One of the hassles on being a “public crossdresser” is shaving—yeah, I shave my arms, chest and legs once or twice a week. I’ve found that hair conditioner works really well as a lubricant—the moisturizer is actually the “secret ingredient” in “adult” shaving lotions.

One challenge is finding a conditioner that doesn’t have a lot fragrance in it. Besides being a bit… aromatic… afterwards—given the amount that I’m putting on myself—fragrances are also often irritating to your skin. I had been using a conditioner from http://www.cosmeticscop.com/ (the company owned by the woman who wrote “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me”—an must-have “Consumer Reports”-style guide to make-up and skin care products).

But yesterday I was at Trader Joe’s and noticed they had a store-brand hair conditioner. So I gave it the sniff test. Minimal scent—and about half the price of the Paula’s Choice conditioner. I’ve got no idea how well it works on hair, but as a shaving lotion it works pretty well. It’s a little thicker, so if it dries out it can clog the razor, but at the price I’ll put up with it.