Nancy Boy Shaving Cream: First Impressions & Our Review

Now, in my quest to make sure I’ve always got the best products to put on my face, I came across a name for a shaving cream that made me tilt my head a bit – Nancy Boy. After staring at that title for a good thirty seconds and rubbing my eyes, I still stared at it some more. Nancy Boy? Are they trying to troll us? Don’t they know that people are watching when we shave?

Still, relatively undeterred, I noticed it was getting some good marks from people – with that in mind, I threw my hands up and said, “What the hell? I’ll try it out.” And wouldn’t you know it, Nancy Boy shaving cream is really quite good for a shaving cream. I really, really dug it, and am definitely going to keep it in mind whenever I need more shaving cream for my next wet shave. Despite the intimidating name, Nancy Boy shaving cream will make you feel like more of a man than ever.

Shaving Cream vs. Shaving Soaps:

Shaving creams and shaving soaps stand around the bathroom sinks of many men that have been converted to the traditional style of wet shaving. It is easy to gather quite a collection because there are so many textures and smells, which make it really hard to know which product to choose and which you will want to use for the long term.

As you surely know, there is a difference between the two and one may be more suited to your shaving style and face than the other. So, before we get into talking about Nancy Boy shaving cream, we want to give you the low down on shaving soap and shaving cream. Hopefully, by the time we are done, you will be able to pick your poison and get an awesome shave.

Shaving Cream:

You more than likely began shaving with the help of a shaving foam or gel that came shooting out of an aerosol can. Foam and gel shaving creams are loaded with chemicals as well as numbing agents that only harm your skin rather than help it. Being available almost anywhere and for a super low cost, makes these often a go-to for shavers. Canned shaving cream is super drying and cause signs of early aging to spring up well before you are ready to claim silver fox status. So, unless you are a fan of irritated, rough skin – we think it’s time to expand some new horizons.

This brings us to the benefits of old style shaving creams that come in a tube. To get an effective lather with these shaving creams, you will need a shave mug and shaving brush to help you whip up a creamy concoction of wonder. A good quality shaving cream has many moisturizing abilities due to the great ingredients. You can expect to walk away with a super close shave and smooth skin.

Shaving Soap:

Shaving soap is a bit different than shaving cream and take a little more to get into the groove with. Most shaving soaps are triple milled and can produce a really rich lather. The soaps come in a puck form that is very hard and dense.

Some shavers prefer shaving soap over shaving cream if they have sensitive skin since they has a much more subdued scent added. A lot of men actually prefer the lighter fragrance since it is more conducive to slapping on some aftershave without having to worry about the scents conflicting. Shaving soap is can be less expensive than shaving cream, even for the high quality stuff.

Which to Choose?

Well, in all honesty, that’s really a question that only you can answer. Our best advice is to examine your shaving routine, figure out what the needs of your skin are and give a few different soaps and creams a trial run. This is the best way to see what you like and don’t like about each – then you should be able to decide if you are a shaving soap or shaving cream kind of guy.

The History of Nancy Boy:

I just had to know the history behind this product – just as I thought, the brand’s history is rooted in a phrase that has become a bit of an anachronism now with time. The company itself started in San Francisco, where two guys decided to make a company that didn’t advertise, putting all of their money on their actual products. Now, they make much more than Nancy Boy shaving cream – there’s lip balm, hair products, deodorant, and so on; if it comes from a plant and you put it on your body, Nancy Boy probably makes it.

Looking at this story, I actually thought it was kind of cool – granted, it started in 2001, but there’s an old-timey simplicity to the products that I appreciate. One thing I could easily pick up on while using their shaving cream, and something that is part of their corporate philosophy, is that they spend a lot of money on high-quality ingredients for their stuff. They rely heavily on word of mouth to spread the word, so they know they have to make their products really good to make up for that. To that end, I can definitely see where they are coming from; Nancy Boy shaving cream is simply great, and I couldn’t imagine where they would be if they did not put that money into the product.

How Does It Shave?

Well, enough about the corporate mumbo-jumbo, you’re probably telling me – what makes Nancy Boy shaving cream actually good? Like I said before, the quality of ingredients is just something that you can feel on your face – it’s a cream, not a soap, so you don’t have to work it into as much of a lather, so that’s good. Since it’s made from all-natural essential oils of peppermint, lavender and rosemary, your face ends up smelling like a tantalizing combination of a country field in summer and Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a weird combo, but bear with me – it’s good.

As for the shave itself, I can credit it with an incredible smoothness; it is slick and seems to protect the skin quite a bit – you feel really refreshed by the time you’re done shaving, as it doesn’t feel like it leaves you right away. It lathers up very well with a brush, and it’s super easy to apply, so your regular shaving routine will fit right along with it. The glycerin, avocado oil and allantoin contribute to the aforementioned smoothness, and just makes your skin feel that much healthier. The fact that you can look at the list of ingredients and have trouble finding any weird artificial compounds and products also speaks to its quality – nothing concocted in a lab for no reason went into this, which is a good thing.

Granted, the cream itself is not without its problems; for one thing, I ended up having a bit more problem with irritation on the skin than normal. It was nothing too crazy – nothing a little witch hazel can’t cure – but still, it’s something you might find a little troublesome. To a certain extent, you’ll get that with a lot of soaps, and there may be many other factors that play into it; that’s just the one thing I could find to complain about with my own experience.

Some Final Thoughts:

One of the things that attracts me the most to Nancy Boy shaving cream is the price itself. Since they don’t waste any time on marketing and advertising – their whole thing is that they spend all the money on the product itself – that savings gets passed on to the lucky few who get turned on to it. You can get a nice 6oz jar for about $20; that’s not bad at all, considering the quality of the ingredients and the amount of time it’ll last you (you’re only supposed to put on about a marble’s worth per shave, anyway).

There are a few more fringe benefits to the shaving cream that I think are pretty nice – for one thing, you get to help out a small company that functions purely on the quality of its products. It’s rather nice to fight the power while avoiding that Che Guevara beard that you know you can’t quite pull off. Nancy Boy shaving cream is actually quite smooth on the face, it’s a cream that doesn’t dry out the skin all that much, and it’s a great quality product for the low price. I can’t really say enough good things about it.

In short, don’t let the silly name fool you – by the time you’ve finished trying it out, you won’t balk at the phrase Nancy Boy any longer.