Gillette’s Newest Razor Elevates The Grooming Experience

Ingrown hairs, razor burn, breakouts and irritation. Shaving is a lot riskier for our skin than most men care to remember. Because the adverse effects aren’t immediately noticeable, we tend to plead willful ignorance for the sake of getting our grooming process over and done with each day. Maintaining that hard-won style has a lot to do with how you shape your facial hair, so it’s easy to understand why most men see shaving as more of a chore and something to carelessly brush over as quickly as possible.

Monotony always sets in when it comes to keeping up a grooming routine. Add that to the fact that each day our skin suffers from a natural build-up of dead skin cells, dirt and secretions that can cover the skin’s surface and make it harder for those blades to cut through our hair follicles. That tugging feeling you associate with razor shaving? It’s because your face is dirty. It’s a common issue the world’s biggest shaving brand, Gillette, seeks to address with the new GilletteLabs Razor with Exfoliating Bar.

On a practical level, it always makes sense to exfoliate to help loosen the edge of hair follicles trapped under that excessive layer of dead skin. Considering pre-shave exfoliation removes the top layer of those dead skin cells, cutting through those hairs will be a frictionless experience for your razor, giving you a considerably smoother shave and cutting the likelihood of any nasty irritation.

With Gillette’s advanced tech arm, GilletteLabs, already proving its value with the innovative high-end heated razor that debuted a few years ago, it seems the iconic grooming brand has taken another massive leap to help give men around the world the best home shaving experience possible.

First, it was a razor that could effectively recreate a hot towel shave, and now it’s one that taps into pre-shave exfoliation for an extra smooth and even more seamless grooming experience.

So how does the GilletteLabs Razor with Exfoliating Bar work?

Now available in Australia, the premium-looking razor is geared toward solving an issue that has long plagued men who prefer the precision of a razor shave. What was once seen as a chore should now be a much more pleasurable experience.

The green exfoliating bar clears the way for the razor blades. It features a textured ridge design to help clear any blockages around pores, so dirt and debris are removed before the blade glides over to help alleviate the skin and prime it for an exceptionally smooth shave.

Above the blades is a lubricating strip to help reduce any friction and irritation, giving those dead skin cells a gentle one-two punch while the tiny ridged micro comb beneath the blades lifts and guides the hairs into the optimal position for a clean cut.

What you get is not only the best shave you could possibly have outside of the barbershop but a different kind of morning pick-me-up that will leave your skin feeling refreshed rather than retired.

Every inch of the GilletteLabs Razor with Exfoliating Bar has been carefully considered to offer a premium shaving experience. The 2D FlexDisc pivoting head ensures the blades can swivel from side to side, maximising the blade’s contact with the skin and adapting to the individual contours of your face. This, when combined with the gold standard five-blade cartridges and highly responsive springs, gets closer than an electric shaver ever could.

This design is complemented by a comfortable ergonomic metal handle that feels sturdy and lightweight to hold, as well as a premium magnetic stand for easy storage when the razor isn’t in use. It’s safe to say GilletteLabs is gliding down the path of genuine innovation with this new product, one that truly elevates the male grooming experience.

To enhance the experience, GilletteLabs has also released two new skincare products designed to be used in conjunction with the exfoliating razor. Apply the Quick Rinse Shave Foam or Rapid Shave Gel before the shave to gently prime the skin with an alcohol-free, ultra-lightweight formula that maximises glide and contains skin-boosting vitamin B3 and sea kelp to hydrate the skin and improve elasticity.

An authentically premium grooming experience

My personal experience using the GilletteLabs Razor with Exfoliating Bar reiterated just how much thought must have gone into the design for this groundbreaking grooming essential. First, it’s supremely comfortable to hold the ergonomic metal handle, making it easy to quickly angle around my face while I was lining my beard and in particular cleaning up the unwieldy neck area.

Second, the green exfoliating bar at the base of the razor doesn’t at all feel intrusive when it’s gliding over the face and preparing those hairs for the five-blade cartridges so they can work efficiently. I mentioned that tugging feeling above; it’s a common issue for me when I glide over the thicker parts of my beard on each side of the chin. None of that, unsurprisingly – which is perhaps the biggest difference I could actually feel between this and one of the more standard Gillette razors.

Most useful is just how flexible the razor is when you compare it to anything else on the market. That comfortable 2D FlexDisc at the back of the razor, where you can rest your thumb for more controlled movements, also features springs that can turn the razor from left to right while still making it feel sturdy enough to focus on the task at hand.

Not that I’m pulling off ridiculous angles when I’m shaving, but the fact that these blades can work with my movements rather than against them flows much closer to my skin, giving me a smooth feeling that, most importantly, doesn’t require me to go over the same area twice like I would with other razors.

While the GilletteLabs Heated Razor was priced at the higher end with an RRP of $299, the GilletteLabs Razor with Exfoliating Bar settles for the more accessible price tag of $39.99. You can now pick it up from leading retailers and supermarkets in Australia, along with the new Quick Rinse Shave Foam and Rapid Shave Gel, both of which are $12 each.