King of Shaves AlphaOil: A super-small shaving option for travel

If you're a guy, shaving while on the road can be a pain, especially if you're like me and try to keep the amount of toiletries you pack to an absolute minimum.

Before the advent of travel size shaving cream, you had to pack a full can of Edge or Gillette or whatever you used. There's the razor, of course, and seeing how most guys need to put something on after the shave to help the skin recover, you had to throw in some kind of balm or moisturizer. Travel size shaving cream is easier to pack, but the cans are still bulky.

Of course, it's easier to eschew the shaving ritual altogether while traveling; there's something cool about returning from a trip and not having your significant other recognize the bearded journeyman walking into the arrivals hall.

But I've found it's always a good idea to pack a small shaving kit, because you never know when you'll need to spruce up a little bit.

A few years ago I stumbled upon King of Shaves AlphaOil, made in the UK, and it now goes into my dop kit on every trip. It's insanely small, and just 2-3 drops of this stuff coats your face in a menthol oil that softens the toughest scruff and results in an unbelievably close shave. This little bottle pictured above claims to have 100 shaves in it.

If I'm trying to shed every ounce from my bag, I include a disposable razor and a travel size moisturizer for my ultra small shaving kit. If I don't care, I throw in a real razor.

There are other options on the market for shaving oil. I've tried Somersets and some products from The Art of Shaving. None were better than King of Shaves, and it's just about the smallest shaving oil you can find out there.

Filed under: Gear