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 😎
I Didn’t Win… And You Didn’t Either (Probably) 💰🎰
I didn’t win the lottery.
And guess what? You didn’t either.
How do I know? Because this weekend’s lotto jackpots are still sitting at over $1 BILLION combined.
That’s right, billion with a B. Enough money to put me in a tax bracket where I’d suddenly need a team of accountants explaining tax-friendly countries.
Just kidding, IRS.
Sorta. 👀
Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot is $604 million, and Saturday’s Powerball jackpot is $457 million.
When — not if — I win, I already have a few plans.
First stop? Camino Real Chevrolet because of the Camino Gals. A Z06 Corvette will do just fine. Yes, there is a ZR1, but even imaginary billionaire Niel still likes a good deal. Some habits don’t change.
Then maybe a house on the beach, because waking up to the ocean sounds slightly better than checking emails.
After that? Helping communities and causes I care about.
At some point, how much money does one person need to stack away just because? There’s a difference between living comfortably and hoarding a mountain of cash you could never possibly spend.
That being said, if the winning numbers hit… no, I am not suddenly available to an eighth-removed cousin from my ex-wife’s side of the family. Also, please don’t invite me into your “once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity” that suspiciously feels like Devil Corp wearing a fancy suit.
Dream big. Have fun.
After all…
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Communication, Connection, and the Silence in Between
I’ve been writing about my experience as a shareholder and user of Nextdoor, specifically my request to Jacob Chavis for the full insurance study published under his name and contact information.
I asked to understand the methodology, sample size, approach, and factors behind the research. Maybe I would learn something. Maybe there was a best practice to take away.
Today marks Day 25 without receiving the study or a response, despite several emails sent directly to Jacob, with some including Nirav Tolia and the press inbox.
Today, I had a flashback to how this entire journey started.
Before the shareholder questions, before the blogs, before the emails — it started with moderation.
I was suspended several times by local moderators. I appealed. The appeals were denied. Some suspensions appeared connected to being labeled “aggressive” toward a neighbor, questioning moderation decisions, or openly challenging how the platform was operating.
The final suspension came after posting too many for-sale items. I was told to combine items into one post. I followed those instructions — and was suspended again.
In my appeal, I asked a simple question: Where in the Usage Policy or Terms and Conditions does it state the frequency limit or exact number of items a user can post for sale?
That is when the conversation went silent.
I’ve said this many times: we tolerate what we allow.
As CEO, Nirav Tolia shapes the culture, processes, and customer experience on the platform. When I questioned these issues on his LinkedIn posts, I was blocked.
Soon after I began commenting on Nextdoor’s LinkedIn posts about my dissatisfaction with the lack of communication, comments were turned off on those posts. Timing is timing, but from my perspective, the silence continued.
Then came the request to Jacob Chavis for the full study.
Again — silence.
For a platform built around communication and connection, we've spent a lot of time not communicating or connecting.
My bigger question is this:
If this happens over a simple user inquiry and a shareholder asking questions, who else is experiencing the same thing?
Join the discussion:
Evil Dead Burn — The Deadites Are Back Again
The Evil Dead franchise continues, and of course, I had to see where the story goes next.
After the original The Evil Dead in 1981, Evil Dead II, the 2013 continuation, and Evil Dead Rise, the newest chapter brings back the supernatural chaos, the Necronomicon, and yes... the power tools.
Because it's Evil Dead.
I break down how Evil Dead Burn connects to the previous movies, the callbacks fans will notice, why this one deserves the big screen experience, and where I hope the franchise goes next.
Is it scary?
Is it gory?
Does it belong with the rest of the Evil Dead universe?
I talk about it all in the latest Junk Cast review.
Watch it here:
🎬 https://NielFlamm.com/videos
While you're there, check out the rest of the good, the bad, and the stupid.
You've been warned.
