Deb posted a link to joke about transgendered shaving cream which brings up a good point.  For myself I always buy the female line of any product in stead of the male version, simply because I'm female and like buying female products for myself.  Now I know that with many of these things there is no difference in the product, just the packaging.

Who else does that, and do any of you know if there are any benifits buying female products over the male ones (mtf) or the other way around for the ftm members.

Steph

The primary difference is the scent Steph. Male products are designed to smell more manly while the female more feminine. In products like Secret I really can't tell the difference but get a stick of old spice deoderant and BIG difference. Supposedly mens deoderants are supposed to protect against a more exuberant sweat gland and men do give off a stronger odor however I think the amount of sweating that goes on is probably about the same.

I too buy the feminine unless there is absolutely no difference like razors for instance. I like the womens razors cause there pink but basic design and price wise, no difference. If the womens razors cost more I'd buy the mens and vice versa. No sense in spending more money for the exact same product unless there's something in it that appeals to my feminine nature.

Cassie

Cassandra, I agree its the scent that is the bigest difference. But I buy man 3 blade razors at the dollor store, 3 heads for $3 and my gf buys the brande name 3 blade femme blades for $8 for 3 heads. And I have shaved with both and see no difference.

I now pay close attention on how the products I use smell...and I choose them to smell good and femme.

Deb

I always felt (from testing) that men's razors tend to shave closer than women's. so I have a mach 3 for both my face and legs. I do have a Schick Intuition when I don't want to take the time to lather up the legs. It's great for shaving in the shower!

back to the original question. the main difference is scent. other than that, I haven't noticed a difference in quality. I buy female-oriented or scented items because, like it was said, I'm a girl so it would just be obvious.

I too favor the feminine products when there are both types on the market. They always package the men's products to look he-man, rugged, tough, etc. That is not who I am and I prefer the softer side (and their scent, when applicable) of feminine products, including deodorant, shampoo, shaving products, hairspray - even my hairbrush and toothbrush are pink! 

Jennifer

Soaps, moisturizers, lotions, and deodorants i us feminine (Olay, and generic female brands). I use men's electric razor for shaving Remington Titanium. Yes the female products have more flowery scents. The men's have more musky, less sweet, obvious scents (vary limited).

I use all manner of female products simply because of personal identification. Some scents are ok, but a few are over-the-top and I'm not big on scents for my own personal use, although I do appreciate my girlfriend's wonderful feminine scents when she's close by. I prefer to use Clinique facial care products.

A GG friend of mine uses shaving heads designed for men's faces. I believe it was the Schick Mach 3, because the female version had weird pads on it that made it less effective for shaving, or so she said.

So far, I use mostly androgeneous products if I can find them.

untill I found the intuition, I TOTALLY loved the mach 3.... and I'm not even that hairy... I go weeks between shaving my legs... I just shave my underarms once every 3-4 days.... but for a long time there the Mach 3 WAS the best razor on the market.... 

But now I totally dig the intuition LOL I like the all in one step thing, I'm so lazy

Alison, you got my attention with comment about intuition .... I also settled on the Mach III as the best available razor, though I don't see much more then hype in the new "sonic" feature.  All it amounts to is vibrating blades and I can't detect a twits better shave from it, and here is one fanaticle, can't stand a hint of stub consumer.  I bought one of those handles and after trying out the feature, wasn't impressed and never use it anymore.  I do like the blades though, smoother.  Better be for the price.

One of my problems is very fine face hair, most razors will glide over the hair without catching it and cutting in, hair just slips under the blade.  On hairs that return after being hit with electro, this problem is even worse.  Shaving is an intense excercise for me as it can be frustrating at times and perfection is all I will settle for.

So what about this Illusion ?  Who is the maker and what features make it so good in your opinion?  You might mention a thing or two about blade prices also, these things are getting into the realm of a couple of bucks a blade or more.  A major expense to stay presentable when the best blades money can buy are only good for a couple of uses.  I go through at least 4 blades a week, and thats with zero body hair below neck other then pubic and arm pits,  Less then that and I start getting bumps and rash, so I spend the blades.

