Noxzema Original Classic Clean - Absolute game-changer (2024)

The Coffee Bandit said:

If I can find some locally I'll give it the ol' college try.

Are you lathering it with a brush like any other cream?

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I would lightly wet the face and then apply by hand. Don't use too much water. If it gets too runny it loses its slickness.

Phoenixkh said:

Noxzema was a familiar smell in my childhood... My mother slathered her face in it every night.... I couldn't handle the smell then.... and I'm sure it will bring back unpleasant memories if I tried it now...

So, thx for the invitation but I'll pass and still with what you got me using years ago now... Neutrogena Hydro Boost for part of my post shave. I have 3 great pre-shaves... hmmmm 4.. All of them work so I'm not in the market for a new product there.

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Heh, I remember not liking the smell either ... until I had a girlfriend that would apply it to sunburns. Miraculously, I began to like the smell. LOL

The newer stuff doesn't smell as good today. Next time I'm at Walmart I'm going to get the Equate version and see if it's a little better. Having said that, I really don't mind the smell.

CzechCzar said:

No lathering for me. I just get my hair wet, run on PAA The Cube for preshave, and then apply Noxzema with my fingers. Took some getting used to but the proof is in the pudding!

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You should try it sometime without the pre-shave if you're shaving right after a shower. My shower is my pre-shave.

NotBloomingAL said:

You should try it sometime without the pre-shave if you're shaving right after a shower. My shower is my pre-shave.

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I retested that hypothesis for me a few months ago. I've been showering before every shave, using pre-shave in the shower and again when I shave... I changed it up to include all the options. I still came away with.. for my old man, grey, coarse and dense whiskers... The regular routine works better... shower with two uses of the Cube 2.0 non-mentholated pre-shave, one of my fine pre-shaves before each pass when shaving..... and following my set post shave routine....

I know that isn't for everyone but my whiskers are coarse, dense and brittle enough that the extra softening is noticeable when I finally get to shaving them. I have a 3 brush rotation that I use to apply the pre-shave and figured... the brush is already loaded... why not use pre-shave before every pass... It seems to add so slickness to every soap/croap/cream I use... Again, probably overkill for a lot of people, but for me.... Why not?

Phoenixkh said:

I retested that hypothesis for me a few months ago. I've been showering before every shave, using pre-shave in the shower and again when I shave... I changed it up to include all the options. I still came away with.. for my old man, grey, coarse and dense whiskers... The regular routine works better... shower with two uses of the Cube 2.0 non-mentholated pre-shave, one of my fine pre-shaves before each pass when shaving..... and following my set post shave routine....

I know that isn't for everyone but my whiskers are coarse, dense and brittle enough that the extra softening is noticeable when I finally get to shaving them. I have a 3 brush rotation that I use to apply the pre-shave and figured... the brush is already loaded... why not use pre-shave before every pass... It seems to add so slickness to every soap/croap/cream I use... Again, probably overkill for a lot of people, but for me.... Why not?

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I understand where you're coming from. My suggestion pertains only to Noxzema CC. When applied with only a tiny amount of water, it has amazing slickness AND cushion. Noxzema seems to be the only thing I've ever used that actually seems to have a definite cushion. But I also think the whiskers still need to be fully saturated with water -- completely softened -- before shaving. That's why I think a shower first is important. I wouldn't make this suggestion regarding anything else but Noxzema CC.

Used the Equate version tonight. Probably with too much water. So squeakin’ good! Gave super powers to my mild razor.

Trying Amazon Basics unscented shaving cream soon.

thombrogan said:

Used the Equate version tonight. Probably with too much water. So squeakin’ good! Gave super powers to my mild razor.

Trying Amazon Basics unscented shaving cream soon.

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What store brand is that? Is it better that the name brand?

Walmart uses “Equate” for their health/beauty products. If the scent doesn’t skeeve out others in my household (so far, so good…), it’s working better than name brand Noxzema. Proraso Green would have beat Noxzema, but it reacts with my skin to produce a feline-adjacent ammonia scent.

