“I have a bit of a soft spot for this cream because my Grandfather used it.
…great skin conditioning properties.”
I have a bit of a soft spot for this cream because my Grandfather used it. He bought it on a trip to Saudi Arabia, and from then on had only one request for anybody who was going to the Middle East: “bring back some Nivea shave cream!”
Although Nivea in South Africa has become more associated with canned shave gels and foams, Nivea tube shave cream has been around since the 1930’s. It is most widely available in Germany and the Middle East. The tube that I am currently using was purchased while on a trip to Jordan.
Nivea Mild cream comes in a distinctive blue and grey metal tube. One can only describe the scent as ‘Nivea’. Very similar scent to the Nivea aftershave balm that is widely available here in South Africa.
I found the best method of lathering this cream was in the palm of my hand. It gives a bit better control over the lather consistency. I squeezed an almond size blob of cream into the palm of my hand and started working up the lather. I was using a Simpson badger brush. The lather builds up fairly quickly, though I do like to take an extra minute to work this cream. Adding in a few drops of water gives the lather the perfect shine. The feel of the lather is tight and slip is excellent. More than enough lather for three passes
Shaving with this lather is excellent. The cushion is great and the glide is near perfect. The best part about this cream is how it leaves your skin feeling afterwards. It really does have some great skin conditioning properties. Your skin feels baby soft and very supple.
Overall, this is an excellent shave cream. A good performer and is commonly found on supermarket shelves in Germany and the Middle East. The main problem, however, is availability – this cream is very hard to get anywhere else. The internet has made life a bit easier but finding anyone who wants to ship to SA is a bit tricky. A great shave cream if you can get your hands on it.