Terri

I agree with the people who were saying that women's products are sometimes less effective. I found women's razors (both electric and non) to be less effective, and women's deodorant to be almost useless. Even my mum uses men's deodorant.

And women's deodorant is more expensive per gram than men's. Conspiracy if you ask me.

When I wore women's clothing, my biggest complaint was what's with the zippers and buttons doing up backwards? I'm not left-handed and would have to go through all kinds of stupid contortions to do up a fly. Plus you get shoddier construction for more money, but I suppose that's because heavy materials and stitching aren't overly feminine.

Dennis

I buy all feminine products, just because they're feminine.  I don't really think about it all that much though.  When I'm buying blades I think more about how ridiculous the price of blades is.  But I do remember the joy I got out of standing in my shower for the first time with a Gillette Venus in my hand.

I was never someone who sweat much, so using women's deodorant isn't much different than when I was a guy, except for the sweet, sweet smell 

I think one of the biggest differences in male & female products is that men use none compared to women.  Women use more stuff on their skin, and companies exploit that by marketing even more than you need.  My medicine cabinet used to be pretty bare.  Now I can't fit everything in... cleansers, oils, toners, lotions, gels, tweezers, brushes, hairspray, hairgel, more hair stuff, different lotions, different cleansers, plus all the normal stuff... deodorant, medicine, etc.

As far as shaving my face goes, I still use the Mach 3 I've had for almost as long as I've been shaving.  The blade is at least nine months old.  For a while I wanted to make my last blade and shaving cream last until I didn't have to shave my face anymore.  But then I realized how incredibly dull the blade was, and I went shopping for more.  When I saw how much I was going to have to pay for them, I changed my mind.  I refuse to spend ten bucks for a masculine product that I don't want in the first place, and will only use for a couple of months.  I've only been shaving once a week for a couple of months, and I don't really shave at all now.  Yay!!!!!  The other day I realized how unfamiliar I've become with my Mach 3 

Amy

schick intuition

http://www.schickintuition.com

Basically its a three bladed razor with a pivoting head, with this... soap? on it... they call it a "Skin conditioning solid" ... so basically it eliminates the need for shaving cream.... (thus removing a step for the lazy, like me ) It works really well on my legs, underarms, and especially girly bits.... but I don't shave my face so I dunno how it'd work there.....   I'd say definetly worth a shot, but for the smaller areas like uner your nose, it might be too bulky, I dunno.....  Basically the starter kit costs as much as any other shaver, and I want to say the blades are a -tiny- bit more expensive, but remember, you're eliminating the need for shaving cream

The Intuition seems kind of neat...my skin is really sensitive so I haven't had much luck with any "lather as you go" razor.

I still have to shave my face every couple of days, I haven't had time for electrolysis lately.  I never liked shaving cream, so I still use a mug and brush, it reminds me of my grandfather (and really works well, too).  The only problem is having my seven year old daughter laugh at me when I lather up.  I have to admit that it's a pretty funny sight, I've been full time since she was five.

So I guess you can put me down for "uses some male products" since I don't think they market that many badger bristle shaving brushes to women.   

On the other hand, I've used Clairol hair care products my whole life...their "oily hair" formulas were some of the only ones that could really deal with my hair before HRT.

I found the intuition to be best for just my legs. everything else I use my mach 3. then again, the only time I cut my legs shaving was with the intuition so I am mad at that razor for now.

it is convienient shaving your legs in the shower with it though. I have found that I wear down one side of the surrounding 'soap' quicker than the other so it's probably the way I hold it that causes that.

Life can be quite ironic can't it. I have for many years argued with my wife and daughter over using my razor on their legs and the effect it has when I shave my face.

Now I have to try to remember which razor is for my legs and which is for elsewhere. I think I now understand the trouble that they had with the two razor concept.

Shelley

Since I like appearing more masculine, I tend to buy men's deodorant and soap stuff because I feel like it makes me smell better. But I buy woman's razors and woman's shampoo because I feel like it works better with my hair.

It's really a matter of preference and what I'm used to buying.