I believe Noxzema Classic Clean would work better, but the soya scent is forbidden in Casa Brogan.

CzechCzar said:

Has anybody tried the below?

View attachment 1933469

If so, what are the differences?

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I just tried this. Although I came out of the shower pretty sweaty, it seemed to be a little lighter ... slightly less viscus. It still worked okay. But maybe a little less well than the regular Classic Clean.

When I bought this I also bought the Equate version -- they were right next to each other on the shelf. Anyway, I'll give the Equate version a try next time.

Phoenixkh said:

I retested that hypothesis for me a few months ago. I've been showering before every shave, using pre-shave in the shower and again when I shave... I changed it up to include all the options. I still came away with.. for my old man, grey, coarse and dense whiskers... The regular routine works better... shower with two uses of the Cube 2.0 non-mentholated pre-shave, one of my fine pre-shaves before each pass when shaving..... and following my set post shave routine....

I know that isn't for everyone but my whiskers are coarse, dense and brittle enough that the extra softening is noticeable when I finally get to shaving them. I have a 3 brush rotation that I use to apply the pre-shave and figured... the brush is already loaded... why not use pre-shave before every pass... It seems to add so slickness to every soap/croap/cream I use... Again, probably overkill for a lot of people, but for me.... Why not?

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The Cube is great. I use it when shaving with a less than optimum soap/cream.

@Phoenixkh , Amazon Basics fragrance-free shaving cream (I think that’s the only type, too) is a very good substitute for Noxzema and its homages.

Also, it’s possible to use too much or too little water with it, so it’s like Walmart/Equate‘s tribute to Noxzema in that regard even if you don’t smell like a koala mugged you after shaving.

I've tried several pre-shave products, including Proraso pre-shave, and didn't get a performance boost out of any of them.

Then I looked at the ingredient list on Noxzema, and it had a lot of similarities to Proraso's ingredients -- but the Noxzema is cheap as chips. Tried it, and Noxzema performed better than anything I had previously used.

Been happily using Noxzema ever since. Great stuff.

NotBloomingAL said:

Heh, I remember not liking the smell either ... until I had a girlfriend that would apply it to sunburns. Miraculously, I began to like the smell. LOL

The newer stuff doesn't smell as good today. Next time I'm at Walmart I'm going to get the Equate version and see if it's a little better. Having said that, I really don't mind the smell.

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Eager to run out and get the Equate version. Better and cheaper - what's not to love??

NotBloomingAL said:

You should try it sometime without the pre-shave if you're shaving right after a shower. My shower is my pre-shave.

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Not going to try this I think due to my pirate beard.

Phoenixkh said:

I retested that hypothesis for me a few months ago. I've been showering before every shave, using pre-shave in the shower and again when I shave... I changed it up to include all the options. I still came away with.. for my old man, grey, coarse and dense whiskers... The regular routine works better... shower with two uses of the Cube 2.0 non-mentholated pre-shave, one of my fine pre-shaves before each pass when shaving..... and following my set post shave routine....

I know that isn't for everyone but my whiskers are coarse, dense and brittle enough that the extra softening is noticeable when I finally get to shaving them. I have a 3 brush rotation that I use to apply the pre-shave and figured... the brush is already loaded... why not use pre-shave before every pass... It seems to add so slickness to every soap/croap/cream I use... Again, probably overkill for a lot of people, but for me.... Why not?

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That is an interesting idea!

Woody Nickels said:

Been happily using Noxzema ever since. Great stuff.

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A recent discovery??

CzechCzar said:

So, I'll break forum decorum and bump my own thread. I have been wetshaving for nearly 20 years, and this Noxzema classic clean is revolutionary.

Can I get any volunteers willing to spend the $4 it takes to purchase one, and try it out?

At the very least, if you don't like it, you have a fantastic facial soap - best I have tried.

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When I first got into wet shaving around 2010, a number of gentlemen used this product to shave with. I've tried it a few times, and it isn't bad. It also acts as a great brushless cream for cartridge razors, and when I'm in a really big hurry, I've been known to do a one-pass cartridge shave using this as the 'lather'.