Battle of the Shave Butters: Round 1 — Scent

After spending at least a week with my new challenger, it's finally time to begin the comparison.

Welcome to Round 1 of the shave butter showdown:

Dollar Shave Club vs. Van Der Hagen.

This first round is all about one thing...

The smell.

When I open a tube of Dollar Shave Club Shave Butter, the scent reminds me of butter you'd use in the kitchen. Think baking a cake, making macaroni and cheese, or one of those rich French dishes where the chef believes there is no such thing as too much butter. It's a pleasant, warm scent that I've grown to enjoy over the years.

The Van Der Hagen Shave Butter is completely different.

To me, it smells very similar to Cetaphil, a well-known line of gentle skincare cleansers and moisturizers designed for sensitive skin. Cetaphil products are fragrance-light, non-irritating, and formulated to help cleanse while maintaining the skin's natural moisture barrier. Many dermatologists recommend them for people with dry or sensitive skin.

Now, here's where a completely unrelated story comes in.

Years ago, while attending a recovery meeting in Las Vegas, I was either chairing the meeting or filling in as the secretary. The person I was serving with mentioned skincare, and somehow the conversation turned to Cetaphil. They commented that crystal meth smelled like Cetaphil.

Whether that's accurate or not, I have no idea.

What I do know is that I wasn't particularly fond of the scent before hearing that story, and afterward I gravitated toward it even less. Funny how our brains make associations that stick with us for years.

That doesn't mean Van Der Hagen is a bad product. This is simply my personal reaction to the fragrance.

There are several more rounds to come—glide, razor feel, closeness of shave, skin hydration, value, and overall performance—but if we're scoring only Round 1: Scent, there's a clear winner for me.

🥊 Round 1 Winner: Dollar Shave Club Shave Butter.

What do you think? Have you tried either of these shave butters? Do scents influence your buying decisions, or is performance all that matters?

Join the discussion on NielFlamm.com.

Battle of the Shave Butters: Dollar Shave Club vs. Van Der Hagen — The Bald Head Experiment Begins

For at least the last five years, I’ve been shaving my head with a razor. My current weapon of choice has been Dollar Shave Club, although that might soon change to Harry’s since they’re available at Costco. Before the razor life, I was using a buzzer with no guard. It worked… mostly.

The problem?

I’d always miss a spot.

Anyone who shaves their head knows exactly what I mean. You finish up, think you’re looking good, then later find that one random patch you somehow missed hiding on the back of your head.

When I switched to shaving with a razor, I ran into another issue — traditional shaving gels, foams, and creams. The thick lather made it harder to feel where the razor had already been, especially on the back of my head. The result? Once again, missed spots.

Somehow, I discovered shave butters.

I started with Dollar Shave Club’s shave butter and became a fan. It gives enough glide for a smooth shave, but it isn’t buried under a mountain of foam. I can actually feel where the razor is going. Since switching, I hardly ever miss a spot, and I get a nice close shave on both my head and face.

Recently, I was about to refill my usual supply of Dollar Shave Club shave butter when I thought… why not try something different?

After doing some searching, I came across the highly rated Van Der Hagen shave butter. So here we are.

Day 1: Van Der Hagen enters the ring.

I’m not ready to declare a winner yet. One shave doesn’t make a full review. I want to give Van Der Hagen some real use before comparing the two and deciding who gets the shave butter championship belt.

Will Dollar Shave Club defend the title?

Will Van Der Hagen pull off the upset?

Stay tuned.

The shaved head isn’t going anywhere either. I think — and I’ve been told — I actually look younger without hair. The gray doesn’t get a chance to show up when there’s nothing there.

At the end of the day, maybe this whole journey is just one man’s attempt to complete the ultimate goal:

The Bruce Willis action star look.

Now I just need the explosions, the slow walk away from danger, and maybe a catchphrase.

#YippeeKiYay 😎