making landfall they bring snow and deliver a blast of cold air to the New England states. With this as inspiration, we have created a refreshing cream that has a masculine base note – amber, spicy berry, lavender, citrus – topped off with a blast of menthol. Nor’easter stands in a category unto itself and deserves a place in any shaving collection. Go ahead, just try to put it down after only one sniff!”
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Fragrance (Essential Oil/Natural Fragrance Blend), Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Triethanolamine, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, DMDM Hydantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Menthol.
Related Post: Whats Menthol And Why Is It In My Shaving Stuff?
My Experience With Captain’s Choice Nor’easter Shave Cream And Aftershave Balm
My admittedly insensitive nose gets mainly a mild menthol scent note, with an amber/musk and citrus zest undertone, from the shave cream. Mrs. Mantic59 jokingly says “it smells like the 1970’s.” Like other Captain’s Choice shave creams, I find the scent of Nor’easter moderately strong from the tub but softening considerably when lathered on the face.
The lather I get from Nor’easter is a bit different than other creams from Captain’s Choice–a little less voluminous and a bit “dry” looking (even with more water). However it is more than adequate with plenty for three passesand I get a good, yogurt-like consistency. Like I have mentioned with previous Captain’s Choice shave creams, I find the Nor’easter lather exceptionally stable.
I would not call Nor’easter a “face freezer” but the cooling effect of the menthol is moderate but persistent throughout the shave.
The over-all performance of Nor’easter is excellent, with both protection/cushion and lubrication/glide among the “top shelf” shave creams I have used.
Aftershave Balm
Unlike the alcohol-based formulation of most aftershave splashes, the Nor’easter aftershave balm is chock-full of skin-friendly ingredients:
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Emulsifying Wax, Glycerin, Polysorbate-20, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parki (Shea) Butter, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinol Palmitate, Fragrance (Captain’s Choice Fragrance Blend), Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Cucumis Salivus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Peg-12 Dimethicone, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Phenoxyethanol, Triethanolamine, Carbopol, Menthol.
I get a really nice “feel” from the balm, not too heavy or overly-cooling with menthol. I think this would be a good warm weather balm.
Conclusion
[Note: Amazon and West Coast Shaving links are affiliate.]
Captain’s Choice continues to slowly build up its brand with excellent products. I think there is enough variety to satisfy most every wet shaving enthusiast.
Nor’easter is available in a shave cream, shave soap, aftershave balm, and aftershave splash. Some Captain’s Choice products are available at Amazon and West Coast Shaving.
